Brandon Chatreau

Important fact about most startup (and VC) success stories. It is convenient to overlook this, but the best companies and products are not built on any specific timeline. The best people win, and that is the only thing that has consistently and repeatably truly won over the test of time.

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Transitioning to a new role at Shopify has been a journey filled with both excitement and challenges. Here are a few key learnings from my experience so far. Prioritizing Information: One of the biggest challenges has been sifting through the vast amount of information available. With so much happening across the organization and an abundance of content to absorb, distinguishing between what's actionable and what's just for context is crucial. I've learned the importance of seeking early guidance from my team to help prioritize effectively. This approach has been invaluable in focusing on what truly matters and ensuring my contributions have the most impact. It's about striking a balance between being informed and overwhelmed, and I've found that open communication with colleagues has been key to navigating this. By actively engaging in discussions and leveraging the expertise of those around me, I've been able to streamline my focus and direct my efforts where they are needed most. Embracing Change and Adaptability: This is a dynamic environment where some applications and processes have been around for ages, while others may have been introduced just the month before I started. Some systems endure because they work exceptionally well, while others might be in desperate need of a rewrite, refactor, or replacement. This mix of tradition and innovation requires a willingness to ask more questions than anyone else in the room. It's about understanding the rationale behind existing systems and being game to exploring new approaches. Through all of this, I am realizing that change, while daunting, offers a chance for growth and reinvention. I was ready for a new challenge, and I got exactly what I was looking for. The supportive and collaborative spirit of the team has made this transition not only possible but rewarding. I'm lucky to be a part of this team, where the shared commitment to Shopify's mission makes it very clear we are all rowing together in the same direction. #Shopify #SoftwareEngineering #NewBeginnings #GrowthMindset

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👋 Hey product hiring managers! You may have noticed dozens of people now with a new certificate from the Alberta Product Leadership Program. If you manage or are prospectively seeking a new PM to join your team, you should know that: 1) The program is selective. You can't just sign-up. Since it's inception, the program has sought to upskill professionals that have shown their motivation for growth and desire to hone their product management craft. 2) The graduates get broader exposure to practices and industries beyond their resume. Our sessions are interactive and facilitate sharing of perspectives and ways of working across multiple organizations - from grassroots startups to FAANG giants. 3) There's more to it than training. During the course of the program, many participants gain mentorship, build a supportive peer group, and get out of their comfort zone. The program is refreshed every year by hiring managers just like you to optimize for the skills we need to hire and promote for. So if you see the APL certificate with a candidate profile, know that candidate choose to do more than your average course. #abtech #yyctech #yegtech #productmanagement

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Losing Product Market Fit – The Canada Problem* ➡ Over the past 6 months I’ve done a lot of talking, and writing, about the importance for scaleups not to Losing Product Market Fit. Losing PMF happens when a scale up starts to get traction, perhaps £2m to £10m in revenue, but external forces start to pull the company away from its mission and destroying PMF. The best anecdote I’ve found over the past few months is from Marc Randolph, Netflix Founder, who calls this the “Canada Problem”. As Netflix were growing, they had the chance to move into Canada, something that would grow revenues 10%. They decided not to, this new geography would have become a distraction. There would be new languages, regulations and operational requirements, all of this would soak up aload of time and focus. So, Netflix leadership decided their time would be better spent on their core proposition - subscription DVDs in the US. Any time spent in Canada could be spent on their core proposition. Every time something came along that wasn’t subscription DVDs, such as selling DVDs online or physical rental machines, they focused on their core offering – ultimately defining what it meant to be a B2C subscription business. Randolph describes this throughout his book as "The Canada Problem". Earlier in the year I was privileged to speak at SaaStr where I talked about this alongside some other losing PMF topics. Jason M. Lemkin is someone I follow closely, so to speak at his conference was a real honour. This is a link to the conference…. I come in at 3 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds…. Apologies for the first 10 seconds where I get blinded by the lights. https://lnkd.in/eaetVsW8 So, if you’re a founder, and you’re ever been tempted away from your mission, remember Netflix Canada problem, and you just might just hold on to Product Market Fit! My three-part blog series on losing PMF is in the comments below. #losingPMF, #founders, #venturecapital *Canada is not a problem – just a metaphor for the dangers of losing PMF.

