As I embarked on a 12-month reading challenge, I started with “Build” by Tony Fadell. The book is really a mentorship in paperback.

Summary
“Build” takes us through Tony Fadell’s remarkable career, from his early days at General Magic to his pivotal role in creating the iPod at Apple and the Nest Thermostat. Tony candidly shares his successes and failures, providing insights into the real-world challenges of building groundbreaking products.

My Top 3 Learnings

1. The Customer Journey & Touchpoints
a. Awareness via PR, Search, Social Media, Paid Ads
b. Education via Website, Email, Blog, Trial/Demo
c. Acquisition via Partners, Payment model, Up-sell/Cross-sell, Delivery
d. Onboarding via Quick Guide, Account Creation, How-to videos, Tips
e. Usage via Reliability, Usability, Updates, Lifespan
f. Support via Troubleshooting, Knowledge base, Call center, Community
g. Loyalty via New products, Newsletter, Promotions, Ratings/Review

“Makers often focus on the shiny object-the product they’re building-and forget about the rest of the journey until they’re almost ready to deliver it to the customer. But customers see it all, experience it all. They’re the ones taking the journey, step-by-step. And they can easily stumble and fall when a step is missing or misaligned.” – Pg 97

2. The Messaging Template
The template was created at Nest and shared with endless startups.
➡ Why I Want It
➡ What’s My Pain
➡ Pain-Killer

3. The Three Generations of The Product
↪ V1: Product Market Fit -> Shipping Your Prototype
↪V2: Profitable Product -> Fixing the stuff from V1
↪V3: Profitable Business -> Refining the great Product

A single post summary doesn’t do justice to the “Build.” There are practical lessons we can apply in our product management and leadership roles.
“Build” offers a blueprint for anyone looking to make an impact.

Thank You! Tony Fadell.

#ProductManagement