Whether it’s a service company or a product-led one you’re building, most of your challenges are related to either incorrect positioning or communication issues. I work on both, helping businesses nail their positioning and then make all communications reflect it to the benefit of both the business and its audience.
My Mentoring Topics
- Business Positioning Discovery and Validation
- Target Audience Analysis
- Competitor Analysis
- Value Proposition Drafting
- Communication Strategy
- Messaging for Sales and Marketing
- Go-To-Market Strategy
- Content Creation
C.
28.March 2023The session with Diana helped me structure my project and understand which steps I should take next. Diana is not only a great mentor and listener, she also provided me with valuable material and information that I can use to work on the next steps. I definitely got more clarity after our call and I am glad I found her on the Mentoring Club. Thank you Diana!
R.
13.February 2023The session was really helpful and insightful with you Diana. It helped me gain a better understanding of what needs to be done now in my stage of the business and I really appreciate how you taught me important techniques to test the market and measure things right from the start especially when it comes to customers feedback and environmental impact. Thank you very much.
m.
5.February 2023It was an absolute pleasure discussing my startup with Diana. She was so helpful as well as thoughtful with her time and insights. I look forward to having more discussions as my startup gets closer to market and is introduced to the world.
V.
23.January 2023Diana you have wealth of knowledge and experience in Product management. I had some topics in my mind that I needed some help to discuss, your interviewing skills helped to find questions adjacent to the topics. The most productive and knowledge filled session. Thank you for your time and mentorship.
S.
19.January 2023My motivation to have a session with Diana was to gain different perspectives on product management, especially on product discovery, as well as to share working experiences. The exchange was very inspiring and invigorating. What struck me more positively was how structured and open she was in answering my questions and what a broad wealth of experience and knowledge she has. Definitely worth a session! Thank you very much, dear Diana!
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Disciplined Entrepreneurship Workbook
Bill Aulet
Key Facts and Insights 1. **24-step framework**: The book provides a clear, step-by-step guide to launching a successful startup. It emphasizes the importance of discipline and process in entrepreneurship. 2. **Market-driven approach**: The book emphasizes the importance of understanding the market and customer needs before developing a product or service. 3. **Importance of a unique value proposition**: The book highlights the importance of having a unique value proposition that differentiates your product or service from competitors. 4. **Building an enduring business**: The book focuses not just on launching a startup but also on building an enduring business that can survive and thrive in the long term. 5. **Importance of a strong team**: The book underscores the importance of having a strong team with complementary skills and a shared vision. 6. **Role of innovation**: The book emphasizes the role of innovation in creating a successful startup. 7. **Focus on execution**: The book stresses the importance of execution in addition to having a great idea. 8. **Iterative process**: The book draws attention to the iterative nature of entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of learning from failures and continuously improving. 9. **Real-world examples**: The book includes numerous real-world examples and case studies, which help to illustrate the concepts and principles discussed. 10. **Practical exercises and tools**: The book provides practical exercises and tools that can be used to apply the lessons learned. 11. **Integrated approach**: The book takes an integrated approach to entrepreneurship, covering a wide range of topics including opportunity identification, business model development, marketing, sales, and financing. In-depth Summary and Analysis "Disciplined Entrepreneurship Workbook" provides a comprehensive guide to launching a successful startup. The book is grounded in the author's years of experience as a serial entrepreneur and professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management. It is a practical, hands-on guide that provides a clear, step-by-step framework for launching a startup. The book begins by emphasizing the importance of discipline and process in entrepreneurship. It provides a 24-step framework that covers everything from identifying a market opportunity to building a successful, enduring business. This focus on process and discipline is a refreshing departure from the myth of the entrepreneur as a lone genius with a brilliant idea. The book makes it clear that successful entrepreneurship requires hard work, discipline, and a systematic approach. An important concept emphasized in the book is the market-driven approach. This approach involves understanding the market and customer needs before developing a product or service. This is a critical point that is often overlooked by first-time entrepreneurs, who tend to focus too much on their product or service without fully understanding the market and customer needs. Another key concept highlighted in the book is the importance of a unique value proposition. The book emphasizes that a successful startup must offer a product or service that is distinctly different from what competitors offer. This unique value proposition is what differentiates a startup from competitors and attracts customers. The book also focuses on the need to build an enduring business. It is not enough to just launch a startup; the goal should be to build a business that can survive and thrive in the long term. This requires a focus on execution, building a strong team, and continuously innovating. The book underscores the importance of having a strong team with complementary skills and a shared vision. It emphasizes that a startup is only as strong as its team, and that having a team with diverse skills and experiences is critical for success. Innovation is another key theme in the book. The book emphasizes that a successful startup must continuously innovate in order to stay ahead of competitors and meet changing customer needs. The book also draws attention to the iterative nature of entrepreneurship. It emphasizes that entrepreneurship is a process of trial and error, learning from failures, and continuously improving. This is an important point that is often overlooked by aspiring entrepreneurs, who tend to view failure as a sign of defeat rather than a learning opportunity. The book includes numerous real-world examples and case studies, which help to illustrate the concepts and principles discussed. These examples and case studies make the book more engaging and provide valuable insights into the realities of entrepreneurship. The book also provides practical exercises and tools that can be used to apply the lessons learned. These exercises and tools are designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs put the concepts and principles discussed into practice. In conclusion, "Disciplined Entrepreneurship Workbook" is a comprehensive, practical guide to launching a successful startup. It provides a clear, step-by-step framework, emphasizes the importance of discipline and process, and covers a wide range of topics. This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in entrepreneurship.
