“In the Now” with Adrian Jank

Over the coming weeks I will be sharing segments of a Q&A session I had with Adrian Jank  — and shedding some light onto just exactly what makes Adrian truly The Best Product Person of 2013.

What makes The Best Product Person person of 2013 tick?

In the Now…

> Whose shoes would you like to walk in for a day? why?

Evan Spiegel just turned down 3 Billion from FB for a company that has little to know revenue, and while it’s done a great job acquiring and activating users, I’d love to see how their retention plays out. Is Snapchat really solving a big enough problem that would justify turning down that number? I’d love to find out what the general public doesn’t know. 

However, if I could I’d probably want to spend the day with Dave Chase and pick his brain about his experiences building the recently acquired HealthTech company Avado. Avado is going down a similar path I am exploring in my own work. How can we give Dr.’s better insight into what their patients are doing after they leave the Dr. Office AND How can we give patients more access to their doctor without actually having an appointment.

> What excites you about your current products?

I recently took on an engagement with a health tech company, and it’s truly been eye opening. There are huge problems to solve on both the patient and the doctor side of the ecosystem. While my thoughts on how the president has bungled the launch of his new “product” (sold the feature, not the value), regardless of how it’s been sold, the ACA has forced a business model change in the healthcare ecosystem. The change from an assembly line type mentality to a service mentality (Income only for outcomes) has opened a huge need in the market for products that serve both sides of the ecosystem. In the customer conversations I am having it is mind boggling to hear and see how little technology has helped both doctors and patients. 

Furthermore the opportunity has allowed me to create a Lean culture from the start. It’s been exciting to see how things have come together the last 8 or 9 weeks. I am consulting with a small company that has been willingly to embrace my philosophy. We recently launched our concierge MVP. Its going to be exciting to see the path this takes on the next few weeks.

> What do you like most -and least – about being a product manager?

As cliche say as it sounds I love my customers and my team. I love the excitement I feel when I’ve tapped into something painful during a customer conversation. In the healthcare industry its the best kind of pain too. Some of these doctors don’t even realize their pain.

I think the least enjoyable part of being a product manager right now is having to cultivate the data myself. Right now we have a hacked together product using web resources like vimeo and wufoo to do the work. Trying to compile that data into meaningful reports is time consuming!

I love the data, but even at the smaller startups I’ve worked at I’ve been able to work with a BI person. Right now its a manual process for my team and I, trust me its not easy!

Nominate TBPP 2014 Today!

Thank you to everyone who participated, nominated, interviewed, AND passed on the word! The nomination period for The Best Product Person of 2014 has begun! The individual who first nominates TBPP is also awarded! Nominate your pick for The Best Product Person right now!

http://tbpp.wufoo.com/forms/the-best-product-person-of-2014/

Stay Tuned

Over the next few weeks I will share more of my interview with Adrian Jank, The Best Product Person of 2013!

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And, don’t forget, take a moment and congratulate The Best Product Person of 2013: Adrian Jank. (tweet)

Enjoy!

Jeremy Horn
The Product Guy