In this episode of the Productized Podcast, host André Marquet sits down with Jason Knight, a seasoned fractional product leader, product coach, and startup advisor. With over 20 years of experience in tech and product management, Jason has worked with companies ranging from early-stage startups to established multinationals, helping them navigate the complexities of growth, strategy, and team alignment.
Jason is the founder of One Knight Consulting, where he advises B2B SaaS companies on overcoming common product management pitfalls, implementing strategic leadership, and ensuring scalable success. He is also the host of the popular “One Knight in Product” podcast, where he engages with industry leaders to share valuable insights on product development, leadership, and innovation.
In this discussion, Jason delves into the strategic challenges that hinder many B2B SaaS companies, the importance of clear product vision, and how product leaders can drive real impact in an organisation.
In this episode, Jason covered:
Common mistakes in B2B SaaS product strategies and how to avoid them.
The importance of aligning product vision with execution.
Building strong product teams and overcoming leadership challenges.
Effective collaboration between sales and product teams.
Strategies to foster a culture of innovation and long-term success.
Some Takeaways from Jason:
1. Define a clear product strategy rather than reacting to sales demands. Many B2B SaaS companies operate without a well-defined strategy, instead chasing customer requests and sales-driven demands. This reactive approach leads to fragmented development, misalignment with company goals, and resource inefficiencies. Jason emphasizes the need to define ideal customer profiles, market positioning, and differentiation factors upfront to create a sustainable and scalable product roadmap.
2. Bridge the gap between leadership and product teams. One of the biggest hurdles in scaling a B2B SaaS company is the disconnect between leadership and product teams. Jason highlights that executives often avoid making tough strategic choices, leading to scattered priorities. Strong product leadership requires bringing leadership and product teams together to ensure alignment, set realistic goals, and prioritize initiatives that drive long-term value.
3. Balance short-term execution with long-term vision. A common struggle in B2B SaaS is the tension between short-term deliverables and long-term product growth. Jason discusses the importance of structured prioritization—allocating resources effectively between immediate customer needs and future innovation. He shares examples of companies that successfully implemented phased approaches to innovation while maintaining their core product roadmap.
4. Improve collaboration between sales and product teams. Many B2B companies experience friction between sales and product teams, with sales pushing for features to close deals and product teams struggling to maintain a coherent vision. Jason stresses the importance of open communication, shared goals, and strategic prioritization to ensure that product decisions are made based on market needs rather than one-off sales requests.
5. Adopt an iterative approach to product development. Jason advocates for iterative product development, where teams test, learn, and refine solutions based on user feedback rather than building in isolation. This methodology enables companies to validate ideas quickly, reduce risks, and adapt to market changes. He shares how successful organizations integrate continuous experimentation into their workflows to enhance product-market fit.
6. Leverage strategic consulting and mentorship to strengthen product leadership. Scaling a product team isn’t just about hiring more people—it’s about fostering strong leadership. Jason discusses his work as a fractional product leader, helping companies bridge leadership gaps through coaching, mentorship, and structured guidance. He emphasizes that investing in product leadership development leads to better decision-making, improved team efficiency, and sustainable growth.
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Connect with Jason Knight:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-knight/
- Podcast: https://www.oneknightinproduct.com
- Consulting: https://www.oneknightconsulting.com
Topics covered in this episode:
[00:00] Introduction to Scaling Challenges in B2B SaaS
[06:20] The Importance of Strategic Product Leadership
[14:30] Common Pitfalls in B2B SaaS Growth
[20:45] Sales vs. Product Tensions
[27:10] Aligning Teams for Success
[35:40] Creating Sustainable Product Strategies
[44:50] Jason’s Approach to Consulting and Coaching
[50:20] Fostering Innovation in B2B SaaS
Referenced:
1. Agile Methodology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_management
2. SaaS (Software as a Service): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_service
3. Product Market Fit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product-market_fit
4. OKRs (Objectives and Key Results): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OKR
5. Lean Startup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_startup
6. One Knight Consulting: https://www.oneknightconsulting.com
7. One Knight in Product Podcast: https://www.oneknightinproduct.com
8. Customer Discovery: https://www.futurefounders.com/news-article/what-is-customer-discovery-4-step-guide-to-building-the-right-product-for-the-right-customers/
9. Fractional CPO (Chief Product Officer): https://productfolio.com/what-is-a-fractional-cpo/
10. EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System): https://www.eosworldwide.com/what-is-eos
11. Product Strategy: https://www.productplan.com/learn/product-strategy/
12. Product Roadmaps: https://www.atlassian.com/agile/product-management/product-roadmaps
13. Strategic Consulting: https://hbr.org/topic/subject/strategy
14. Cross-functional Teams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-functional_team
15. Customer Onboarding: https://www.walkme.com/glossary/customer-onboarding/
16. Iterative Development: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iterative_and_incremental_development
17. Digital Transformation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_transformation
18. Scaling B2B SaaS: https://www.saasacademy.com/blog/strategies-to-scale-your-saas-business
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