Episode 149: Fueling Small Business Growth with Kelsey Ruger, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Hello Alice

In this episode of Product Thinking, Kelsey Ruger, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Hello Alice, joins Melissa Perri to discuss the importance of supporting small businesses. They dive into the triad of tech, UX, and business strategy; key insights for mastering product management in startups; and how to empower small businesses for entrepreneurial success.

Kelsey's remarkable career trajectory showcases his impact in the tech world, where he has empowered over a million small businesses with innovative tools, led groundbreaking user experience projects at companies such as Truss and P97 Networks, and pushed the limits of product ecosystem design.

Beyond his professional achievements, Kelsey's role as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston highlights his dedication to educating future innovators. Moreover, his recognition in the "40 under 40" list by the Houston Business Journal underscores his commitment and influence in shaping the landscape of technology and design.

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You’ll hear them talk about:

[13:29] - Understanding the intersection of user experience, technology, and business strategy is key for career advancement, especially in leadership roles such as Chief Product or Technology Officer. Understanding a company's business model enhances a designer's ability to personalize user experience and contributes to the broader business goals. For example, identifying the distinct strategies of companies like Apple and Walmart, where Apple focuses on selling experience rather than commodities, can significantly improve a designer's effectiveness.
[16:00] - Small businesses form the backbone of many economies, employing a significant portion of the workforce. Hello Alice is a multifaceted toolkit designed to support small businesses, offering a mix of financial support and educational resources to thrive in competitive markets. The platform assesses a business's health, guiding them in growth strategies and funding opportunities, including loans, grants, and credit.
[22:10] - Startups should align the hiring of their first product manager and leader with their scaling phase. It's essential to bring in a product manager early, ideally alongside a UX professional, to focus on UX and execution and free up founders to concentrate on critical early-stage tasks like fundraising and sales. A product leader's success in a startup hinges on quickly identifying whether the founder is visionary or operational-driven. This helps shape the product roadmap and guides effective collaboration.
[33:20] - Building a highly effective product management team starts by designing a well-thought-out job description that clearly outlines the role's specific needs. This becomes the foundation for a tailored interview process, which should begin with assessing basic product management skills, followed by scenario-based questions to evaluate a candidate's fit for the specific demands of the role. This approach ensures that the team has the right mix of skills and experiences directly aligned with the job's requirements.

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Previous guests include: Shruti Patel of US Bank, Steve Wilson of Contrast Security, Bethany Lyons of KAWA Analytics, Tanya Johnson Chief Product Officer at Auror, Tom Eisenmann of Harvard Business School, Stephanie Leue of Doodle, Jason Fried of 37signals, Hubert Palan of Productboard, Blake Samic of Stripe and Uber, Quincy Hunte of Amazon Web Services

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