In this Topical Zoom episode, I speak with John Vars, who is currently the Chief Product Officer at Varo Money about listening to customers, soft skills and the pursuit of growth that many startups are on to.
Who is John Vars?
John Vars is the Chief Product Officer at Varo Money, an all-in-one mobile banking app. Previously, John was the Chief Product Officer at TaskRabbit, Vice President of Product at Say Media, and Co-Founder of Dogster. He began his career as an engineer and engineering manager at Travelocity.
What you will learn – Soft Skills, Listening to Customers and more!
- You took on a role at Say Media after Dogster got acquired and then moved on to Task Rabbit in September 2014 – that was a crucial period at Task Rabbit, with the reboot and the subsequent backlash from your users. I believe it was nicknamed the “rabbit revolution” in the media. Can you talk about the challenges you had on your plate? How did you navigate the period? What did you learn?
- What are the most common mistakes you see product teams make in the early stages of bringing a product to life?
- You’ve now been done a startup and since then have been heading product teams at startups. What’s next for you? How do you pick up your projects?
- What’s your advice for a product managers or entrepreneurs who are wanting to build a compelling product – but is unsure of the best approach? How can the person increase the odds of success?
Useful Links
Getting Started & Resources
- Tiny Book Of Triggers for actionable triggers to learn fresh new Product Management & Design skills & more. (click here to download)
- Get Started with Design Your Thinking (click here)
- Handpicked Resources (click here)
