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I have been an entrepreneur, and worked with several product managers who have been entrepreneurs. Here are my insights on why entrepreneurs make great product managers.
- Vision: Entrepreneurs tend to be big picture thinkers. They have to be visionaries, folks who are driven by the ideas of changing or making a dent in the world. They are on a mission to make something that most folks have not thought of. This is an important trait for a PM without vision it is incredibly difficult to lead a cross-functional team.
- Grit: Entrepreneurs have grit, they are masters of facing strong opposition. They are good at conditioning themselves in saying every “no” get’s them closer to a “yes”. They are strong minded people who can take failure into their stride, learn from it, and move forward. To be effective, a Product manager should be Not be afraid of failing. He/She should be willing to take risks and experiment constantly.
3. Ownership: They believe in taking ownership in the true sense. Ownership is about doing any thing that you need to do to make the product successful. It is about living and breathing the product and have a pulse on the market dynamics as well as needs of their users. Loving the product to the extent they come up with ideas in the middle of the night. Entrepreneurs have to, by definition, walk this line.
In summary, entrepreneurs are driven folks who believe in making something out of nothing. Where normal folks see problems, entrepreneurs see opportunities. They are dreamers who believe they can swim against the tide and push through every step of the way. Their enthusiasm can be infectious. They could lead by example and inspire folks towards a common goal. Any and all of these traits can make entrepreneurs successful as product managers.
- Rana Mumtaz, Product Leader