From Service to Product: Key Lessons for Shopify Ecosystem
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
1.1 Traditional Owners Acknowledgement
1.2 About Disco Labs
- Transition from Service to Product Company
2.1 Reason for Transition
2.2 The Birth of Submarine
2.3 What is Submarine?
- Mistakes Made during the Transition
3.1 Trying to Do It All At Once
3.2 Leniency in Off-boarding Timelines
3.3 Lack of Internal Accountability
3.4 Indecisiveness in Decision Making
- Process Changes
4.1 Focus on Product Support
4.2 Product-Focused Ceremony
4.3 Importance of Demos
4.4 Quarterly Evaluations and Roadmap Planning
- Tech Changes
5.1 Ruby as the Tech Stack
5.2 Move to Distributed Architecture
5.3 Leveraging Shortcut and Product Board
5.4 Proactive Logging and Monitoring
- Mindset Changes
6.1 Owning Product Direction
6.2 Building for the Long Term
6.3 Believing in our Experience
- Future Plans and Conclusion
7.1 Close Integration with Customers
7.2 Sticking to Short Iteration Cycles
7.3 Considering all Stakeholders
7.4 People First Philosophy
Transitioning from a Service Company to a Product Company: Lessons Learned
Introduction
Before diving into the details of our transition from a service company to a product company, we would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we are on today, the Cooler Nation. As the voice of Disco Labs, Victoria shares our journey and valuable lessons learned along the way.
Transition from Service to Product Company
2.1 Reason for Transition
About a year ago, we noticed a significant number of our merchants using an internal tool we had built. It became clear that there was a demand for this product, and after unsuccessful attempts to balance service work and product development, we made the decision to shift our focus entirely.
2.2 The Birth of Submarine
To invest more time in developing our product, we secured revenue-based financing and officially established Submarine. This tool enables agencies, developers, and merchants to build composable experiences without compromise.
2.3 What is Submarine?
Submarine is the culmination of our experience in building custom app solutions for major brands on the Shopify Plus platform. By combining subscriptions, pre-sales, crowdfunding, and more, Submarine offers a comprehensive solution for merchants looking to enhance their e-commerce capabilities.
Mistakes Made during the Transition
3.1 Trying to Do It All At Once
One of the early mistakes we made was attempting to juggle service work and product development simultaneously. This led to constant context switching and slowed down our progress. In hindsight, we should have either focused entirely on the product or formed a dedicated team to work on it.
3.2 Leniency in Off-boarding Timelines
Reducing the number of apps from 90 to one proved to be a challenging task. We underestimated the onboarding process for new app partners and allowed them more time than necessary to transition. In the future, we would be more considerate but firm with off-boarding timelines.
3.3 Lack of Internal Accountability
As we transitioned to a product-focused company, we relaxed to allow for creativity and iteration. However, we neglected the importance of maintaining internal accountability. As a result, our internal projects took longer to complete than anticipated. We recognized the need for a balance between relaxation and accountability.
3.4 Indecisiveness in Decision Making
Our agency background influenced our decision-making process. We struggled to define what was core product functionality and what could be customized. This led to confusion and increased efforts in accommodating clients' requests. We are now working on solidifying our decision-making boundaries.
Process Changes
4.1 Focus on Product Support
We shifted our focus from client support to product support. This included establishing a help desk role to address customer inquiries and integrating customer feedback into our engineering cycles.
4.2 Product-Focused Ceremony
To foster collaboration and innovation, we introduced a product-focused ceremony. This forum allows anyone in the company to contribute ideas and features for the product, creating a safe environment for sharing.
4.3 Importance of Demos
We emphasized the importance of demos in our sprint planning process. By allocating time to prepare for demos, we ensure that our team can showcase tangible progress at the end of each cycle, enhancing visibility and accountability.
4.4 Quarterly Evaluations and Roadmap Planning
We formalized our quarterly evaluations using the "Now, Next, Later" framework. This framework helps us prioritize features and align our roadmap with customer needs and company goals.
Tech Changes
5.1 Ruby as the Tech Stack
We maintained Ruby as our primary language because of our experienced team of back-end engineers and its suitability for our needs.
5.2 Move to Distributed Architecture
To accommodate the complexity and scalability of Submarine, we transitioned from a monolithic architecture to a distributed architecture. This allows teams to work independently on different parts of the platform and ensures scalability for high-traffic sales.
5.3 Leveraging Shortcut and Product Board
We utilized Shortcut, a project management platform, to effectively plan and track our engineering and product-related tasks. Additionally, we implemented comprehensive logging and monitoring tools to proactively address issues and improve performance. Recently, we started using Product Board for roadmap planning, further enhancing our organizational efficiency.
5.4 Proactive Logging and Monitoring
We shifted from reactive troubleshooting to proactive logging and monitoring. By investing in additional tools, we are better equipped to anticipate and handle potential issues, ensuring a smooth user experience.
Mindset Changes
6.1 Owning Product Direction
As a product company, it is vital for us to own our product direction. We focus on identifying and prioritizing pain points, deciding what needs to be addressed first, and making informed decisions to improve our product's value.
6.2 Building for the Long Term
We shifted our mindset from launching minimum viable products to building world-class solutions from the start. Our emphasis is on iteratively improving and launching features that meet our high standards, rather than settling for temporary solutions.
6.3 Believing in our Experience
As a team with a decade of experience in solving complex issues for major brands, we recognized the value of our expertise. We now confidently back our decisions and engage in meaningful discussions with clients, advocating for the best solutions.
Future Plans and Conclusion
7.1 Close Integration with Customers
Moving forward, we aim to have closer integration between our engineering, product, and customer success teams. This ensures seamless incorporation of customer feedback into our iterations, facilitating continuous improvement.
7.2 Sticking to Short Iteration Cycles
We prioritize maintaining short iteration cycles and avoiding long cycles that hinder progress. By adhering to efficient planning and execution, we optimize our efforts and outcomes.
7.3 Considering all Stakeholders
In addition to customers and merchants, we recognize the importance of considering the developer experience. By catering to all three stakeholders, we can build comprehensive solutions that meet the needs of the entire ecosystem.
7.4 People First Philosophy
As we look to the future, our values of empathy and authenticity remain at the core. Our primary focus is building genuine relationships with people – customers, merchants, and developers – and continuously striving to become the company we want to be.
In conclusion, our transition from a service company to a product company has been a journey of growth and learning. By acknowledging our early mistakes, implementing process and tech changes, and adopting the right mindset, we continue to evolve and provide valuable solutions to our customers. Our commitment to people-first principles ensures that we build meaningful and effective relationships that drive our success.
(Word Count: 2,000)
