The Curse of the 1st PM - Part 1: The Company View w/ Pulkit Agrawal, Co-Founder of Chameleon

Practical Product w/ Jason Evanish

Why do so many 1st PMs end up not working out? What can we learn from these situations, where a founder hires a PM and then things don't work out?

In our first of a 2 part series, we interview a founder who knew about the curse of the 1st PM and it still didn't work out. Pulkit Agrawal, co-founder of Chameleon, candidly reflects on lessons learned from their 1st PM not working out and what he's doing differently the second time around. We look at how this is often a blameless set of circumstances that evolve as the company grows and makes it so someone who was a fit at the time may not be a fit as you grow.

This sets up for next episode's guest, where we talk to multi-time 1st PM, Hostos Monegro, who shares the employee perspective on this exciting, but challenging role at startups.

More on our guest, Pulkit Agrawal, co-founder of Chameleon:

Learn more about Pulkit's company, Chameleon
Find Pulkit on LinkedIn
Get in touch: Pulkit @ chameleon.io
While they just filled their 2nd, 1st PM role, you can Apply for any of their other openings here

More on Jason Evanish:

Get more product advice on Jason's blog
Follow Jason on Twitter
Get coaching from Jason or take his course

Topics:

(2:37) - What was your experience hiring your first PM?
(5:35) - How has your approach changed for hiring PM #2?
(6:27) - What got you excited about the person you ultimately hired for the #1 role?
(7:37) - What traits were you looking for in candidates?
(8:39) - Were there any concerns that you perhaps overlooked?
(10:15) - Was there an initial ‘honeymoon’ phase as they were integrating with the team?
(13:52) - When did you start to realize things may not be working out?
(18:28) - How did you handle the transition of a PM leaving the team?
(25:13) - Is it inevitable that the first PM will never be a perfect fit?
(28:23) - Do you think hiring a designer & QA person first would’ve helped you more than a first PM?
(30:31) - What strengths are you looking for in this next PM?
(34:02) - How are you thinking about changing your hiring process the second time around?
(35:44) - What advice would you give a founder who’s considering hiring their first PM?
(43:17) - How can the founder set the PM up for success?
(45:03) - What advice would you have for PM’s interviewing for a first PM role?
(48:52) - What are some red flags candidates need to look out for?
(50:46) - What advice would you give to current first-PM’s?