Eeke de Milliano

Guest: Eeke de Milliano - Head of Product at Retool. Eeke was one of the first PMs at Stripe, where she helped build foundational products like Stripe Checkout and Stripe Radar. Key Takeaways: Process as a Double-Edged Sword: Process reduces variance but can also stifle top performers. Introduce the minimum viable process and allow escape hatches for creativity. Fostering Innovation: Encourage big thinking by normalizing failure, providing more opportunities for experimentation, and creating structured moments for ideation, like Retool’s "Crazy Ideas" doc. Launching Multiple Products: Start small with dedicated teams for each project, treat them like startups, and keep them separate initially to maintain focus and agility. Product Talent Portfolio: Balance your team with diverse skill sets, mixing homegrown talent with experienced hires from other companies to create a well-rounded team. Customer Proximity: Use tools like Slack for direct customer feedback and ensure PMs are technically proficient to understand and anticipate customer needs effectively. Topics Covered: Innovation and big thinking, process management, product launches, team structure, customer engagement, product management philosophies, balancing product and sales-led growth.