Building 0 to 1 Platform Products: Challenges, Rewards, and Advice from Nitin Julka, Senior Director of Product Management at LinkedIn

In a recent AMA session with Nitin Julka, Senior Director of Product Management at LinkedIn, we discussed the challenges and rewards of building 0 to 1 platform products.

If you are interested in building a 0 to 1 platform product, I highly recommend watching Nitin’s AMA session and reading the full article [Link]. It is full of valuable insights and advice.

Platform products are different from non-platform products in that they have multiple use cases and underlying capabilities. This makes them complex and challenging to build, but also very rewarding.

Some of the key challenges of building 0 to 1 platform products include:

• Handling multiple use cases: Platform products need to be designed to handle a variety of use cases, which can be complex and challenging.
• High cost of development: The cost of developing a platform product can be high, especially before the specific use cases are known.
• Risk of breaking integrations: When iterating on a platform product, there is a risk of breaking integrations with partners.

Despite the challenges, there are also many rewards to building 0 to 1 platform products. Platform products can have a significant impact on the world, and they can be very profitable. They can also be a lot of fun to build and grow.

Here are some of the key takeaways from Nitin’s AMA session:

• Deep customer understanding is essential. In order to build a successful platform product, you need to have a deep understanding of your customers and their needs. This understanding will help you to design a product that is valuable and meets their needs.
• Start small and iterate quickly. It is important to start small and iterate quickly when building a platform product. This will help you to learn from your mistakes and build a product that people actually want to use.
• Build a strong team. Building a platform product is a complex task, so it is important to build a strong team with the necessary skills and experience.
• Be patient. Building a successful platform product takes time and effort. Don’t expect to become an overnight success.

In addition to the above, here are some additional tips for building 0 to 1 platform products:

• Focus on a specific problem. Don’t try to build a platform product that solves every problem. Instead, focus on a specific problem that you are passionate about solving.
• Build a community. Platform products thrive on communities. Start building a community around your product early on. This will help you to get feedback and support from potential users.
• Be open to experimentation. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ideas and approaches. The best way to learn what works and what doesn’t is to experiment.

Building a 0 to 1 platform product is challenging, but it is also very rewarding. By following the tips above, you can increase your chances of success.

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