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One of the best thing that happened at Loblaw Digital is at when I joined we were in process of migrating our analytics from Adobe to Snowplow. What this meant was, Snowplow will be housing data into BigQuery, and everyone in the org will be able to build views with Looker. This was a kinda big deal for me because it would unlock and unblock SEO team on a lot of data analysis part. Of course we would help of data teams - pros like Liam Baird and Mykyta Todorov (which they thankfully did(and still do), and SEO team is in forever gratitude of) but still there were things we could do on our own without having extremely heavy reliance. There was a bit of learning curve at start because BQ and Looker was new to me, but since I spent good time in LookerStudio(formerly DataStudio), it was easy for me to capture a lot of it. The result of this entire exercise has been extremely positive on SEO Team. Duane R. has been a great partner in this journey of learning new platform, and developing skills, views and reports. I'm happy to say, we are on our way where SEO Team will be able to pull in and join data from GSC(through BQ), Google Ads, Web Analytics(from snowplow). This will help us answer a lot of business related questions. It will also help us build monitoring views, reporting views and more. Better yet, now we could think of using these data as a feedback loop into our Helios Platform. We are already thinking/planning to automate building dynamic pages using this data in a way it makes sense for business. pSEO? wink wink. All this to say, I completed 2 years here last week. And these two years have been extremely rewarding in terms of my personal growth. I want to take an opportunity to thank everyone(without tagging anyone specific) for giving me the opportunity, the runway and resources to build what we could build together with Duane R. at LD. I'm sure there is more to come here, and I'm excited to continue to build SEO practice that's rooted in data, and anchored in driving meaningful results to the business.

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If I was an A player / high performer seeking employment right now, I'd look for jobs at organizations running one of these business operating systems: Scaling Up: A Gazelles Company, Metronomics, or EOS - Entrepreneurial Operating System. There are several reasons for this: -Core Values-Driven CEOs: Many will have CEOs that actually live their company core values (and insist everyone else does, too), giving you the best chance possible to thrive -A Player Team: Because these organizations are more likely to use Topgrading to hire, you'd be part of a drama-free, A Player team (do not underestimate the importance of this; if you've had bad team members or have been dismayed by workplace drama, you understand) -Get Paid More: Compensation will likely be at the high end for your role because these organizations understand the value the A Player creates -5D Focused Leadership Teams: Leadership teams are focused on Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, resulting in less workplace politics (doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason) and way less stupidity from leaders All of these things will result in the most fulfilling working environment you've ever had. Remember the "Great resignation"? That may as well have been a myth to my clients. Why? Nobody leaves an A player team. NOBODY. That was a problem for companies that don't live there core values and that tolerate B and C players. Unfortunately, there isn't a public list of these companies. That would be one incredible A Player recruitment website. But there are a few things A players can do to find these employers: 1. Reach out to the organizations above to find out if they know of companies in your area using their systems/tools 2. Reach out to your local chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization or Young Presidents' Organization - that's where the self-aware leaders using these systems/tools congregate ***Important interview question all candidates for all candidates to ask: Is your CEO a member of EO or YPO? Self-aware leaders tend to join these peer learning associations, and that's the kind of leader you generally want as an employer/leader.*** 3. Reach out to Metronomics, Scaling Up, or EOS coaches in your area to find out which of their clients is currently hiring. I'll be posting some of my clients' open positions - as well as background on the company - here in the near future. Find a company that is deserving of your behavior and talents. #Metronomics #ScalingUp #EOS #Hiring #JobSeekers #Jobsearch #employerofchoice #topgrading #fivedysfunctionsofateam #corevalues #YPO #EO #Grovertalent #talent #Aplayers #Aplayerhiring

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In case you missed it, here's a summary of some of the takeaways from the Toronto Product Management Association event I participated in last week

