Week #3 – MBA 6101 –Helen Yu's Ascend Your Start-Up, Chapter 3: Move Product to Market Camp

In the reading, Ascend your start-up:Conquer the 5 disconnects to accelerate Growth we see how Helen Yu’s uses Chapter 3 as a way to approach how there are important decision which will be used in determining how to scale your business.

The first decision requires the owner/individual to find out” What product category do {you are}/ belong in” and the other decision is “ who will be by your side and who leaves”

-Decision #8: What Product Category Are You In?

Helen You, gives advice on helping the reader understand where they fit in determining what product to speialize in. The chapter discusses that it takes quite a bit of understanding if one wants to create or become a lead in an established product category. In the chapter, You mentions that the market trends, the market, competition, segmentation of customers, and whether you fit in or not. Overall, whatever product category that is created needs to come off as a solution to the consumers you want.

My favorite passage in the book refers to when they mention how any organization will provide products and services to their customers but it takes a true leader to really seek an understanding of the customers they want to reach out to.  

For an example in the reading, Yu used her experience with software Company Adobe where she mentions how they are prominent in digital marketing. You states she joined the company when they were in pursuit of owning of the category ‘digital marketing’ and she mentions that what she learned was more astounding than anything else. The secret to Adobe’s success is that they found success in their ability to create an active listening path to customers. This was genius as it targeted both a product category while focusing on improving an area that will increase engagement with the customers. This is an example of understanding your customers and using leadership abilities to target a certain category.

 

The second decision for this chapter is Decision #9 

Decision #9:  Who Will Be By Your Side, and Who Will Leave?

In this category, it is mentioned that having someone you trust by your side is sadly not enough to gain traction. Thus presents a real challenge to most people entering a startup. But one way to overcome the challenge is to find a clear and goal that you can define for yourself. Next find someone who has also taken the steps to define their own goals and help visualize your visions and help support scaling the business.

Different forms of Leadership is important provide a team with enough viability to improve and grow to innovate. The 4 types mentioned where operator, challenger, leader, and collaborator roles. With each of them being as important as the other.

The same way that there are people who make attempts to climb mountains, and some of those participants inevitably had to call it quits. Yu explains, that everyone you see in the beginning will not be the same people you will see at the end time of the journey. She also mentions how this should not discourage anyone or be seen as a shameful thing, but rather it should spark the opportunity to search for loyal/trustworthy support with like minded ideals, skills and knowledge focus on a similar goal.