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Geoff Charles is VP of Product at Ramp\u2014the fastest-growing SaaS startup of all time, Fast Company\u2019s #1 Most Innovative Company in North America, and a company I believe we should all study for how they operate, execute, and hire. At Ramp, Geoff has led the product team from the early days, including the development and release of 60+ products and features in the past year alone. He has been building financial services for over a decade, and his interview in Lenny\u2019s Newsletter quickly became one of the most widely read newsletter issues of all time. In today\u2019s podcast, we will discuss:

\u2022 How velocity is at the heart of Ramp\u2019s culture and success

\u2022 How writing can unlock clarity, creativity, and rapid problem-solving

\u2022 How to empower your product team through context sharing

\u2022 How to practically approach problems from first principles

\u2022 How Ramp approaches hiring in a unique way

\u2022 Suggestions for breaking into the world of product management

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/velocity-over-everything-how-ramp-became-the-fastest-growing-saas-startup-of-all-time-geoff-charl/#transcript

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Where to find Geoff Charles:

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffintech

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffrey-charles/

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Where to find Lenny:

\u2022 Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

\u2022 Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan

\u2022 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Geoff\u2019s background

(04:49) An overview of Ramp

(06:20) The importance of velocity at Ramp

(08:50) Single-threaded goals and how to keep teams away from distractions

(13:20) Setting lofty goals

(15:17) How Ramp empowers teams

(17:37) How Geoff\u2019s management style has evolved at Ramp

(19:55) The product design process at Ramp

(21:19) Ramp\u2019s system for sharing feedback

(23:07) How Ramp handles bug fixes\xa0

(24:15) Advice for PMs who want to move faster

(29:29) Why velocity and impact can help protect against burnout

(32:33) Planning vs. doing

(37:54) Ramp\u2019s strategy documents\xa0

(40:55) Finding your unique positioning

(42:46) OKRs

(44:53) The importance of first-principle thinking

(48:53) How to use writing to think through problems\xa0

(51:46) How Geoff carves out time for deep work

(54:05) How Geoff manages tasks and stays organized

(57:15) Why other roles share the PM load at Ramp

(1:00:30) PM responsibilities at Ramp

(1:01:46) Identifying A+ talent

(1:06:02) The skills Ramp looks for when hiring

(1:07:33) Advice for people wanting to break into product management\xa0

(1:10:37) Lightning round

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Referenced:

\u2022 How Ramp builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-ramp-builds-product

\u2022 Bill: https://www.bill.com/

\u2022 Expensify: https://www.expensify.com/

\u2022 Concur: https://www.concur.com/

\u2022 Coupa: https://www.coupa.com/

\u2022 Nicole Forsgren on Lenny\u2019s Podcast: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-measure-and-improve-developer-productivity-nicole-forsgren-microsoft-research-github-goo/

\u2022 Sheryl Sandberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheryl-sandberg-5126652/

\u2022 Getting Things Done: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0143126563

\u2022 When Breath Becomes Air: https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X

\u2022 The Bear on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/the-bear-05eb6a8e-90ed-4947-8c0b-e6536cbddd5f

\u2022 Whoop: https://www.whoop.com/

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.