ViewThe Mom Test - How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Rob Fitzpatrick
Key Facts and Insights from The Mom Test: Everyone is lying to you: Not necessarily out of malice, but because they want to be supportive, encouraging, or polite. This is why it's not always wise to rely on friends and family for honest feedback about your business ideas. The Mom Test: A set of rules to help entrepreneurs get honest feedback. It involves asking about the person's life rather than their opinions about your idea. The test is passed if it gives valuable insight, regardless of whether the person knows about your idea or not. Focus on the problems: It's important to not just talk about your solution, but to also understand the problems that your potential customers are facing. This understanding is key to developing a product or service that truly meets their needs. Ask good questions: The quality of the feedback you get largely depends on the quality of the questions you ask. Avoid compliment-seeking, future hypothetical, and generic questions. Look for commitment or advancement: People's actions speak louder than words. Look for indications that they're willing to commit time, reputation, or money to your idea. Don't pitch your idea right away: Instead, have conversations about their life, challenges, and needs. This will help you to see if your idea fits into their life. Iterative learning: There's continuous learning involved in customer conversations. Each conversation should help you refine your idea and improve your understanding of your customers. Ask for concrete facts from the past: Instead of asking what they would do in the future, ask for specific instances in the past. This will give you a more accurate picture of their habits and needs. Don’t forget to follow-up: The conversation doesn't end once you've gathered information. Follow-up to clarify doubts, validate your assumptions, and maintain the relationship. Take notes and stay organized: Keep track of your conversations and learnings. This will help you see patterns, make connections, and track progress over time. In-depth Summary and Analysis "The Mom Test" by Rob Fitzpatrick provides a practical guide for entrepreneurs to validate their business ideas by talking to potential customers. The book's name comes from the idea that if you ask your mom whether your business is a good idea, she would most likely say yes to encourage you. But such kind of feedback, while well-intentioned, can lead to false positives and potentially result in business failure. Everyone is lying to you, not with the intention to deceive but to encourage or be polite. Friends and family, in particular, will often tell you what you want to hear, which makes their feedback untrustworthy. This is why Fitzpatrick introduces The Mom Test, a set of rules designed to get honest and useful feedback from anyone. The test entails asking about the person's life rather than their opinions about your idea. It's passed if it gives you good insights, regardless of whether they know about your idea or not. Understanding the problems that your potential customers are facing is as important as developing your solution. This perspective aligns with the principles of design thinking, a problem-solving approach that starts with understanding the user's needs. It's easy to fall in love with our ideas and ignore the problem we're trying to solve, but the real value lies in solving a problem that's significant to the customers. Asking good questions is key to getting valuable feedback. Fitzpatrick advises against asking for flattery, hypothetical questions about the future, and generic questions. Instead, we should ask about specifics in the person's life, their problems, and their needs. This concept is reminiscent of the Socratic method, a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions. Commitment and advancement are the real indicators of interest. People's actions are more reliable than their words. If they're willing to invest their time, reputation, or money in your idea, it's a good sign that they value it. This is in line with the Lean Startup methodology, which emphasizes the importance of validated learning and real customer feedback. Don’t pitch your idea right away, Fitzpatrick advises. Start by having conversations about their life, challenges, and needs. This is a form of customer discovery, a process used in Lean Startups to understand customer problems and needs. By exploring these areas first, you can see if your idea is a fit for their life. Iterative learning is integral to the process. Each conversation should help you refine your idea and improve your understanding of your customers. This aligns with the scientific method and the idea of forming a hypothesis, testing it, analyzing the results, and refining the hypothesis based on the findings. Asking for concrete facts from the past instead of future predictions can give you a more accurate picture of their habits and needs. This is because people are notoriously bad at predicting their own behavior, a concept known in psychology as the intention-behavior gap. Following up is crucial to validate your assumptions, clarify doubts, and maintain the relationship. This is similar to the concept of customer relationship management, which emphasizes the importance of maintaining a continuous relationship with customers. Finally, taking notes and staying organized is important to keep track of your conversations, see patterns, and track progress over time. This is akin to data management practices in research, which emphasize the importance of organizing and managing data for accuracy and reliability. In conclusion, "The Mom Test" provides practical, actionable advice for entrepreneurs to validate their business ideas. The book's principles align with established methodologies like Lean Startup, design thinking, and the scientific method. By applying these principles, entrepreneurs can avoid false positives, understand their customers better, and increase their chances of business success.
