Today’s guest is Michelle Whang, who started in the first cohort of Visa’s APM program, and after becoming a full fledged product manager, quit her job to found Tether, physical play kits that help children connect with their cultural heritage.
Michelle shares her advice and experiences as a founder from how to choose the right cofounder, funding a startup without VC money, how to think about growth and progress in the beginning, and ultimately how they decided to shut Tether down.
If you’re considering starting a CPG company, you won’t want to miss this one.
0:30- Being in the first cohort of Visa's APM Program
6:33-Promotion track from APM to PM
7:35- Plotting for a new startup
10:10- Their startup Tether
13:50- Challenges with starting a CPG company as first time founders
16:53 - How they funded Tether- VC, bootstrapping
19:27- How Michelle’s parents reacted
22:31: Why product managers may not be good founders
23:54 Mistakes with setting metrics for growth at Tether
27:12: Launch with a sh*tty product
29:11: Running a kickstarter
30:26: Hardest part of building a company
32:11: Deciding to shut down Tether
37:22: Can’t have two CEOs
38:54: Working at a startup after being a founder
40:43: Advice for founders starting a company
Connect with Michelle:
LinkedIn: / michellewhang
🎙 about the podcast
Trying something new can feel like standing on the edge of a cliff- not knowing if you'll fly or fall. Ironically, I'm also afraid of heights. But the scary things are usually the most important. That's why I started "Still Peaking". This podcast spotlights folks who took those leaps of faith. We're talking career shifts, diving into uncharted waters, healing broken relationships-the works. Life's definitely not handing out any manuals, and we're all just...winging it, figuring it out as we brave those heights. I hope these stories provide a bit of solace, or perhaps kindle that spark in you to chase your dreams, because we're all still peaking.
Find me on socials:
/ maggizine
/ maggizine