Micro-Interview: Stella Nacheva, Chief Product Officer
A CPO at MyPOS, she shares tips & tricks in 425 words 💡
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Stella Nacheva is the Chief Product Officer at MyPOS, a European payment services company, offering mobile payment terminals and online payments.
Stella is based in Varna, Bulgaria.
In under 500 words, she shares:
How she got into product management…
How she starts her mornings for maximum productivity…
Some of her sources of learning…
And more…
Enjoy!
“How did you get into product management?”
It might sound like a cliché but it was fate. I started my career path in one of the biggest companies in Varna as a business analyst. I was approached by the company while I was at the university – they had a fantastic program to scan for talent at the local universities and I had the chance to meet with HR and development representatives during my bachelor degree’s thesis presentation. Diving deep into the processes and working in a product company, switching to Product management felt like the most natural thing to do.
“How do you start your mornings at work?”
Mornings are a sacred time for me – I enjoy the peace and quiet of the early hours and I find it the most productive time for me. I’m a person who always wants to have a plan and a clear idea of what is ahead, so I use my morning time to plan the day, address e-mails, and stay updated on the latest product insights.
“What do you know about product management now that you wish you’d known when you first started?”
Initially, when I started my journey in Product management, it was a lot of learning on the job, classic trial and error mode. Over time, I’ve gained a valuable understanding – you have to accept imperfection. As product managers, we all strive to deliver the best solution, but it’s impossible to do it on the first go. Accepting that the iterative nature of product development is a strength and not a weakness, significantly changed my perspective.
“What did your biggest product failure teach you?”
Never assume you have a crystal-clear understanding of the user needs based on your or a stakeholder’s biased point of view. It’s imperative to never skip the discovery and testing phases during product introductions – those will give you the most important insights into the client’s understanding of the process and how you can deliver a useful feature or improvement.
“What’s the #1 thing that has helped you shorten your product management learning curve?”
Communication, communication, communication! I can’t stress enough how important communication is – with users, with stakeholders, with development teams. Regular, transparent communication fosters a team spirit environment, allowing quick adjustments, and continuous improvement. This can help not only personal growth but also enrich the culture of the teams – sharing knowledge and igniting innovation.
“How do you stay updated on the best practices in product management?”
I stay connected and informed, and gain inspiration from several channels:
· Lenny’s newsletter is a gold mine – anything you might need is there, from templates used by big and successful product companies to various research and lessons learned. Seriously, a gold mine!
· Being registered in Product school – the content there is very accessible and can give you a different perspective on known matters.
· Follow established people in the product field on LinkedIn, such as Amit Gupta, Bart Jaworski, and Pawel Huryn.