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Hamish McKay has run an absolute masterclass of building in public. Building in public can be controversial, especially if you’re in a market with a low barrier to entry (the Shopify App Store) and you’re fully aware that a few ankle biters are incentivized to grab some of your nascent market. However, in a platform-based ecosystem, it’s understandable and even necessary. If your whole company depends on a third-party platform to be a viable business, you have to be really careful of your primary vendor becoming your primary competitor. My hypothesis? To be taken seriously by enterprise customers, Shopify is continuing to clean up the App Store and quietly removing unmaintained or low-quality apps. I’d also bet that there are going to be a new tier of apps along the lines of, “Shopify Basics," so that new enterprise merchants don't feel like the only way to take advantage of Shopify is layering on a pile of apps. Everyone knows Amazon Basics, right? Amazon uses their treasure trove of consumer data to identify popular products and create a generic line of equal or better quality offerings. Batteries, binders, and bookshelves are all sourced, manufactured, and sold by Amazon directly. Amazon chooses the products to source and sell themselves based on data from the vendors who took the risk of selling on Amazon. We’ve all heard of the handful of large brands who refuse to sell on Amazon - or if you’re Walmart, go so far as to refuse to consider vendors who use AWS for their infrastructure. (Spoiler alert... Amazon never needed you to sell on their platform to identify market trends, they just learned about your margins.) I imagine Shopify has a few highly-paid MBAs in their strategy department combing through app store data, segmenting the data by merchant size, billing volume, or even API usage to determine which apps gain the most traction among merchants. Then, they make the decision whether to build, buy, or ignore. Hamish has set himself up to be bought by Shopify, and I bet it happens sooner rather than later. If Shopify simply rips him off, they send a very public message to the app development ecosystem that will stifle ongoing innovation. If they buy him, similar to their other acquisitions, they remind the ecosystem that you too can get rich by taking on the risk to build in this ecosystem. For us, our primary risk is the Shopify Search & Discovery app. It’s a phenomenal app and eliminating the need for apps like Boost Commerce, Fast Simon, and SearchSpring. Why pay a third-party app for functionality that Shopify offers for free? Our business risk is further amplified by sitting between not just one, but two platforms: Shopify and Google - who are actually partners! We get to watch the innovation (aka competition) happen in real time, and our success will depend upon who can build and maintain better AI-powered search algorithms for large merchants. Based on the AB tests we’ve run, our bet is on Google.

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Last night, I attended BetaKit's Town Hall on the state of innovation in Canada. It was an inspiring event that brought together Toronto's brightest minds to discuss how we can move forward. Every speaker resonated with me, but a key takeaway is the immense opportunity we have to showcase Canadian craftsmanship in building world-class products. We can also empower the next generation to follow suit. Here are the top points that struck a chord with me personally: 1. Tech Talent: Scale up your career in Canada and make monumental impact here. (Ivan Zhang of Cohere) 2. Canadian Government: Continued innovation is crucial for solving problems in outdated industries like healthcare and pharmacy. Don't stifle our ability to make a real difference in the everyday lives of Canadians. (✨Joella A. of MedEssist | Transforming Pharmacy with Technology and AI 🏥) 3. Top Tech Leaders of Canada:  Our arguments about stagnation hold weight across Canada. Let's focus on the most impactful solutions. Is capital gains tax the most effective approach to get buy in from the average Canadian? (Ali Asaria, formerly Transformer Labs, Tulip) 4. Industry Veterans: Our mentorship is invaluable, especially for young professionals entering the remote workforce post-pandemic. Make time to guide them. (Jocelyne Murphy of Socratica) 5. Canada: Our differentiator is our CRAFTSMANSHIP. We have excellent product builders. Let's keep building here. Let's keep learning here. Let's get better here. (Tobias Lütke of Shopify) Let's go 🚀 #CanadianTech #Innovation #BetaKit #TownHall

