What the heck is a “Product Box”?
And a stream-of-consciousness note on why I started this newsletter.
About three years ago, I went to grad school to major in Strategic Communications. You may be thinking, "a master's degree to learn about… communicating?" And, truthfully, I wouldn't judge your disdain because I, too, had similar sentiments and even wondered if I made the right decision investing my time, energy, and money.
In reality, I went to grad school for two reasons:
I wanted to get a job in the "innovation industries" (an innovation consultancy like IDEO or R/GA) and believed that a master's degree would bring me closer to my goal. At the time, I was getting 0 traction applying to my dream companies.
My temporary work authorization in the US was coming to an end, and I had to make a game-time decision to either leave New York or pursue further education, learn and buy myself more time in the process. I went with the latter.
During my time at Columbia, I joined an early-stage blockchain start-up, Yup, started by a longtime friend who was looking for a marketer-strategist. I took the gig as an additive learning experience, and little did I know that I would discover the fantastic world of product management and completely 360 my trajectory. Once I graduated, I received a few offers in the innovation consultancy space, so I guess the master's degree plan did end up working. However, those opportunities were rescinded due to the hiring freezes taking place as I was entering the "real world" right into the summer of 2020. It was as if that same “real world” was telling me to stay on the PM path, and I listened.
As a result of the realities of being ‘funemployed,’ I re-grouped and took my newly gained product strategy skills from Yup and officially transitioned to being a Product Manager at Citi that fall. Prior to grad school, most of my career was spent in the luxury fashion industry (I was also a Chief of Staff in the Israeli Intelligence), so ending up at a major bank was beyond my wildest imagination or “career plan.” I share this anecdote with no hyperbole: during my first week on the job, I Googled how a bank makes money. Promising start.
Nevertheless, I was excited to solve complex problems and put my education and work experience to good use and at scale. At Citi, I was building a co-branded digital bank for Google, and almost two years later, when the product was shut down, I switched to JPMorgan Chase, where I am working on launching a brand new payments product for 40 million people.
Perhaps the craziest part about my career trajectory is that once I pivoted from advertising and became a product manager, it was like all of the pieces fell into place, and I found the job I was meant to do for the rest of my life. Dramatic, but true. I am thrilled and proud to be a product manager and a part of the PM community on the internet (and in real life too).
As I retrospectively evaluate my trajectory, I believe I can also put my finger on why I majored in Communications in the first place, after all. If you've ever sat in a meeting, classroom, SoulCycle class, or any social setting with me, you'll know that I am incapable of being a passive participant, and arguably, I am an overly active participant.
Communication has always been a way for me to digest whatever is happening in my life, then share it as a way of processing, inspiring, and bringing others along the way. That's why, in 2020, I launched the "WIN/WIN: Women in Innovation" podcast, which publicly shares my “upgraded” coffee chats with women across innovation industries to 30,000+ people in 30+ countries. And today, it is the reason why I am launching a Substack newsletter and focusing on product management as a function, an industry, and a skillset.
I named this newsletter "Product Box" because it will be a myriad of musings across whatever it is that I encounter essential to articulate that month. While I believe in the structure that a box shape brings, there are lots of directions and thoughts roaming in my mind, especially as I am frequently chatting to other PMs and would love to share their thoughts and experiences here. My own trajectory has been a bit of a black box too, and I recognize the opportunities and setbacks that have resulted in going off the beaten path. True to form, I’d love to explore them with you here.
A few topics that I will cover, off the bat, are:
Assessing Product Culture Fit
Defining Product Innovation
Entrepreneurship vs. Intrapreneurship
Being a "Renaissance Product Manager"
With that, please reach out to here or on LinkedIn, as I am always keen to talk to people about careers, product management, and share any no-bs advice I can give. If you think someone else may be interested in what I have to say, share this newsletter — I hope to live up to the hype :-)