S3E3: How to Make Pigs Fly (and Other PM Miracles) with Ali Rakhimov

What if being a great product manager had less to do with sounding smart and more to do with getting your hands dirty?In this episode, Karl talks with Ali Rakhimov about a product career that started far away from tech titles, roadmaps, or polished decks. Ali shares how he quite literally tripped into product work while trying to solve real problems in K–12 schools, like watching student cash disappear at the front office and deciding someone had to fix it. No role, no playbook, just curiosity and a willingness to tinker until something worked.Ali also tells the deeply personal story behind his book, Make Pigs Fly, and why it was written to be read in stolen moments of quiet. As an immigrant learning English through short, memorable phrases, he explains how storytelling and simple language became survival tools long before they became professional skills. Along the way, he reflects on burnout, learning to say no, telling bad jokes that no one laughs at, and why confidence is built by failing in public and coming back anyway.This is a warm, honest conversation about blue‑collar product work, the courage to ask “dumb” questions, and why the best PMs are builders at heart. If you have ever felt like you did not belong, struggled to be understood, or wondered whether you were doing product “the right way,” this episode is a reminder that showing up, trying, and caring still counts for a lot.About the BookTitle: Make Pigs Fly: Product Manager’s Bathroom BookWhere to Buy:Ali’s WebsiteAmazonIngramSparkKey Quotes“I didn’t stumble into product management—I tripped, fell, and landed face-first into it.”“You don’t need to speak louder—you just need to translate better.”“Good PMs ship features. Great PMs ship belief.”“You have to be fearless. You have to be hungry. That’s how you grow.”Connect with AliLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arakhimov/