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Hopper cut 30-40% of its team in the last year to restructure around the success of its b2b products. So I took a quick look back at the history of the Canadian Fintech unicorn. And what I found is that Hopper is a pivoting machine. Here’s the story… In 2007 ex-Expedia Group employees launched Hopper, a travel content site. It was basically an aggregator of travel blogs. In 2014 Hopper published a piece on "the best time to book cheap flights". The article drove 100x more traffic than the previous four years combined. Based on that surge they decided to pivot. In 2015 Hopper got into travel booking and cut 50% of their team. They launched a consumer app that notified travelers of the best times to book their trips. In 2021 Hopper launched b2b “travel fintech” products like flight insurance, price freezing, and price drop guarantee that were embedded into third parties like Air Canada, Uber, KAYAK, & Capital One. Today, Hopper’s b2b business represents ⅔ of its revenue 🤯 Pivoting as a startup is expected. But pivoting while doing over $700m in revenue is remarkable. Love this story! -- Want more? Subscribe to the Canadian Fintech Newsletter in the comments below 👇

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Are you ready to unlock the full potential of Product Operations? 🔍 Only 2 weeks left until Product Ops: 101 - Getting Started with Product Operations on October 30, 2024, led by Denise Tilles! With only 2 spots left, this hands-on workshop will give you practical tools to implement and scale Product Ops strategies. By the end, you'll have a clear roadmap to drive better outcomes within your organization. Secure your spot now: https://lnkd.in/exBcs2V5 🎟️ #productops101 #productoperations #productmanagement #workshop

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As a PM, it's not enough to just know how your team delivers software or how your customers are using your product. You need to dive deeper, tracking how your strategy is working, how teams are performing, and how your product is doing commercially. That’s where metrics come in. Metrics aren’t just numbers for your monthly meetings—they’re the answers to the critical questions you should be asking to make informed decisions. From product strategy to daily operations, metrics guide every move. But it’s not just about knowing what to measure, but understanding why you’re measuring it. That’s where metric lenses come in. These lenses help us break down complex data into actionable insights and ensure we’re asking the right questions. 1️⃣ Product Lens: How are customers using our product? 2️⃣ Quality Lens: How satisfied are our customers, and how well is the software performing? 3️⃣ Process Lens: How efficiently are teams delivering quality software? 4️⃣ Commercial Lens: How does the product generate or lose revenue? 5️⃣ Market Lens: Who are our most valuable customers, and how do market segments interact with our product 6️⃣ Strategic Lens: How is our product strategy performing against key objectives? Each of these lenses helps you see your product from a different perspective. The lens you focus on most will depend on where you sit in the organization, whether you're working tactically or strategically. Check out the downloadable poster to see how these lenses can help you refine your metrics and make smarter decisions for your product. Are you using the right lens to guide your product strategy? #productinstitute #metrics #metriclenses #productmanagement #metricguide

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I'm loving this debate between John Cutler and Ed Biden - both are thinkers and leaders I deeply admire. Zero-interest PMs were hired by zero-interest Product Leaders, who were probably hired by zero-interest CEOs. It's turtling all the way up 🐢 Are they all incompetent? Nah, they are just a product of the environment. It would've been foolish to not take advantage of the zero-interest capital. The key question is whether these people - at all levels from the CEO to the PMs - are capable of adapting to the current environment where profit margin and sustainability are key. Everyone needs to 'sober up' after years of being drunk and high with cash. Zero-interest leaders focus on acquisition at all costs. Sober leaders focus on bringing solid value that leads to retention and sustainable growth. Zero-interest leaders double, triple, even quadruple the size of their team. Sober leaders realize that team size != productivity, that spending hours in alignment meetings for a small feature isn't any fun. Running lean is the way forward. Zero-interest leaders build or even acquire aggressively, trying to capture as much market as possible. Sober leaders are thoughtful in choosing just 1 or 2 things to do. Zero-interest leaders care about framework and rules "This is the only correct way to do product." Sober leaders care about results, knowing that those frameworks and rules are merely vehicles to achieve results. Ultimately, sober leaders are accountable for business performance, not just acting like consultants in suits talking big words and making pretty slides. It's not easy to sober up - but it's adapt or die.

