What it's like being a product management consultant.

1. Product Management
Consulting
The Good, The Bad, The Stressful

2. Copyright © 2023 Ninth Fourth LLC
www.ninthfourth.com
Housekeeping &
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Agenda
About me (VERY quick version)
What I love about consulting
What I don’t love about consulting
What stresses me out
Q&A

3. Copyright © 2023 Ninth Fourth LLC
www.ninthfourth.com
Laura Stringer (she/her)
Founder & Principal,
Ninth Fourth LLC
Product leader and systems thinker with 20+ years of technology,
process, and creative leadership across a broad array of industries
and organization types
Helping executives at (primarily) B2B SaaS companies discover &
deliver solutions to urgent and impactful problems: including
strategy, roadmapping, experience, process, delivery, and
leadership challenges
Lives in New Jersey, renovating our house
Avid singer, formerly in a local band, now just racking up karaoke
trophies, and WILL grab any microphone within reach

4. Copyright © 2023 Ninth Fourth LLC
www.ninthfourth.com
What I love
about
consulting
Freedom
Set my hours (although hours are “most of them”)
When someone says “no”, move on to the next
Talk to the people I want, attend conferences I want, join groups I
want, show up authentically
Extreme professional growth, my world is so much bigger now
Variety
Every client and every problem is different
Client work + all the business hats

5. Copyright © 2023 Ninth Fourth LLC
www.ninthfourth.com
What I don’t love
about
consulting
It’s just me
Client work + all the business hats
All remote clients means I’m alone a lot
No team, no coworkers
All hustle all the time
You have to do your job AND work for the job
If you’re not working you’re not getting paid
Did you make $100? Congratulations, you made $40.

6. Copyright © 2023 Ninth Fourth LLC
www.ninthfourth.com
What stresses
me out Who’s paying me next year?
Pipeline & capacity management
Supposed to have a niche

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Copyright © 2023 Ninth Fourth LLC
www.ninthfourth.com
Q&A
Copyright © 2023 Ninth Fourth LLC
www.ninthfourth.com