Build vs. Buy

Aakash Gupta, Founder at Product Growth Newsletter (ex-Apollo.io, Affirm)

Episode Summary

This week, Mang-Git hosts content creator and former VP of Product at Apollo.io and Head of Product Growth at Affirm, Aakash Gupta. Aakash shares his journey from operator to content creator on LinkedIn, building a vast follower base, and transitioning to an entrepreneurial role. The episode dives into the build vs. buy decision-making process at Affirm for developing a location-based push notification feature, the importance of accurate data, and considering user experience and frequency challenges to drive product growth effectively. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 02:03 Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn 04:41 Content Strategy and Marketing Concepts 06:56 Deciding to Go Full-Time as a Content Creator 08:01 LinkedIn's Unique Opportunities for Growth 10:52 Exploring the Build vs. Buy Decision 20:40 Understanding Data Architecture for Location Accuracy 21:40 Challenges in Location-Based Services 23:39 Affirm's Product Evolution and Trade-offs 24:22 Impact of Location-Based Push Notifications 24:59 User Experience and Technical Trade-offs 27:04 Frequency and Timing of Push Notifications 30:07 Managing Credit and Customer Engagement 34:36 Insights on Growth and Saturation 35:48 Current Projects and Professional Insights 38:42 Product Recommendations and Final Thoughts

Episode Notes

This week, Mang-Git hosts content creator and former VP of Product at Apollo.io and Head of Product Growth at Affirm, Aakash Gupta. Aakash shares his journey from operator to content creator on LinkedIn, building a vast follower base, and transitioning to an entrepreneurial role. The episode dives into the build vs. buy decision-making process at Affirm for developing a location-based push notification feature, the importance of accurate data, and considering user experience and frequency challenges to drive product growth effectively.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

02:03 Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn

04:41 Content Strategy and Marketing Concepts

06:56 Deciding to Go Full-Time as a Content Creator

08:01 LinkedIn's Unique Opportunities for Growth

10:52 Exploring the Build vs. Buy Decision

20:40 Understanding Data Architecture for Location Accuracy

21:40 Challenges in Location-Based Services

23:39 Affirm's Product Evolution and Trade-offs

24:22 Impact of Location-Based Push Notifications

24:59 User Experience and Technical Trade-offs

27:04 Frequency and Timing of Push Notifications

30:07 Managing Credit and Customer Engagement

34:36 Insights on Growth and Saturation

35:48 Current Projects and Professional Insights

38:42 Product Recommendations and Final Thoughts