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Joshua, Director of Product at Stiddle: Advize Career Interview
A Director of Product at a pre-seed B2B SaaS startup, Stiddle, shares a dynamic career journey marked by adaptability and a passion for innovation.
Early experiences, including a summer internship and founding a startup, fueled a transition into product management.
The role demands constant prioritization, balancing urgent tasks with long-term strategy, requiring strong time management, relationship-building, and leadership skills.
A love for zooming between high-level strategy and minute details, combined with a growth mindset cultivated through embracing failures and learning from diverse experiences, fuels success.
The interview emphasizes the importance of collaborative spirit, building long-term relationships, and prioritizing giving over taking, illustrating a path to leadership marked by intellectual curiosity and a unique blend of data-driven decision-making and interpersonal skills.
Early career advice includes foregoing traditional entry-level positions in favor of early-stage startups or developing functional expertise to build a foundation for leading product teams or even founding a company.
An immigrant background further shaped a career path characterized by humility, gratitude, and unwavering hope.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Joshua Han
Director of Product
Stiddle
UC Berkeley
N/A
Political Science, American Studies
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
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Career Path of a Director of Product at Stiddle
Joshua's career journey began with a summer internship at Heidrick & Struggles, where "creating profiles for potential candidates for a CEO position" exposed Joshua to diverse leadership paths, inspiring a shift from a planned career in consulting to founding a startup. This entrepreneurial experience, fueled by a Kickstarter campaign and venture capital, directly transitioned into a product management role at a large tech company, showcasing a career built on adaptability and diverse experiences.
Main Responsibilities of a Product Manager at Tittle
Joshua, a Director of Product at the pre-seed B2B SaaS startup Stiddle, describes their role as encompassing "very many hats," including unexpectedly taking on tech sales to acquire early customers. This experience, involving "building relationships" and iteratively improving the product based on customer needs, is directly informing Joshua's product management skills and setting the stage for future growth.
A Day In The Life Of A Director Of Product At Stiddle
A Director of Product's day is defined by "spontaneity and always being on your feet," requiring constant prioritization between urgent and important tasks, as well as balancing profit and loss responsibility with product development. This involves collaboration across teams, gathering user feedback, and strategically weighing feature requests against product quality and the overall roadmap to ensure success.
Most Important Skills For A Director Of Product At Stiddle
Joshua, a Director of Product at Stiddle, emphasizes the critical need for "time and energy management," particularly when balancing competing priorities and limited resources as a founder and product manager. The importance of long-term "relationship building and leadership," focusing on appreciating others and helping them grow, is also highlighted as key to both success and happiness in the career.
Favorite Parts Of Being A Director Of Product At Stiddle
Joshua, a Director of Product at Stiddle, most enjoys the "zooming in and out" between high-level strategy and small details, allowing for comprehensive work. This role also satisfies intellectual curiosity, as Joshua thrives in environments where they can learn from others, constantly seeking new knowledge and asking questions, even if they seem "stupid."
Biggest Challenges Faced By A Director Of Product At Tittle
Joshua's biggest challenge as Director of Product at Stiddle is the constant prioritization required in a fast-paced environment, "things are pulling you apart in every direction at all times," further complicated by the need to constantly learn new technical concepts despite lacking a traditional engineering background. This learning process, while initially daunting, has revealed a talent for translating complex technical information into accessible insights for others, highlighting the adaptability required for success in this role.
Favorite Parts of Working in the Software Industry as a Director of Product
Joshua's career journey across consumer goods, hardware, and now B2B software reveals a passion for seeing products resonate with users, from the "warm feeling" of a delighted customer enjoying a self-created chocolate bar to the rapid iteration cycles of software development where "an idea...can be implemented almost immediately." This highlights a consistent theme of enjoying the direct impact and speed of innovation across diverse industries.
What Type Of Person Thrives In The Product Management Industry, According To A Director Of Product At Stiddle
Joshua, a Director of Product at Stiddle, identifies success in the industry as stemming from a collaborative spirit, emphasizing "winning together" rather than individual gain. The most successful individuals possess strong social and emotional intelligence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to translate personal experiences into a unique approach to work and problem-solving.
What A Director Of Product At Stiddle Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Product Management Industry
Joshua, a Director of Product at Stiddle, learned that success in the product industry hinges on "building long-term relationships" and skillful leadership, moving beyond solely "data-driven decisions" to cultivate strategic alliances and navigate power dynamics effectively. This requires a blend of "data science" and interpersonal "art," a lesson learned through experience.
Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Directors Of Product
Joshua, a Director of Product, advises against entry-level roles in finance or consulting for aspiring product leaders, believing these "don't make for a good leader," instead suggesting early-stage startups where one "can't ask for permission" and must be resourceful. Alternatively, building deep functional expertise through academia or a generalist approach at various startups, "learning how to do a little bit of everything," can pave the way to leading product teams or founding a company.
Significant Career Lesson From A Director Of Product At Stiddle
Joshua's significant career lesson centers on prioritizing giving over taking, "asking what you can do for others," fostering stronger relationships and a more positive work outlook. This approach, coupled with focusing on gratitude instead of self-criticism, has increased their social capital and fueled their growth mindset as a product director.
College Experiences That Helped a Director of Product at Stiddle Succeed
Joshua's undergraduate experience involved exploring diverse interests, viewing failures as valuable learning opportunities ("even if I ended up failing...that's more information for me to work with"). This approach, coupled with a proactive effort to network and learn from more experienced individuals, fostered a growth mindset that continues to shape their successful career as a Director of Product.
How Identity Has Influenced a Director of Product at Stiddle's Career
Joshua's immigrant experience profoundly shaped their career, fostering humility through taking "work that was overqualified for" and gratitude for opportunities received. This journey instilled hope, a crucial element for success as a founder and product manager, demonstrated by their willingness to embrace diverse roles and challenges while believing in "always a creative approach" to overcome obstacles.
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