April Dunford spent 25 years running marketing, product, and sales teams as a startup executive.
Creating a systematic way of positioning tech products and companies became her life's work, informing her consulting practice where she has advised 100+ companies. Her best-selling book Obviously Awesome offers a methodology that any leader or entrepreneur can follow.
I found great value in April's positioning methodology as I figure out directions for my own projects, including Design Disciplin. Even though her experience comes from leading business-to-business marketing, she offers lessons that we can adapt to a whole range of situations – including but not limited to how our design projects speak to their audience, and how to position ourselves towards potential employers and clients.
From the conversation:
Books
• Obviously Awesome by April Dunford — https://link.amazon/B03cTGVPi
• The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson — https://link.amazon/B0abji1TL
• The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank — https://link.amazon/B0gE0fMYg
• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries — https://link.amazon/B0bEf5DHL
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https://aprildunford.com | https://x.com/aprildunford
Chapters
00:00 What is "positioning"?
02:02 April's story
06:19 "Marketing" vs. "design" vs. "product"
09:21 Design methods, lean vs. service-driven, "positioning baggage"
15:54 What the product is vs. who the product is for
22:55 Positioning for consumer products, professional services, and individual careers
33:15 Skills and advice for younger professionals
35:53 Execution: a question no-one asks
39:00 Books
40:46 What is next for April Dunford?
41:44 Extracurriculars
43:16 Closing
