TOP 3: Books Edition + COINBASE VS SEC + Camera Glasses?!? -- Berkeley Product Press
Issue: #10
Hey Bears,
There are so many other ways that we can learn about Entrepreneurship & Product Management rather than just taking courses on them. With that being said, Berkeley Product Press decided to initiate a new theme called TOP 3. TOP 3 will cover the best pieces of information that you can benefit from as a student!👩🏻🎓
To any new readers: You can access Berkeley Product Press's archive through our Substack if you have missed any previous publications.
We're also looking for people to join our team as we plan on expanding on other opportunities, so send us an email!✉️
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Terms of the week: Yield, Hook-Model
🔥Hottest🔥 Product News!
Facebook continues to make headlines as it released the all-new "smart glasses" called Rayban Stories, in partnership with Rayban. Powered by Facebook's technology, the glasses contain 2 5-MP cameras on each hinge, a three-microphone🎙 array, built-in speakers, BlueTooth connectivity, and a touchpad. Whatever content you capture can be uploaded to your 🙀social media. They are currently being sold for 🤑$299!💸
The 👮🏻♂️SEC(Security & Exchange Commission)👮🏻♂️ and Coinbase go to ⚠️war⚠️ after Coinbase's yield generating product "Coinbase Lend" raised 🧐concerns🤨 in the SEC's books! However, they haven't given an appropriate reason as to why they are investigating Coinbase's product. CEO, Brian Armstrong argues that other companies have been offering lending pools already, so why can't Coinbase?!?! More info on their blog post.
Headout, a startup that helps 🧳travelers🗺 book the best local experiences for the next 24 hours at discounted prices, just raised $12M on their Series B round. The startup's marketplace helps to 🔍discover activities and events happening in town at exclusive discounted prices, thereby enabling travelers to find local experiences at the last minute. The funds will be used to expand into 300 cities, product development, business, marketing, and operations teams. So if you are looking for some startup experience, check out Headout's Careers Page.
📚TOP 3: Book's Edition📚
So you want to break into product management? Or you want to test your startup thesis with potential customers but don't know how? Or maybe, you just want to know how to build the right product for the right reasons? Lucky for you, there are thousands of other people that asked the same questions and have lived through those experiences to tell the tale about their exciting failures and worrisome successes. We @Berkpress recommend these 3 books that provide the essential information YOU need, to continue solving amazing problems.
1. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, by Nir Eyal
Hooked is based on Eyal’s years of research, consulting, and practical experience. He wrote the book he wished had been available to him as a start-up founder—not abstract theory, but a how-to guide for building better products. Hooked is written for product managers, designers, marketers, start-up founders, and anyone who seeks to understand how products influence our behavior. We highly recommend reading this book as it answers a lot of questions and concerns that can create setbacks to one's idea. Eyal also introduces the "Hook Model"—a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behavior.
2. INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, by Marty Cagan
Inspired has been a wake-up call for many aspiring product managers and entrepreneurs in the past and continues to carry that entitlement to this day. It is a well-written, thorough, and down-to-earth work, covering all aspects of product management at software companies.💡Inspired💡presents a unified philosophy of what the job of a product manager is and how to do it well. It covers WHO the people should be, HOW the product should be built, WHAT the process should be and what is the right culture. The book is structured into 67 short chapters and can be consumed in small bites or long binges. Perfect for students on a busy schedule!
3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz
Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the famous VC firm Andreessen Horowitz decided to offer his experience through The Hard Thing About Hard Things. A book that shares essential advice through Ben's personal experiences and practical wisdom for navigating the toughest problems a lot of business schools don't cover. As a huge RAP fan, Horowitz amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs and is brutally honest about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, from cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in. This is by far is one of the best books we have read and constantly recommend to anyone interested in either working on a product under a team or creating their own ventures through exciting startups!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
The Lean Startup, by Eric Ries
The MOM Test, by Rob Fitzpatrick
Decode and Conquer: Answers to Product Management Interviews, by Lewis C. Lin
Made to Stick, by Chip & Dan Heath
Escaping the Build Trap, by Melissa Perri
If you have any recommendations on books to look out for, reach out to us on Twitter!
Associate Product Management Intern @ Atlassian: Atlassian is a software company that develops products for project managers, software developers, and other teams in the workforce to increase productivity and collaboration. Some of their famous products are Jira and Trello. Atlassian's PM's will be expected to analyze products, customer needs, and market dynamics. If this opportunity sounds interesting, click the link above to apply!
Customer Success Specialist @ Aha!: Aha! is a SaaS startup that focuses on providing the best roadmap software for other businesses. Aha's customer success specialist will help capture and define product requirements and participate in product launches while applying deep curiosity to new challenges they come across. If this opportunity sounds interesting, click the link above to apply!
Product Design Intern @ Benchling: Benchling is a cloud-based software platform for life science and research development. Benchling is revolutionizing biotechnology by transforming every aspect of our lives – from the drugs, we take, to the food we eat, to the clothes we wear. The intern is responsible for partnering with PM and engineering team members to engage in user research, influence product direction, and define design projects. If this opportunity sounds interesting, click the link above to apply!
If you're interested in advertising a role, please reach out to us via email.
Omair Khan is the founder of Berkeley Product Press. Our team focuses on helping students learn and grow about Product domain. If you would like to become a writer for Berkeley Product Press please reach out to us!
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