Why PLG Doesn't Fit All: Experimentation vs Foundation | Emily Wang (CEO at Bento, ex-Intercom)

Welcome to Growthmates — the place to connect with inspiring leaders to help you grow yourself and your product. Here you can learn how companies like Dropbox, Adobe, Amplitude, Canva, and many more are building excellent products and growth culture. Subscribe to get all episodes right to your inbox on katesyuma.substack.com.Listen now and subscribe on your favorite platforms — Apple, Spotify, or watch on YouTube (new!).Exciting announcement! If you're keen on Mastering Product Growth and User onboarding, join the upcoming course in April. You will get personal guidance to create a stellar onboarding experience and frameworks to turn it into live. Get a 10% discount before 15 March.Learn more and get early access → https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboardingThis time we talked to Emily Wang, CEO of Bento, previously Product Manager on Growth Team at Intercom.  Emily shared her authentic story of becoming a founder, the role of leadership, creating a company culture, and building a strong team. Our conversation went beyond that, and we also discussed: * What’s The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation* Why Killing Features is necessary to grow and evolve your product * Why the PLG model sometimes is not the right fit, and what we all should be aware of in the current market landscape If you find our show valuable, please share it with your colleagues and friends, and leave us a good review.Follow Growthmates updates on:* Substack Newsletter (for instant inbox delivery): https://katesyuma.substack.com/podcast* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/growthmates-podcast/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/growthmates_/Where to find Emily Wang, CEO of Bento:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyyidanwang/ * Website: https://www.trybento.co/Where to find Kate Syuma, Growth Advisor (ex-Miro):* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekaterina-syuma/* Newsletter: https://katesyuma.substack.com* X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/kate_syumaWhere to find Oscar Torres, Product Designer at Miro:* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oscartorrestryme/* Website: https://www.oscartorres.me/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_towers_/What we’ve covered in this episode:00:00 Emily's Mission to Start Bento03:46 Emily's Personal Mental Model Shift05:00 The Importance of Building a Company10:00 Understanding Different Parts of a Company12:14 The Right Time to Introduce Experimentation15:00 The Role of Leadership in Company Building16:44 Killing Features and Simplifying the Product17:12 Balancing Product and Design Team Priorities20:00 Creating a Company Culture22:32 Product-Led Growth and Finding the Right Fit25:00 Building a Strong Team30:00 Effective Communication within a Company34:47 Shifts in the Macro Environment and Impact on Product Growth40:00 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals47:33 Onboarding vs Everboarding45:00 Conclusion51:03 Where to Connect with EmilyResources referenced:* Get a 10% discount for the Maven course on Onboarding and Activation before 15th March: https://maven.com/growth-course/self-serve-onboarding* Behind the Cloud, Mark Benioff: https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company/* Leadership and Self-Deception, The Arbinger Institute: https://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Self-Deception-Getting-Out-Box/If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to share it with your colleagues and like-minded friends. For sponsorship and other inquiries reach out to [email protected] to get more episodes right in your inbox: katesyuma.substack.comThanks for reading Kate's Syuma Newsletter & Growthmates! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Get full access to Growthmates with Kate Syuma at www.growthmates.news/subscribe