The Curse of the 1st PM - Part 2: The PM View w/ Hostos Monegro, 4-time 1st PM
Why do so many 1st PMs end up not working out? What can we learn from these situations, where a founder hires a PM and then things don't work out? In our second of a 2 part series, we interview Hostos Monegro, who has been a 1st PM an amazing 4 times in his career. We take a look at what he's learned across those roles, what he enjoys about the roles, and what you should keep in mind if you're looking at (or already have) a role as a 1st PM.
More on Hostos:
Hostos on LinkedIn
Learn about The Waterline Principle
More on Jason Evanish:
Get more product advice on Jason's blog
Follow Jason on Twitter
Get coaching from Jason or take his course
Topics:
(0:33) - Introducing Hostos
(2:14) - What is it like being a First-PM the 4th time around?
(3:19) - What were you looking out for when taking on this new role?
(5:53) - How did you think about filtering the Founder?
(9:14) - What are the awesome parts of this kind of role?
(15:07) - What are some of the hardest lessons you’ve learned as a First-PM?
(16:25) - How do you think about hiring while being in lockstep with your team of engineers and designers?
(20:14) - What do you think the ratio of PM’s to Engineers should be?
(22:31) - Do you look for PM’s with specific skill sets or ones who are generalists?
(25:17) - What advice would you have for someone interested in taking on the First-PM role?
(38:40) - What should potential PM’s look for in a company to determine if it’s a good fit?
(46:52) - What would you recommend someone does if they think some of these pitfalls apply to their situation?
(48:11) - What advice would you give to founders thinking about hiring their First-PM?
(51:28) - When is the right time to hire a First-PM?
(54:00) - How can the First-PM be set up for success?
(56:12) - How can people find you online?
Hostos on LinkedIn
Learn about The Waterline Principle
More on Jason Evanish:
Get more product advice on Jason's blog
Follow Jason on Twitter
Get coaching from Jason or take his course
Topics:
(0:33) - Introducing Hostos
(2:14) - What is it like being a First-PM the 4th time around?
(3:19) - What were you looking out for when taking on this new role?
(5:53) - How did you think about filtering the Founder?
(9:14) - What are the awesome parts of this kind of role?
(15:07) - What are some of the hardest lessons you’ve learned as a First-PM?
(16:25) - How do you think about hiring while being in lockstep with your team of engineers and designers?
(20:14) - What do you think the ratio of PM’s to Engineers should be?
(22:31) - Do you look for PM’s with specific skill sets or ones who are generalists?
(25:17) - What advice would you have for someone interested in taking on the First-PM role?
(38:40) - What should potential PM’s look for in a company to determine if it’s a good fit?
(46:52) - What would you recommend someone does if they think some of these pitfalls apply to their situation?
(48:11) - What advice would you give to founders thinking about hiring their First-PM?
(51:28) - When is the right time to hire a First-PM?
(54:00) - How can the First-PM be set up for success?
(56:12) - How can people find you online?
