Ask HN: Transitioning from engineering management to a business role?
1 comments
Being "business oriented" means generating revenue. Find ways of becoming part of the process from marketing to sales. The closer to the sales end of the chain, the more valuable you will be to your company.
So you'll need to come up to speed in both theory and practice on that side of the divide. I did it by volunteering to do business development and getting out of the office and generating sales. At first it was very hard, being technically oriented it was quite a shift to move across to the client's side in looking at the product range.
In general terms "consultative sales" is the descriptive term. There are many good books on the topic and you would do well to read Steve Blank's blog and books. But the real crunch comes with putting all the theory into practice and constantly evolving as a BDM.
So you'll need to come up to speed in both theory and practice on that side of the divide. I did it by volunteering to do business development and getting out of the office and generating sales. At first it was very hard, being technically oriented it was quite a shift to move across to the client's side in looking at the product range.
In general terms "consultative sales" is the descriptive term. There are many good books on the topic and you would do well to read Steve Blank's blog and books. But the real crunch comes with putting all the theory into practice and constantly evolving as a BDM.
I'd like to transition from my current role as an engineering manager at [major SV hardware/software company] to a more strategic, business-oriented role at a startup (note: I want to remain deeply involved in the product).
However, I have no business experience other than some minor contracting work several years ago.
Has anyone here made a similar transition? What types of things should I focus on or avoid?
Thanks!
[Edit: whitespace]