Do you know that over 90% of startups fail, and a good portion of failures stem from poor product-market match? Many corporations make investments closely in constructing merchandise with out validating demand, resulting in wasted sources and misplaced alternatives. For product managers engaged on zero-to-one (0→1) merchandise, the problem is navigating uncertainty, operating experiments, and proving {that a} new thought has market potential, moderately than simply transport options.
In a current Productside Tales podcast, Scott Jones, VP of Product at Realeyes, shared invaluable insights from his profession in advert tech, martech, IoT, and AI. He’s led a number of zero-to-one initiatives, serving to corporations validate new alternatives, align enterprise and product objectives, and scale from early concepts to market success.
On this publish, we’ll discover:
- How Scott transitioned into product administration
- The function of experimentation and validation in zero-to-one merchandise
- Why storytelling and cross-functional alignment are key to product success
- The mindset wanted to thrive in ambiguous environments
In the event you’re a product supervisor trying to break into zero-to-one product growth or refine your strategy to early-stage merchandise, this publish provides you with actionable takeaways.
Scott’s Journey: From Analyst to Product Chief
Scott didn’t begin his profession in product administration. With a background in economics and movie, he started as a information analyst, engaged on search engine advertising and marketing for a serious web Yellow Pages firm.
Sooner or later, management anointed him a product supervisor, trusting him to personal a $150M advert product with 55,000 small enterprise prospects.
With no formal product coaching, he needed to shortly discover ways to:
- Optimize a efficiency promoting mannequin
- Work cross-functionally with information science, engineering, and gross sales
- Translate enterprise objectives into scalable product methods
Key Lesson: Many nice product managers don’t begin in PM roles—they show themselves by fixing actual enterprise issues.
In contrast to conventional product administration, zero-to-one (0→1) work includes creating one thing from nothing. It requires a singular mix of entrepreneurship, experimentation, and resilience.
Scott describes his strategy as “founder mode”—though he’s not a startup founder, his function calls for the identical expertise:
- Discovering product-market match by participating deeply with prospects
- Securing inner buy-in and rallying sources with out formal authority
- Balancing long-term imaginative and prescient with short-term execution
“I’m dwelling an echo of the founder movement—sporting a number of hats, listening to prospects, and determining learn how to make issues work with restricted sources.”
For a lot of PMs, this degree of ambiguity may be overwhelming. However Scott thrives in it, continually validating assumptions and iterating on insights.
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The Confidence Meter: When Do You Know You’re on the Proper Observe?
Scott follows a progressive validation strategy, growing confidence step-by-step earlier than totally committing to a product route.
1. Preliminary Sign Gathering (Confidence Degree: 10-30%)
- Conduct exploratory buyer interviews
- Establish ache factors and current workarounds
- Assess market measurement and demand
Instance: Scott’s crew at Realeyes found early that manufacturers wished higher insights into advert efficiency, however the actual ache level was advert fraud—an perception that led to a strategic pivot.
2. Prototype & Early Experiments (Confidence Degree: 30-60%)
- Develop low-fidelity wireframes or mockups
- Take a look at preliminary worth propositions
- Conduct usability checks and suggestions loops
Instance: As an alternative of constructing a full-fledged AI-powered verification device, Scott’s crew began with a light-weight prototype that measured human consideration through webcams.
3. Pilot & Smooth Launch (Confidence Degree: 60-80%)
- Construct a minimal viable product (MVP)
- Run small-scale beta checks
- Collect real-world efficiency information
Instance: Realeyes gained an RFI with a serious enterprise buyer, proving demand for his or her AI-powered identification verification product—earlier than investing closely in full growth.
4. Full Rollout (Confidence Degree: 80-100%)
- Safe long-term buyer commitments
- Scale operations and refine pricing fashions
- Optimize go-to-market technique
Scott’s Recommendation: “You’ll by no means have 100% certainty—concentrate on minimizing danger at every step.”
Storytelling as a Superpower in Product Administration
One in every of Scott’s largest strengths is storytelling—a ability he honed from his movie background.
In product administration, storytelling is crucial for:
- Promoting concepts internally to management and engineering groups
- Crafting compelling worth propositions for purchasers
- Rallying groups round a shared imaginative and prescient
Scott compares product administration to orchestrating a movie manufacturing:
“You don’t should be the one holding the digital camera—you simply must articulate the imaginative and prescient so others can execute successfully.”
PMs who can inform a compelling story about why a product issues will discover it simpler to realize buy-in and drive momentum.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Zero-to-One Roles
Even skilled product leaders face imposter syndrome—particularly when engaged on uncharted territory.
Scott admits he struggled with it when first employed into his present VP function, however he leaned into deliberate studying:
- Embracing discomfort as a progress sign
- Asking powerful questions to get readability
- Surrounding himself with advisors and specialists
Key Lesson: “Use worry as your information—if one thing scares you, that’s the place it is best to lean in and develop.”
How Product Managers Can Get Higher at Zero-to-One Work
Scott’s recommendation for PMs who need to concentrate on early-stage product growth:
1. Play Round with New Instruments & Concepts
- Experiment with AI, no-code, and rising tech
- Construct aspect initiatives to take a look at concepts in the true world
- Keep interested by new market alternatives
2. Community & Cross-Pollinate Concepts
- Have conversations exterior your instant crew
- Join with gross sales, advertising and marketing, and buyer help
- Learn the way completely different enterprise features function
3. Develop a Sturdy POV on Product Technique
- Don’t wait to be assigned work—proactively pitch concepts
- Discover ways to outline and measure success metrics
- Turn out to be comfy with uncertainty and iteration
Remaining Thought: Nice zero-to-one PMs don’t simply execute—they problem assumptions, experiment boldly, and craft compelling tales.
Key Takeaways from Scott Jones
- Zero-to-one PMs must embrace uncertainty and experimentation.
- Confidence grows by progressive validation—not instantaneous certainty.
- Storytelling is a strong device for gaining buy-in and driving impression.
- Imposter syndrome is regular—use it as a sign for progress.
Mastering Zero-to-One Product Administration Begins Right here
Zero-to-one product growth is about constructing your personal, step-by-step. By embracing experimentation, progressive validation, and storytelling, you may flip ambiguity into alternative and produce groundbreaking merchandise to life.
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February 12, 2025
