#19. Career Strategy & Insights 🔍

Actionable Lessons for Professionals

Feb 22, 2025

Hello, I’m Saurabh Tandon—welcome to the free weekly edition of More than Buzzwords!

This week’s newsletter is packed with actionable insights for founders, product managers, and professionals alike. And for all the procrastinators out there, we’ve got something special just for you.

From career-boosting tips to an inside look at an inspiring startup—and some hard-hitting truths about procrastination—this edition is here to help you take your professional journey to the next level.

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s edition:

↪️ Quick, actionable tweets for Product Managers & Start-up founders: Practical, insightful tips from industry leaders, packed with powerful tools to help you make a real impact.

↪️ Spotlight on innovation: A deep dive into an emerging startup that’s tackling big problems in smart, meaningful ways.

↪️ TED Talk Takeaways: Lessons from a TED Talk I can watch over and over—always walking away with something valuable (and a good laugh!). Read till the end to see exactly what I mean.

Lessons from Startup Pros 🦾

This week, I came across some incredible tweets packed with valuable lessons for product managers, startup founders and leaders—ones I couldn’t wait to share. Take a look at them-

Insights for Start-up founders & Leaders

#1
@Julian

For many VCs, you must convince them of at least one of these three factors in your pitch.
1. Do something no one else is—and get a big head start
2. Do something incumbents cannot do
3. Be force-of-nature, top 0.1% founders
In your pitch, explain what your scalable acquisition edge is.
One of the most compelling answers is walking through how you leverage product-led acquisition (PLA).

This tweet by Julian (a startup investor) is part of his insightful thread on VCs decision-making process.

He explains that VCs look for a clear competitive edge, and to win them over, your pitch must showcase one of three things: a unique first-mover advantage, something incumbents can’t replicate, or an unstoppable founding team.

The key? Demonstrate a scalable acquisition edge—and one of the most compelling ways to do that is through product-led acquisition (PLA).

👉 Don’t just pitch your product—show how it fuels unstoppable growth.

#2
@aeyakovenko

First time founders with revenues. Focus on growing your existing revenues, especially if you believe there is 2x+ more revenue to gain.
You might have an urge to build another product, but just because your last idea got you where you are today, it doesn’t mean that the odds of a new product line is better than 5%.
That doesn’t mean to avoid taking big shots on goal, you can do that after you have tapped out growth with your current business.

Everything that you learn from growing your existing business will be applicable when the opportunity to build the next product is so overwhelmingly obvious and fast to build and validate that you simply can’t ignore it.

This tweet gives another valuable lesson to all the founders out there. First-time founders with revenue often feel the urge to build a new product—but doubling down on existing revenue streams is usually the smarter move.

Just because your first idea worked doesn’t mean a new product will have better than a 5% success rate.

Instead, maximize growth in your current business before pivoting. The lessons you gain will prepare you for the moment when your next big opportunity is too obvious to ignore.

👉 Nail what’s working before chasing what’s next.

Tips & tools for Product Managers

#3
@bandanjot

The first 90 days for a Product Manager:
1. Study the dashboards and metrics
2. Read previous user research
3. Meet key stakeholders
4. Access & read PRDs
5. Know Why we are doing what we are doing
6. Understand the Objectives & Roadmap
7. Where do we want to go in next 6 months

This tweet breaks down the first 90 days for a Product Manager, focussing on the foundational knowledge and strategic alignment needed to succeed.

New PMs should deeply analyze data, user insights, and company objectives before making decisions.

Understanding past research, key metrics, and the product roadmap ensures they contribute meaningfully from day one.

👉 Success in product management starts with learning before leading.

#4
@nurijanian

Every Product Manager should know these websites!
1. eraser .io - AI co-pilot ‍for technical design
2. flowgpt. ai - the visual interface that helps you create anything fast
3. prodmgmt. world - the new PM's reality playbook
4. kraftful. com - get insights to build products people love
5. commoncog. com - get good at business faster

This tweet highlights must-know resources for Product Managers looking to upskill and build better products.

From understanding user behavior to accelerating business acumen and mastering PM techniques, continuous learning is key to excelling in product management.

👉 The best PMs don’t just build products—they build knowledge that fuels better decisions.

Which tweet did you find the most insightful?

Startup of the Week: Netradyne 🚚

Driving Change, One Idea at a Time

Let’s talk about Netradyne, the startup that’s making waves (and saving lives) on the road. Founded by Avneesh Agrawal and David Julian, Netradyne is revolutionizing fleet safety with its AI-powered camera system, Driver•i.

This isn’t just your average dashboard cam—it’s like having a co-pilot with superhuman vision and a knack for tough love.

Using advanced computer vision and deep learning, Driver•i doesn’t just monitor—it analyzes everything, from distracted driving to blind spots to those dicey, hard-to-predict situations.

Netradyne ensures 100% driving time analysis, even keeping tabs on when the driver's foot gets a little too heavy on the gas pedal or if they start multitasking at the wheel.

