Essential reading for product builders—part 2
Essential reading for product builders—part 2  
Podcast: Lenny's Reads
Published On: Tue Aug 12 2025
Description: If you’re a premium subscriberAdd the private feed to your podcast app at add.lennysreads.comIn this episode, I share another 10 must-read essays that continue to shape how I think about product, startups, and career.Whether you’re scaling a startup, leading a team, or sharpening your thinking, this episode will expand your perspective and give you practical tools you can use immediately.Listen now:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lennysreadsApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lennys-reads/id1810314693Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IIunA06qMtrcQLfypToojSubstack: https://lennysreads.com/In this episode, you’ll learn:• Why solving the right problem for the right audience is obvious - yet essential• Why leaders must take full responsibility for any communication discrepancies• How to use the SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, Answer) framework for concise, persuasive messaging• Why sales, often overlooked, is critical to your product’s success• A tremendously clarifying way to think about your market• The four types of “fit” every startup needs• What we get wrong about our definition of a startup• How to start giving away your Legos• How reframing what you’re selling can strengthen your positioning• What “Schlep blindness” is - and how founders can avoid itReferences:References:• Building Products: https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/building-products-91aa93bea4bb• Communication is the Job: https://boz.com/articles/communication-is-the-job• Distribution: https://a16z.com/distribution/• Eigenquestions: The Art of Framing Problems: https://coda.io/@shishir/eigenquestions-the-art-of-framing-problems• Executive Communication: https://www.heavybit.com/library/video/executive-communication/• Give Away Your Legos: https://review.firstround.com/give-away-your-legos-and-other-commandments-for-scaling-startups/• How to Work with Designers: https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/how-to-work-with-designers-6c975dede146• Product Management Mental Models for Everyone: https://blackboxofpm.com/product-management-mental-models-for-everyone-31e7828cb50b• Schlep Blindness: https://www.paulgraham.com/schlep.html• Startup = Growth: https://paulgraham.com/growth.html• The Four Fits: https://brianbalfour.com/four-fits-growth-framework• The Market Curve: https://medium.com/sequoia-capital/the-market-curve-44097b626f6d• The Next Feature Fallacy: https://andrewchen.com/the-next-feature-fallacy-the-fallacy-that-the-next-new-feature-will-suddenly-make-people-use-your-product/• We Don’t Sell Saddles Here: https://medium.com/@stewart/we-dont-sell-saddles-here-4c59524d650d• What Makes a Strong Product Culture?: https://www.bringthedonuts.com/essays/what-makes-a-strong-product-culture/ To hear more, visit www.lennysnewsletter.com