Joel Polanco is a senior product manager writing about product management, customer discovery, and the move from engineering into product.https://joelpolanco.meen-ushttps://joelpolanco.me/post/a-company-is-not-a-person-a-founder-s-guide-to-customer-roleshttps://joelpolanco.me/post/a-company-is-not-a-person-a-founder-s-guide-to-customer-rolesYou have an idea that you’ve mapped out some of your customer segments. Maybe you even connected to someone in a company in one of your customer segments through LinkedIn. That person may have even said, “that’s a real problem you are working on.” And now you feel validated and so you continue builSun, 20 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/apple-is-going-to-win-ai-by-refusing-to-play-the-gamehttps://joelpolanco.me/post/apple-is-going-to-win-ai-by-refusing-to-play-the-gameEveryone's laughing at Apple for "falling behind" in AI.Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/encoding-buffett-munger-s-wisdom-using-perplexity-computerhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/encoding-buffett-munger-s-wisdom-using-perplexity-computerI Built a Buffett–Munger Stock Screener with AI. It Mostly Works — and That’s the Problem.I wanted to answer a simple question: can you systematically replicate Buffett and Munger’s investment filter using AI?So I built a two-stage stock screener using Perplexity Computer and ran it across 1,622 companies (S&P 500 + most of the Russell 2000).The architecture worked exactly as designedStage 1: Hard Financial Filters The system eliminated 1,448 companies immediately. • 621 failed profitability • 3Sat, 09 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/from-idea-to-real-customer-how-channels-and-relationships-shape-your-path-to-markethttps://joelpolanco.me/post/from-idea-to-real-customer-how-channels-and-relationships-shape-your-path-to-marketMost first-time founders share a common origin story. They have a brilliant idea, spend six months building it, and then launch. Then…crickets. Their customer segment has no idea the product is available, or that the way they planned to sell it.Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/customer-discovery-in-the-age-of-ai-how-to-stop-guessing-and-start-building-products-people-actually-wanthttps://joelpolanco.me/post/customer-discovery-in-the-age-of-ai-how-to-stop-guessing-and-start-building-products-people-actually-wantYou have a brilliant product idea. You're excited, you've mapped out the features, and you're ready to build. And in 2026, building has never been easier. AI coding tools like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Claude can turn a weekend idea into a working prototype before Monday morning.Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/what-nobody-tells-you-about-being-in-the-business-of-realityhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/what-nobody-tells-you-about-being-in-the-business-of-realityI'm drawn to customerdiscovery because customer discovery is rooted in discovering facts and truth. It's the bridge between today's reality and tomorrow's dream.Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-define-customer-segments-that-actually-matterhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-define-customer-segments-that-actually-matterWhen it comes to customer segments, many PMs make the mistake of defining them too broadly, resulting in weaker product-market fit, higher churn, and wasted resources. To avoid falling into that trap, you should follow a systematic approach that starts with a broad customer segment and then graduallTue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/your-value-proposition-is-a-hypothesis-not-a-headlinehttps://joelpolanco.me/post/your-value-proposition-is-a-hypothesis-not-a-headlineMost first-time founders make the same mistake. They get a great idea, spend months building it, launch with excitement — and then hear the silence. No signups. No word-of-mouth. Maybe a few polite "interesting!" responses from friends, but no one actually pulling out their credit card. The productTue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/analyzing-product-usage-key-metrics-and-methodshttps://joelpolanco.me/post/analyzing-product-usage-key-metrics-and-methodsFocus: Explain what product usage is, its importance, and how product managers can analyze and leverage usage data to enhance product performance and user satisfaction.Thu, 06 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/benefits-vs-features-for-value-proposition-designhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/benefits-vs-features-for-value-proposition-designMost of us in tech are guilty of leading with features and not benefits . Read this article to learn more about how to lead with benefits.Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/understanding-value-exchange-to-boost-product-successhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/understanding-value-exchange-to-boost-product-successProduct managers should understand all the ways value can be exchanged between a company and a user.Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/best-product-rituals-to-position-your-team-for-successhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/best-product-rituals-to-position-your-team-for-successThis article will talk about product rituals and how they can position your team for success.Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/customer-validation-building-consistent-and-repeatable-saleshttps://joelpolanco.me/post/customer-validation-building-consistent-and-repeatable-salesTo build a successful product, you need to thoroughly understand the market you want to enter and your target customers. However, sometimes PMs spend too much time chasing a market when ultimately your customers dictate whether a product succeeds. You could identify a really strong market but without significant customer adoption you won’t be able to access any of it.Because of this, you should take the time to add customer validation into your customer development model. Customer validation invThu, 26 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/will-founder-mode-take-the-product-management-world-by-stormhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/will-founder-mode-take-the-product-management-world-by-stormThis article aims to answer these questions and provide some insight into how product communities are talking about founder mode.Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/the-importance-of-enablement-for-business-successhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/the-importance-of-enablement-for-business-successDo you wish that there was someone to help you implement sales systems and create sales content? There is!Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/what-is-dmaic-in-six-sigmahttps://joelpolanco.me/post/what-is-dmaic-in-six-sigmaThis article goes over the DMAIC process, its benefits, and how it can be applied in product management.Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-implement-the-zone-to-win-frameworkhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-implement-the-zone-to-win-frameworkLearn about the Zone to Win framework, including how you can integrate it into your role as a product manager.Wed, 14 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/mastering-the-art-of-cross-selling-to-boost-saleshttps://joelpolanco.me/post/mastering-the-art-of-cross-selling-to-boost-salesThis article covers benefits, strategies, and challenges with cross-selling.Tue, 23 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/bottom-line-up-front-how-bluf-improves-your-communicationhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/bottom-line-up-front-how-bluf-improves-your-communicationBLUF is a powerful messaging technique, especially for emails directed at busy individuals like executives.Wed, 03 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-use-but-not-abuse-product-management-frameworkshttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-use-but-not-abuse-product-management-frameworksThis article will talk about how to use, but not abuse, frameworks while providing some tangible, real-world examples.Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/charting-the-product-manager-s-career-path-in-2024https://joelpolanco.me/post/charting-the-product-manager-s-career-path-in-2024This (2024) article will go over product manager career paths, skills, compensation and more.Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-develop-active-listening-skills-for-better-communicationhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-develop-active-listening-skills-for-better-communicationThis article will introduce you to active listening and explain why it’s a crucial skill for product managers to develop throughout their caTue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-leverage-customer-discovery-techniques-at-a-large-mature-companyhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/how-to-leverage-customer-discovery-techniques-at-a-large-mature-companyIn one of my previous blogs, I talked about customer discovery and why it’s an important process that ensures that your team is working on new, high leverage opportunities. If you’re taking on customer discovery initiatives, it might be because your team has been asked to re-establish a foothold in an existing market, or because you’re the new person joining an existing team. In either case, you’re likely in a business that’s past the startup phase and becoming a mature player in the market. InMon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/what-is-customer-discoveryhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/what-is-customer-discoveryThe purpose of customer discovery is to gain an understanding of customers BEFORE you start building and/or selling.Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/understanding-the-value-of-new-user-acquisition-versus-retentionhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/understanding-the-value-of-new-user-acquisition-versus-retentionWhen is retention more important than acquisition? This article goes over the basics of growth and how to evaluate them over time.Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/unpacking-secondment-a-strategic-move-in-a-product-management-careerhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/unpacking-secondment-a-strategic-move-in-a-product-management-careerI like to refer to myself as an “accidental product manager.” I didn’t take any official product management courses in college and didn’t expect my career to pan out the way it did. This is more common than you think, as many companies implement opportunities for secondment so their employees can try out professions they don’t have a background or education in.Secondment is a neat way to pilot a specific role or career without having to go all-in to it right away. If you are considering a careerWed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/product-partners-creating-a-minimum-viable-ecosystemhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/product-partners-creating-a-minimum-viable-ecosystemSometimes developing great products means developing great partnerships and ecosystems.Wed, 23 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/from-rides-to-riches-how-uber-masters-the-product-profit-gamehttps://joelpolanco.me/post/from-rides-to-riches-how-uber-masters-the-product-profit-gameAfter years of unprofitable growth, Uber finally turned a profit. This article will dive into Uber’s history and the products it developed,Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/meet-twitter-s-new-competitor-threadshttps://joelpolanco.me/post/meet-twitter-s-new-competitor-threadsThis article will go over my first impressions of Threads, and what product people think about it.Fri, 07 Jul 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/is-product-management-going-away-why-airbnb-got-rid-of-its-pm-organizationhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/is-product-management-going-away-why-airbnb-got-rid-of-its-pm-organizationAt Figma’s Config23 conference, Brian Chesky stated that Airbnb got rid of their PMs. This post will explain what ACTUALLY happened.Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://joelpolanco.me/post/product-sense-harnessing-your-natural-power-as-a-pmhttps://joelpolanco.me/post/product-sense-harnessing-your-natural-power-as-a-pmProduct sense is one of the five natural powers of a product manager but like any power, you need to cultivate it and practice it to developThu, 15 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT