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Why you should build a business — as a new or aspiring product manager
In part five this series, I want to focus on reasons why building a business or side project is valuable for new or aspiring product managers. Here is the previous post from this series. Pursuing entrepreneurial pursuits for fun can help accelerate your career significantly as a PM. Let’s dive into why.
“You don’t have to build a mobile app. […] Start a side hustle. Build a business. Work on a problem that allows you to try things and fail. You’ll learn helpful lessons on your path to becoming a product manager” — Scott Judson, Group PM at HubSpot, on How to Become a Product Manager
Why Building a Business (or Side Project) Can Help You as a Product Manager
1. You can become a better PM by starting a business or side project.
I would recommend anyone to start a business or side project for fun. This is one of the best ways to hone your adaptability and product sense. Especially at an early stage startup, you have to adapt as a product manager. PMs who have an entrepreneurial background, combined with an understanding of existing fundamentals around product & business strategy (design and programming are a plus), can ramp up quickly from my experience. I have seen PMs with an entrepreneurial background also have a greater self-awareness of their strengths and gravitate towards them, while having the optimism to learn new skills.
When you are faced with challenges in multiple directions, you need to have the grit and tenacity to keep going — as well as the flexibility to learn new things. These are all core parts of being an entrepreneur.
- 6 Reasons Entrepreneurs Make for Great Product Managers
- Product Management Empowered by the Entrepreneurial Mindset