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Shopify needs to kick out all of the payment options to recapture 40% of platform GMV + regain Billions in rev/year. Today they only process 60% of its stores’ Rev. Other payment processors/options (Paypal, Amazon Pay) capture 40% of GMV. Their major problem: how does Shopify stay friendly with the bizs who pick Shopify’s pocket? Shopify’s value prop has always been flexible options at checkout. But 70% of Shop’s Rev is from payments. At the end of the day, Shop needs to collect that Rev. Their options are limited: - Restrict options at checkout. - Charge a toll to the other payment providers. - Hide/deprioritize others in the UI. I’m watching this evolution closely. Shop’s still growing, so this won’t be a tomorrow update. But eventually, Shopify will need to monetize more of their GMV. Leaving half of their current opportunity on the table is only excusable when there’s other growth to be had. #shopify

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Hiring a Product Manager? It's Like Having a General Contractor for Your Product! If you're building a new product or enhancing an existing one, having a skilled product manager on board can be invaluable - just like hiring a general contractor is essential for any major home construction project. As detailed in the article "Product Manager Job: What They Do and Why They're Important", product managers play a pivotal role in driving product success. They bridge the gap between the technical teams building the product and the business teams defining requirements based on customer needs. A product manager is responsible for: Defining the product vision and strategy Prioritizing features based on customer impact Managing the product roadmap and release process Gathering customer feedback to inform future iterations In essence, product managers are the "general contractors" orchestrating all the moving pieces required to deliver a successful product to market efficiently. You can build a product without one, just like you can take a DIY approach to home renovation. However, the level of effort and cross-functional coordination required is immense without an experienced PM at the helm. As the article states: "Don't build a house without a general contractor, and don't build a product without a product manager." If your company is serious about building great products that customers love, invest in a talented product manager. They'll help get it done right from vision to launch.

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There is a common, fatal mistake that most product managers make without realizing it. The other day, I spoke with an accomplished product group product manager who was looking to advance to the director level. He possessed all the relevant skills and experience. He had the opportunity to participate in numerous interviews, a testament to his marketability and the demand for his skills. But he failed to convert them into offers. He had been through five of his "top tier" target companies and not landed a role. Why was this case? He had joined our program, and after some mock interviews, we dug into the feedback he had received from our coaches [who are often product managers and leaders at these target companies], and I helped him see this pattern. He was interviewing for the job that he had rather than the job he wanted. Interviewing for roles you have held vs. the ones you want is a fundamental mistake that I see many product managers make repeatedly. They are telling the story of their experience, but the framing is entirely wrong. See, the hiring managers and other interviewers really have no interest in your past. They only care about it if it's retold from the perspective of "Why are you a clear fit for the role that you are applying to?" There is no silver bullet to fix this, but there are many lead bullets. Your words matter, as does how you shape the interview and move from one question to another. How you tackle product design, execution, metrics, and leadership interviews also matters. Our coaches understand the difference between the different levels of interviews and can help you reshape them. This approach enabled us to help a Senior Product Manager land a Director role recently (more on that in the next few days). But for now, remember - interview for the job you want, not the job you've had.

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Wanted to just state this widely because my inbox has already be already had 15 requests to connect since the announcement of Shopify's APM program yesterday: 1. 🚫I do not provide referrals for folks I have not worked with/know personally🚫 In fact, I don't believe any PM at Shopify does as our referral system is complex and tailored for employees to only refer people they've worked with and can vouch for personally. 2. I am happy to talk about my experience breaking into the PM world, and working as a PM at Shopify. I am also happy to talk about the program because I really do think it is incredible 🚫 However I do not give advice on application or resumes 🚫 I always give the same response which I really mean: “Focus on why the APM program is the right next step in your career and how your past career has prepared you for it" 3. I am not involved in APM hiring in any way. I do not read resumes/apps or have any insight into the selection process. 4. I am open to 15-30 minute chats if you genuinely want to learn about my path or opinions. I am also always open to answering questions via messaging. However, I am not interested in setting up a chat that is just an attempt to get a better application/referral. That being said, I've really enjoyed some of most recent interaction on LinkedIn connecting with people with similar interests and/or experiences. If it's genuine- please do reach out and tell me about your interests :)

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At Helcim our payment integrations are taking off 🚀 . If you are considering integrating with a different payments platform, or ir you are a developer who implements payment platforms for other companies, check out our announcement below - now with built-in rev share 💰.

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