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Otter Advisory Newsletter #10
January, 2022

Hello

This is the 10th edition of the newsletter. I missed sending one out in December.

I'm working on some new collaborations with other experts for early 2022. I'll be sending out details in the next week. 

• Market positioning analysis with an HRTECH LEGEND.
• How to succeed in the German market, aimed at international scale-ups and start-ups wanting to enter Germany.
• Specific product advisory, for instance, in employee performance management.

I spend a lot of time reading stuff, and I’ve experimented with a variety of tools to track interesting posts and links, I post a few of these here. This month's version has a bit about SaaS adoption trends, AI research, funding and strategy.

The newsletter is a miscellany of what I’ve read, written, watched or heard over the last little while. This may interest people who work in the world of HRTECH, SaaS, work tech etc, either as users, builders or investors. I’ll do this once a month or so. Let me know what you would like to see here. Eventually I might even do some fancy formatting. Or not. 

Things I've written recently and not so recently

• Why Culture Matters.

• Beware the massive enterprise deal.

• Ecosystems: learning from SME.

Things I've read

• Cheese and prediction:Try Tyromancy, the practice of predicting the future with cheese.

•  When strategy isn't strategy: So much of what companies call strategy is just wishing.

• Roadmaps This is a good one. Software is an uncertain medium. It’s a continuous medium. This means there is no end to it, you can’t predict it’s end state and you really have no idea what combination of code, copy and design will deliver the customer success....

• HR research on executive compensation.

• Just effing demo.  Dave Kellogg on form again.

• From academia: Cultural Fit examined . via @ethanMollick

• More from academia: Oxford materials on Data Protection / AI etc in the workplace. Great source of research.  These papers provide a great starting point for stakeholders to understand and address data protection issues around AI systems in the workplace

• Distributed Work. Leading Analyst @monchips, James Governor takes a look at remote work. Deeply insightful.

• I'm still not exactly sure what web3 is. But I'm figuring it out thanks to folks like Robin

 see this thread, for example. 

• The piece by @Moxie on web3 has been widely reposted and commented on, I've read this one a few times.

• One of my clients raves about Andy Raskin. He sure knows about positioning. 

•  A guide to equity grants. Founders really need to understand this. 

•  One of the companies that Acadian Ventures has invested in. Arist. I really like this letter they wrote. I wish more vendors did this.  

Someone to follow on Twitter

Paul Kedrosky. Writes about VC, running and stuff. Lots of good links too. 

Edward Hopper. A fan feed of his paintings.

A blog or newsletter to subscribe to

I subscribe to many newsletters. This is a good one. The Pragmatic Engineer.

Also cool that @Janna Bastow has started a newsletter on Product Management.

A book to read

Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: How a Continent Is Escaping Silicon Valley's Long Shadow.

And Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson: Venture Deals. I learnt loads. 

Something to listen to

Natalie McCool.

Hints of Fleetwood Mac, Yazoo, but a sound all of her own. 

Something to watch

 Soviet Soldiers Dancing. This is why I lurk on twitter.

I've been having a bit of fun on Twitter with something I call Enterprise Software Metaphors.  search on twitter for "Enterprise Software Metaphors"

Come and talk Enterprise Product Management

Dave Kellogg and I are taking a break from the SaaS product power breakfast, but we will be back soon with a new improved show in the new year. All our past episodes are  here. 

If you would like to get in touch, click here to schedule a call or drop me a note. If you were forwarded this, and would like to subscribe, you can do so via the website.