Zero To PM: A Handy Guide for Aspiring Product Managers

There is a lot of wisdom spread over the internet about how to break into product management. Albeit, content on the internet comes with a lot of noise. I wrote this book to provide aspiring product managers with a consolidated guide filled with the fundamental knowledge and practical, actionable tips to break into product management. 

The purpose of this book is to provide the readers a better understanding of the product management landscape, help them identify the skills they need to develop and chalk out a plan to break into product management.

This is not a Product Management reference book. This book is not to be considered as "everything there is to know about product management" or a book that contains shortcuts to get into the field. This is NOT an exhaustive collection of all the resources you will need to become a product manager.

Think of this book as a guide that will show you what the product management journey holds for you, equip you with the basic necessities, and put you on the hassle-free path to the starting point in case you decide to take on the journey.

About the author : 

Akshay is a product guy with over 5 years of product management and 6 years of software development experience. He has been a product manager for an industry leading endpoint backup solution at a B2B SaaS company named Druva and now leads the product management effort for a loyalty rewards platform at Zinrelo. 

Akshay has built Zero To PM which is a curated library of product management resources grouped by key product management topics 

What readers are saying about the ebook -

"Precise and insightful. Definitely recommended for everyone who is starting and (i) doesn't know how to get started (ii) trapped in Medium/SubstackInc articles loop"

- Saurav Karmakar (@ThisIsKarmakar)

"Very well written and easy to follow. This book hits the goal of providing an overview for those looking to break into product management role."

- Rono Jacob (LinkedIn)

"If you have been looking for a 'Demystifying Product Management' guide minus the jargon and frills, your search ends here. 4 hours well spent!"

- Dimple Shah (LinkedIn)

"Zero to PM offers a strong and relevant starting point of you are thinking to be a Product Manager"

- Suraj Saste (Twitter)

"A must read for anyone planning to transition into Product Management. Very useful content with practical suggestions to land a PM role. Very Well written"

- Anukesh Nevatia (Twitter)

Book Contents

1. Introduction

2. Who is this book for?

3. Understanding the product management function

4. Understanding the product life cycle

5. Understanding the key concepts

    a. Market Research

    b. Customer Development.

    c. Competitive Analysis.

    d. MVP.

    e. Product-Market Fit.

    f. Product strategy

    g. Roadmap and Prioritization

    h. Go To Market strategy

    i. Pricing a product

6. Developing the core skill set required for product management

    a. Execution.

    b. Customer Insight.

    c. Strategy.

    d. Communication.

    e. People Management.

7. Three Most Common paths leading to product management

    a. Internal Transition at your current workplace.

    b. APM at a company in the same domain as your existing company.

    c. Joining a startup with a very small team.

8. Building credibility as a product manager.

    a. Leveraging Social Media.

    b. Side Projects

9. The path forward...