Simon King

Synopsys SIG - solutions that help you manage security and quality risks comprehensively, across your organization and throughout the application lifecycle

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@AJA_Cortes Vagal nerve stimulation may have helped me lose 10% of my body weight (happened to do it using keto)

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@historyinmemes Haggis

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@historyinmemes Iron smelting process

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@historyinmemes Davy lamp

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@carlvellotti Very good ... separate comparing your roadmap with "enterprise features checklist" specifically - this is a good way to to prepare to defend any roadmap. Why is a feature there. At that priority. Why is the cutline there. What is the overall budget alignment.

[Carl Vellotti 🥞 @carlvellotti]

Excellent answer to the question:

"How do you defend your roadmap from leaders?"

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@hochschild_r reading Strangers avidly. New Hidden Brain podcast talks about radicalization. Context in which it occurs matches stories in Louisiana. Primed by loss then exposed to new ideas that reestablish community

https://t.co/1A932WJCu9

[Simon King @sjking2000]

This tree is 13,000 years old. If our attitude is that it’s OK for it to die in favor of housing we have big problems https://t.co/d4oa0ospRh

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

Product-market fit is not enough anymore. You need position-market fit:

There was a time, not too long ago, where in startupland one could build a thing that solved a real problem, put a price tag on it, and see if the market wanted it:

• If they did, then we would have said he had found product-market fit
• If they didn’t, we would say he didn’t and it was “back to the lab”

That time, for better or worse, is long gone.

Here’s how @0zne and I break it down:

In 2024, a utility provided through software can’t make a dent effectively anymore. People’s heads are overstuffed with competing products, messaging, and narratives. It’s hard for a product alone to get a market edge.

The main exceptions are new tech or hyper-niche markets. ChatGPT, for example. But that is a rare instances of breakthrough technology where the “product” itself carries the bulk of the impact.

Most companies don't have that luxury and are not in such a position. So, if a product alone isn’t enough, then what is enough?

Enter position-market-fit.

• If “product-market-fit” means that you’ve found the right kind of product that the market wants…
• “Position-market-fit” means that you’ve found the right combination of product/brand/marketing/pricing/go-to-market/sales/etc in a given domain.

The Importance of Brain Estate

The fundamental reason why “position-market-fit” is so important is that it operates more at a personal and subconscious level. Our brains can only conceptualize a finite set of “characters'' per domain.

Similar to the "Dunbar number" rule, which suggests we can maintain stable social relationships with up to 150 people, our brains are wired to understand only a finite number of company-market associations.

Gaining a strong positional edge, or nailing “position-market-fit” is the exercise through which a company, with the right combination of product, brand, pricing, marketing and go-market is able to conquer a certain portion of consumer “brain-estate.”

The Story of Startup Success

If you step back and analyze some of the best startups from the last decade, you'll see they excelled at this.

→ Are you building in an established market dominated by large incumbents with feature-bloated, slow, and clunky software? In that case, you might want to position your product as a speed-first, high-craft, premium option, similar to a luxury car company. Does Linear ring a bell?

→ Alternatively, if you're entering a highly commoditized market dominated by a few corporate-looking brands, consider positioning yourself as the quirky, fun company that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Embrace the David vs. Goliath narrative with bold, edgy marketing and design. Does Arc Browser come to mind?

Their pricing strategies are almost a second-order effect of their employed market positioning.

And that’s the power of position-market fit.

[Simon King @sjking2000]

Clearly it’s not folder structure - otherwise we would all copy and all be successful. Likely a symptom of leadership driving a sustainable and effective program to build knowledge

[MATT GRAY @matt_gray_]

One pattern I’ve noticed in all successful companies:

They have an organized folder system.

Here’s the exact system I use:

[Bandan (Productify) @bandanjot]

Move beyond Linkedin for your job hunting in Product and Tech.

Here are 8 alternatives to consider to get exciting roles, both remote and office-based:

[Bookmark/Share]

[Gordon Ramsay @GordonRamsay]

An important #FathersDay message from me…WEAR A HELMET ! This week I had a bad accident while riding my bike in CT. I'm doing ok and I’m thankful for all the doctors, nurses and staff at @LMHospital who looked after me but most thankful for my helmet that saved my life. Be Safe

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@carlvellotti and WOULD read

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@carlvellotti @nicolashagner Only create the second offering if they are indeed a target user

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@KiwiDenny I picked user empathy. In my experience - while you can have good communication skills, you really aren't a great communicator until you use the power of the user voice effectively.

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@tavioto @carlvellotti Investments that only get lightly used/ monetized are the most expensive
Test for 10X ROI on investments
Plan budget for maintenance/ enhancement / innovation
Don't underinvest in innovation in fast-moving markets

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@tavioto @carlvellotti First do they match your ideal customer profile - same size, maturity, industry, geo as ICP?
Second understand business intent - is there a more general problem to be addressed?
Third review future changes - are they leading a new market shift?
If no then explain why

[Simon King @sjking2000]

Like finally? https://t.co/YzsS7x0idZ

[Simon King @sjking2000]

Agree whole heartedly - but I think there's also a deploy and customer feedback loop that also feeds and informs selection and prioritization of new work

[Carl Vellotti 🥞 @carlvellotti]

Great visual for seeing how:
• Strategy
• Goals
• Roadmap
• Sprints

All tie into each other.

[Simon King @sjking2000]

@yanabana Building a solution that bridges two related problems but doesn't have a clear owner is hard to sell