In essence, they don’t just coach drivers; they pester them with real-time audio alerts.

With Netradyne, fleet operators gain actionable insights to improve safety, reduce accidents, and save big on operational costs. It’s a win-win—safer roads and healthier bottom lines.

And clearly, investors are loving it too. Netradyne became the first Indian unicorn of 2025 after raising $90 Million in its Series D funding round, led by existing backer Point72 Private Investments, along with other notable investors like Qualcomm Ventures and Pavilion Capital.

Combine that with its growing customer base across trucking, logistics, and transportation, and you’ve got a startup driving straight into the future of fleet management.

In an age where road accidents are at an all-time high, innovations like Netradyne’s are more than just clever tech—they’re lifesaving solutions.

With their mission to transform fleet safety, this startup is turning the chaos of the open road into a safer, smarter, and more sustainable ecosystem for all.

Safe to say, Netradyne isn’t just in the driver’s seat—they’re steering the industry forward.

Did those insightful tweets and that game-changing startup story just give you a sudden burst of motivation? Be honest—will this spark actually turn into action?

Will you finally start that ‘thing’ you’ve been planning, delegating, talking about, or overthinking for ages? If yes, you’re on the right track—keep going! But if you have even the slightest doubt that it’ll happen today (and not “tomorrow”), the next section might just shift your perspective. Read on!

TED Talks & Productivity: Beating the Procrastination Trap 🕳️

Ever found yourself watching random YouTube videos, checking the fridge every 10 minutes, or deep-diving into Wikipedia pages of obscure historical figures—all while a deadline looms over your head? If yes, you’re not alone.

Tim Urban, the mind behind the popular blog, Wait But Why, hilariously captures this universal struggle in his TED Talk, Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator.

Urban shares funny (and painfully relatable) stories from his college days—like when he pulled two all-nighters in a row to write a 90-page thesis in just 72 hours (despite having a full year to do it). Sound familiar?

But beneath the humor lies a deeper insight into how procrastination works.

Meet the Cast: Rational Decision-Maker, Instant Gratification Monkey & The Panic Monster

Urban explains that procrastinators, just like everyone else, have a Rational Decision-Maker in their brains—the one that plans, strategizes, and makes responsible choices.

But unlike non-procrastinators, their brains also house an Instant Gratification Monkey, who hijacks the wheel and steers them toward fun, easy distractions instead of actual work.

The result? Hours of scrolling, binge-watching, and doing anything except what needs to be done.

But then there’s the Panic Monster—the only force the monkey fears. He stays dormant most of the time but wakes up when a deadline is dangerously close, sending the procrastinator into a frenzied last-minute rush.

And somehow, things still get done—barely.

The Real Danger: Procrastination Without Deadlines

Urban takes this idea a step further, highlighting that not all procrastination comes with a built-in wake-up call.

When there’s no immediate deadline—like starting a business, switching careers, meeting friends, or prioritizing health—the Panic Monster never wakes up. And that’s the real problem.

Without deadlines, procrastination doesn’t just delay projects; it silently shapes our lives, keeping us in a cycle of passivity, missed opportunities, and long-term regrets.

Urban calls this “the kind of procrastination that makes people spectators in their own lives.”

A Wake-Up Call: The Life Calendar

To demonstrate the urgency of time, Urban introduces the Life Calendar—a simple but powerful tool that visualizes a 90-year lifespan as a grid of small boxes, each representing a single week.

When you see your life laid out in a limited number of boxes, it’s hard to ignore how fast time is slipping away.

The message? Stop waiting for the Panic Monster. Take control now. Get in the driver’s seat of your life!

How to Outsmart the Instant Gratification Monkey

Here are some key takeaways from Urban’s talk on managing procrastination:

✔ Recognize the battle – Your Rational Decision-Maker and Instant Gratification Monkey are constantly at odds. Learn to notice when the monkey is taking over.
✔ Don’t rely on last-minute panic – Self-imposed deadlines and accountability can help keep things on track.
✔ Stay out of the “Dark Playground” – Enjoy leisure when it’s earned, not when you’re avoiding work.
✔ Visualize the big picture – The Life Calendar is a great reminder that time is finite—use it wisely.
✔ Break it down – Large, overwhelming tasks become manageable when broken into smaller steps. Don’t try to finish a month’s worth of work in a day—spread it out over four weeks.

Urban’s talk is humorous, engaging, and a must-watch—especially if you’ve ever found yourself procrastinating (which, let’s be real, is all of us).

🎥 Watch the full TED Talk here: Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator. I first heard this talk over four years ago, but I still laugh out loud and walk away with a fresh perspective and newfound motivation every time I watch it.

This wraps up our today’s newsletter. I hope you enjoyed this piece and found some valuable tips. Stay tuned for more insights, strategies, and trends to help you grow in your career.

If you found this newsletter informative, consider referring it to a friend. I write about startups, businesses, careers, and entrepreneurship—published every week.

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Also do provide your feedback or any questions that you may have on my email id: saurabh.substack.2407@gmail.com.

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