ViewSprint - How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, Braden Kowitz
Key Facts and Insights from "Sprint - How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days" The Sprint process is a five-day method for solving big problems and testing new ideas, developed at Google Ventures. This process is designed to shortcut the endless debate cycle and compress months of time into a single week. The Sprint process involves a small, cross-functional team and clear roles for each participant. Each day of the Sprint has a specific focus and activities, from understanding the problem to testing a prototype. The Sprint process encourages quick decision-making and rapid prototyping over extensive planning and perfect execution. One of the key principles in the Sprint method is the idea of "working together alone" to maximize productivity and creativity. The Sprint method also embraces failure as a learning tool, encouraging teams to fail fast and iterate quickly. The Sprint relies heavily on customer feedback and real-world testing to validate or invalidate ideas. The Sprint process is not just for startups, but can be applied in any industry or organization size. The book provides a step-by-step guide to planning and executing a Sprint, complete with practical tips and real-life case studies. The Sprint process is a powerful tool for fostering innovation, driving organizational change, and accelerating project timelines. Analysis and Summary of "Sprint - How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days" "Sprint - How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days" by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz presents a unique method for tackling big problems and testing new ideas, developed by the authors during their time at Google Ventures. This method, known as the Sprint process, is a five-day framework designed to speed up decision-making and innovation. The Sprint process is a novel approach to problem-solving, designed to shortcut the endless debate cycle and compress months of time into a single week. This framework is a testament to the value of time-bound and focused effort in driving results. It challenges the traditional approach to project management, which often involves detailed planning and lengthy execution timelines. One of the defining features of the Sprint process is the structure it provides. Each day of the Sprint has a specific focus and set of activities. The first day involves understanding the problem at hand and setting the goal for the week. The following days involve sketching solutions, deciding on the best one, building a prototype, and testing it with real users. This clear structure provides a roadmap for teams to follow, ensuring that every Sprint is productive and focused. The Sprint process also emphasizes the importance of cross-functional collaboration. A Sprint team usually consists of 5-7 members, each with a specific role. These roles are not based on seniority or job titles, but rather on the skills and knowledge that each individual brings to the table. The Sprint method encourages a "work together alone" approach, allowing team members to work independently on their tasks while remaining part of the collaborative effort. This approach maximizes both productivity and creativity, allowing each team member to contribute their unique perspective and expertise. Another key principle in the Sprint method is the acceptance of failure as a learning tool. The Sprint process encourages teams to fail fast and iterate quickly, viewing each failure as an opportunity to learn and improve. This mindset, coupled with the rapid prototyping approach, allows teams to quickly test their ideas and adjust based on real-world feedback. This leads to another defining aspect of the Sprint process: its reliance on customer feedback and real-world testing. Rather than making assumptions or relying solely on internal opinions, the Sprint process validates or invalidates ideas through actual user testing. This provides teams with valuable insights and helps ensure that the solutions developed are truly meeting customer needs. Importantly, the book makes it clear that the Sprint process is not just for startups or tech companies. It can be applied in any industry or organization, regardless of size. This universal applicability makes the Sprint process a powerful tool for fostering innovation, driving organizational change, and accelerating project timelines. "Sprint - How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days" provides a practical guide to executing a Sprint, complete with tips, tricks, and real-life case studies. It equips readers with the knowledge and tools to implement the Sprint method in their own teams and organizations, and harness the power of rapid prototyping and iterative development. In conclusion, the Sprint process represents a significant shift in the way we approach problem-solving and innovation. It challenges traditional notions of project management and encourages a more dynamic, customer-centric approach. As an experienced professor dealing with these topics, I can attest to the value and effectiveness of this method. By embracing the principles of the Sprint process, organizations can accelerate their innovation efforts and solve big problems in just five days.
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M.
31.January 2024She was very helpful, even though the situation was not good in her country. I got many ideas and suggestion that will be beneficial for my writing work. I have got the answers of my questions, she also shared her own experience to describe a real life situation. Thanks for the help!