51 min listen
Building a Product Improvement Loop — Darrell Stone, Citizen
Building a Product Improvement Loop — Darrell Stone, Citizen
ratings:
Length:
46 minutes
Released:
Aug 31, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
On the podcast I talk with Darrell about going from zero to an 8-figure ARR in just 18 months, building a product improvement loop combining user research and A/B testing, and why expecting failure is one of the keys to success.Top Takeaways? Going from 0 to an 8-figure ARR in 18 months is doable? Sharing and selling data isn’t necessary to build and scale subscription apps? Structuring product development as a “bet” liberates you from needing to be rightAbout Darrell Stone?? Head of Product & Design at Citizen, the number one public safety app in the U.S.? Darrell defined and scaled Citizen's consumer subscription product with a dual focus on acquisition and retentive, life-saving features.? “Product [development] in consumer tech is very much a team sport. You have to approach it through the mindset that you're building a team that's going to win a thing.”? LinkedIn and TwitterLinks & Resources‣ Citizen App‣ Citizen’s Career Page Follow us on Twitter‣ David Barnard‣ Jacob Eiting‣ RevenueCat‣ Sub ClubEpisode Highlights[2:03] Leaving Uber to scale a startup: Darrell discusses the reasons why he left Uber to start a subscription app.[5:20] Making the world a safer place: Citizen is a “moderated safety app.” It has more than 100 people actively listening to police scanners to enable provide real-time information about what is happening in communities.[10:57] Charging for a public safety app: Darrell discusses the tension between monetization and Citizen’s mission of keeping people safe. He outlines the difference between the freemium and paid products.[19:15] Citizen on the world stage: Darrell talks about taking Citizen global and how the company “a safety marketplace” to the world.[22:20] World pricing: Darrell offers potential strategies for global cost and price differences.[24:52] Understanding users: Darrell gives insight into how user research shapes A/B testing, product development and the improvement loop.[30:05] Antifragile product development: One of Darrell’s go-to recommendation for people in product is Annie Duke’s interview on The Knowledge Project. Bumps are inevitable during the product development process — it’s how you manage it that matters.[33:14] Lessons learned for top unlocks: Darrell discusses tips for being more right than wrong to unlock a real value-add, and how this took the company from zero to eight figures in ARR.[37:45] Buy versus build: David and Darrell talk about how bringing on third party tooling can help achieve long-term company goals.[41:45] Aligning the team to the bigger vision: Darrell explains how clear goals, rapid feedback loops and celebrating incremental progress help keep teams motivated through the whole process.
Released:
Aug 31, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (89)
Introducing the Sub Club Podcast — Jacob Eiting & David Barnard: In this premiere episode, David and Jacob chat about the early days of the App Store, the birth of the subscription app business model, and what the next 20 years of personal SaaS development might look like. In this episode, you’ll hear about: by Sub Club by RevenueCat