🎙️ Pod Bites: The Path to CPO

This Pod summary covers a recent Pod Alastair did with Rupert from RMG on his Fireside with Founders Podcast. We cover unconventional paths, Product-Oriented mindset (outside of traditional Product roles) and the Future of Finance (Web3) :).

🕒 Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes. Time saved 45 minutes 🔥

In this episode of the Fireside with Founders and Leaders podcast, host Rupert interviews Alastair Preacher, co-founder and CPO of Unblock, a Web3 Cross Border Payments company and Crypto<>Fiat portal. The conversation covers Alastair's journey into product management, his experience in both corporate and startup environments, and his work in the Web3 and blockchain space.

🔥 Theme 1: Alastair's Journey into Product Management

Alastair shares his career history, starting as a strategy consultant in the comms and high-tech industries. He then transitioned to roles in corporates, such as Lloyd's Bank, where he gained experience in commercial product management. Alastair's passion for understanding customers and solving their problems led him to transition into startups, where he could directly impact product development.

💡 Practical Tip: Alastair emphasizes the importance of finding interesting people to learn from and following your North Star when making career decisions.

🤖 Theme 2: Balancing Digital and Physical Products

During his time at Tesco, Alastair worked on projects that focused on both digital and physical products. He highlights the importance of service design and understanding the complete customer journey. Alastair shares examples of projects he worked on, such as improving the freshness perception of produce and optimizing delivery slots for home delivery and click-and-collect services.

💡 Practical Tip: Alastair emphasises the value of speaking to customers and gaining insights from their experiences to drive product improvements.

⛓️ Theme 3: Exploring the World of Web3 and Blockchain

Alastair delves into the world of Web3 and blockchain, explaining the concepts of decentralization, cryptocurrencies, and smart contracts. He discusses the potential benefits of Web3, such as faster, cheaper, and more transparent transactions. Alastair shares his experience working on Alluo, a Web3-based mobile app that aimed to democratize access to financial services. He also mentions Unblock, a company focused on using blockchain as a new payment rail.

💡 Practical Tip: Alastair highlights the need (and huge opportunity) for improved usability and user experience in the Web3 space, as well as the importance of building trust and finding trusted partners in this emerging industry.

😰 Theme 4: Navigating the Challenges of Web3

The guests discussed the challenges of working in Product in the Web3 space, including the complexity of the technology, the impact this has on user experience and the need for education and trust-building. He mentions the volatility of cryptocurrencies and the importance of finding the right routes to market. There’s also coverage of the potential use cases of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in gaming and other industries.

💡 Practical Tip: Alastair emphasizes the need for education and finding trusted partners to navigate the challenges of the Web3 space.

Overall, this podcast episode provides interesting insights into Alastair’s journey into product management to CPO, his experiences in both corporate and startup environments, and his work in the Web3 and blockchain space. It’s packed with practical tips on understanding customers, balancing digital and physical products, and navigating the challenges of emerging technologies.

🕒 Timestamp Details:

  • [00:00:41] Web3 and blockchain

  • [00:06:49] Improving fruit and veg

  • [00:08:40] Tesco's blend of physical and digital

  • [00:11:24] Freshness perception and customer insights

  • [00:16:43] A/B testing in smaller businesses

  • [00:21:44] A faster, more efficient process

  • [00:24:39] Less places to hide

  • [00:27:23] Web3 and decentralization

  • [00:31:08] Access to financial services

  • [00:35:27] Usability and onboarding challenges

  • [00:40:39] NFTs and their use cases

  • [00:44:47] Web three and its future

  • [00:47:58] Trust in Finance