Build Better Software Teams with
Product-Driven Development
Transform your engineering teams from code executors into product innovators.
Actionable strategies from a CTO who's built and sold multiple tech companies
The Product Driven Advantage
Code without purpose is waste.
Technical elegance without user value is vanity.
Every line of code must solve real user problems.
No exceptions.
We don't build features. We craft solutions users can't live without.
Engineers who understand the why behind their code make better decisions and spot opportunities faster.
The future belongs to teams who think product-first.
PRODUCT DRIVEN PODCAST
Product-First Engineering
for Modern Software Teams
Software excellence starts with understanding users, not writing code.
Each episode explores how leading CTOs and engineering leaders are transforming their teams from code factories into product innovators. We explore practical strategies for building products users love, scaling global teams, and shifting to a product-driven mindset.
FREE TRANSFORMATION FRAMEWORK
Tech Leader's Guide
to Building
Product-First Teams
Stop managing code producers.
Start empowering product innovators.
Get the exact framework that helped me transform multiple development teams and exit companies for over $150M.
This guide is for you if:
You know your team could drive more innovation, but they're stuck in a "code-to-spec" mindset
Your best engineers are burning out from constant back-and-forth clarifications and specification changes
Development cycles take 2-3x longer than they should because engineers don't have the context to make independent decisions
You're struggling to retain top talent who want more ownership and impact beyond just writing code
50%
Cut your development cycle time in half by empowering developers with business context and decision-making authority.
3X
Triple your team's innovation rate when engineers understand the "why" behind features, not just the "how"
95%
Improve feature adoption rates by transforming developers from code executors into product innovators
PRODUCT DRIVEN INSIGHTS
Actionable Strategies
for Product-First Engineering Teams
Skip the theory - get battle-tested approaches that work.
Raw, tactical advice for engineering leaders building better products and stronger teams.
Each article tackles real challenges CTOs face when transforming code-first teams into product innovators.
Why Technical Founders Fail at Sales
How technical founders can leverage their problem-solving skills to master the most critical startup challenge (without feeling sleazy) ...more
product driven
April 03, 2025•6 min read
Engineering Teams Need Craftsmen, Not Just Artists or Scientists
The craftsman approach to software development that's helping tech companies build better products with less waste... ...more
product driven
April 01, 2025•5 min read
Why Most CTOs Fail: The Hidden Trust Crisis Between Tech Leaders and CEOs
When the CTO-CEO relationship breaks down, it's rarely about technical skills. It's almost always about trust. ...more
product driven
March 25, 2025•5 min read
Why Your Developers Should Talk Directly to Customers: Lessons from AWS
The surprising productivity hack that transformed this developer's impact and what it means for your engineering team... ...more
product driven
March 20, 2025•6 min read
Why The Best Developers Are Already Great at Sales (They Just Don't Know It Yet)
The unexpected career superpower that's hiding in your developer mindset... ...more
product driven
March 18, 2025•5 min read
Great Engineers Make Poor CTOs: A Hard Truth About Technical Leadership
Your best engineer shouldn't be promoted to CTO. I learned this the hard way building multiple tech companies. Technical excellence ≠ leadership excellence. Here's what I've seen: Great engineers love... ...more
product driven
March 11, 2025•4 min read
YOUR PRODUCT-DRIVEN GUIDE
Matt Watson
I learned the power of product-driven development the hard way.
In 2003, at age 22, I founded VinSolutions with incredible technical talent but zero product mindset. We built features perfectly - that nobody wanted to use.
Everything changed when we stopped thinking like coders and started thinking like product owners.
By transforming our development culture, we cut cycle times in half, dramatically improved feature adoption, and scaled to $35M in recurring revenue.
VinSolutions was acquired by AutoTrader for $150M in 2011.
I took those lessons to Stackify, where we built a product-first culture from day one.
Our developers didn't just write code - they drove innovation by understanding user problems deeply.
The result? Another successful exit when Stackify was acquired by Netreo in 2021.
Now, as founder of Full Scale, I help other technical leaders make the same transformation. With over 300 developers serving 60+ clients worldwide, we've proven that the product-first approach works across any timezone or geography.
This isn't just theory - it's battle-tested experience from building and scaling multiple software companies.
PRAISE FOR PRODUCT DRIVEN
You never know what you're missing until you try NexLevel. We've been using it for 9 months and it has helped us double our pipeline and close more deals.
- Heather Mathewson, CTO at Wondershare Systems
Our team has been using NexLevel for a few months and we are very happy with the results. We've closed more deals than ever before and our sales team loves it.
- Mike Nord, Marketing Director at Blitz Consultants Inc
By far, we have seen the best results from NexLevel CRM. The leads that come through the system are high quality and our sales team has closed more deals than ever before.
- Dr. Robert Conner, Partner at Conner David LLP
I heard about NexLevel from a friend and decided to try it out. It's been a great decision! The app has helped me streamline our sales process and save time on administrative tasks and follow-ups.
- Michelle Darling, CMO at SmallScale Incubators
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Tactical strategies for transforming engineering teams from code factories into product innovators. Written by a CTO who's built and sold multiple tech companies.
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