The Unsung Hero of Startups: The Product Manager’s Guide to Juggling Stakeholders and Managing Overseas Teams

Introduction

Imagine being at a circus, watching a juggler perform an impossible feat: they’re keeping a dozen balls in the air, all while riding a unicycle and blindfolded. Now, swap out the juggler for a product manager at a startup, the balls for stakeholder demands, the unicycle for an overseas development team, and the blindfold… well, that’s just Monday.

Welcome to the world of product management in a startup—a place where dreams are big, budgets are small, and the challenges? They’re just the right size to keep things interesting. But here’s the thing: while the founders and investors often get the spotlight, it’s the product manager who’s working tirelessly behind the scenes, making sure the show goes on without a hitch.

The Many Hats of a Startup Product Manager

Jack of All Trades, Master of… All?

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none,” you might think it was written by someone who’d never met a product manager in a startup. Because in reality, these folks are expected to be masters of everything—from customer research and product design to market strategy and development oversight. And oh, did we mention they need to keep the stakeholders happy too?

In a startup, the product manager isn’t just steering the ship—they’re also the one swabbing the deck, navigating through the storms, and occasionally fixing the engine with some duct tape and a prayer. But hey, at least they don’t have to worry about things getting boring, right?

The beauty (and curse) of working in a startup is the autonomy. Sure, you get to make the big decisions, like what features to build next, but you’re also on the hook when things don’t go as planned. It’s a bit like being handed the keys to a sports car, only to realize you’re also the mechanic, the navigator, and the pit crew.

The Delicate Dance of Stakeholder Management

Keeping Everyone Happy (or at Least Not Furious)

Ever tried planning a vacation with a big group of friends? Everyone has an opinion—one wants to hit the beach, another insists on hiking, and there’s always that one person who thinks you should all just stay home and save money. Welcome to stakeholder management.

In a startup, stakeholders are your investors, your customers, your development team, and sometimes even that one random guy who somehow has a say in everything. Balancing their expectations is less about keeping everyone happy and more about making sure no one throws a tantrum when things don’t go their way.

The key to navigating this minefield? Communication. Lots and lots of communication. Set clear goals early on, and be upfront about what’s realistic and what’s just wishful thinking. Sure, everyone would love a product that slices, dices, and makes julienne fries, but someone’s got to remind the stakeholders that the budget is more “instant ramen” than “five-course meal.”

Pro tip: Involve your stakeholders in the decision-making process. It makes them feel valued and gives them a sense of ownership over the product. Plus, if things go south, you’ve got a whole team of people to share the blame with.

Herding Cats Across Time Zones: Managing Overseas Teams

When Your Team is Literally Everywhere

Picture this: you’ve finally got your product strategy down, everyone’s on board, and then you realize your development team is scattered across three continents. Welcome to the joy of managing an overseas team.

First off, let’s talk about time zones. They’re a product manager’s worst nightmare. If you’re in New York, your developers in India are just about to start their day when you’re winding down, and your team in Europe is already halfway through their workday. So, when exactly do you have that all-hands meeting? The answer is never. Instead, you learn to embrace the art of asynchronous communication—think emails, detailed documentation, and project management tools that update in real-time.

Then there’s the cultural aspect. Different regions have different work ethics, communication styles, and even senses of humor. A joke that lands well with your team in Berlin might be met with crickets in Bangalore. And don’t even get started on the language barriers. Sure, everyone speaks English, but do they speak English? Misunderstandings can and will happen, and it’s up to you to catch them before they derail the project.

But here’s the good news: once you get the hang of it, managing an overseas team can be incredibly rewarding. You get to tap into a diverse talent pool, often at a lower cost than local hires. Plus, if you play your cards right, you can have your product being developed around the clock. Just think of it as handing off a relay baton every eight hours.

Real-World War Stories

Battle-Tested Tips from the Trenches

You’ve read the theory, now let’s talk about the practice. What does it really look like to manage a product team in a startup with overseas developers and demanding stakeholders?

Take this one PM, let’s call her Sarah. She was working on a new SaaS product for a fintech startup. The team was small—Sarah, a couple of developers in Eastern Europe, and a UX designer in San Francisco. The stakeholders? A group of investors who were keen on getting to market ASAP. The problem? The investors kept adding new features to the wish list, while the dev team was already stretched thin.

Sarah knew she had to set some boundaries. So, she introduced the “Two-Feature Rule”: for every new feature the stakeholders wanted, they had to choose two to drop. It wasn’t popular, but it kept the project from spiraling out of control. The result? The product launched on time, with most of its key features intact, and the investors were (mostly) happy.

Or consider John, a PM at a health tech startup. His dev team was in Southeast Asia, which meant regular 11 PM meetings for John. After a few months of sleep deprivation, he realized that the team was struggling not because they were incompetent, but because they didn’t fully understand the market they were building for. John started holding weekly “market insights” sessions, where he’d walk the team through the latest trends and customer feedback. Slowly but surely, the product quality improved, and the meetings became more about celebrating wins than fixing issues.

The lesson here? Flexibility, communication, and a little bit of tough love go a long way in navigating the challenges of product management in a startup.

Conclusion: The Glue That Holds It All Together

By now, it should be clear that the product manager in a startup isn’t just a role—it’s the glue that holds the entire operation together. From juggling the demands of stakeholders to managing a team that might be spread out across the globe, the PM’s job is as challenging as it is crucial.

So, the next time you hear about a startup hitting it big, remember to give a nod to the unsung hero behind the scenes—the product manager who made sure all the balls stayed in the air, the unicycle didn’t wobble, and the show went on without a hitch.

And if you’re a founder reading this, do yourself a favor: invest in a good product manager. They might just be the difference between your startup being the next big thing or the next big flop.