What Founders Teach Me About Product Thinking

In this reflective episode, Naya shares what working with startup founders taught her about real-world product thinking. Beyond frameworks and templates, founders taught her the value of clarity, prioritization, storytelling, and scrappy validation. She connects these lessons to her own journey building PMaaS and preparing for Dive 2025 — Africa’s biggest tech and product conference.

Key Takeaways:

1. Clarity is a discipline, not an end goal.
2. Prioritize what matters now — not everything at once.
3. Storytelling is a product strategy.
4. Build with what you have, not what you wish you had.
5. Validation always beats perfection.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – 01:10 | Founders move fast — intro to today’s topic
• 01:10 – 03:50 | Observing early-stage founders: from chaos to clarity
• 03:50 – 05:20 | Lesson 1: Clarity isn’t an outcome, it’s a discipline
• 05:20 – 06:50 | Lesson 2: Prioritize what matters right now
• 06:50 – 07:40 | Lesson 3: Storytelling as strategy
• 07:40 – 08:00 | Lesson 4: Build with what you have
• 08:00 – 09:00 | Lessons I’ve applied to PMaaS
• 09:00 – 09:30 | Dive 2025 mention & reflections on community
• 09:30 – 10:00 | Wrap-up & CTAs

Key Links:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Smart PM Career Roadmap⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Build Without Permission – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Proof & Practice Bundle
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• DM me on LinkedIn about PMaaS
• The Dive 2025