Guest: Maggie Yan
maggie@sky9athena.com
Today, we’re excited to have Maggie Yan with us, the Chief Marketing Officer of Sky9 Build. Sky9 Build is a venture studio focusing on AI startups expanding globally, and they specialize in investing in and incubating talented entrepreneurs, helping them achieve product-market fit. Before this, Maggie was the VP of AI Business and Growth at Xmind, a popular mind-mapping and brainstorming software that has thrived for 18 years without any external funding, amassing over 100 million users worldwide. In this episode, Maggie dives into the key differences between growth strategies for productivity tools and non-productivity tools, while also exploring the challenges and opportunities of integrating AI into non-productivity solutions. She highlights the importance of reassessing traditional growth metrics, with a special focus on the value of early paying users. Maggie also shares her approach to attracting both core and ‘lottery’ users through a dual strategy, and offers insights into how Xmind achieved massive success without any outside investment.
Host: Lei Zhao
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leizhaostone/
- Twitter: twitter.com/LeiZhao_
Sponsor: SyncMind - your personal AI-powered leadership coach designed to empower you with self-awareness.
- Sign Up Link: https://forms.gle/PnpJR157jbTDr2RZA
Timestamps
- Introduction (0:00 - 0:41)
- Efficiency vs. Non-Efficiency Tools (0:41 - 7:17)
- Focusing on Non-Efficiency Tools in AI (7:17 - 13:03)
- Product-Market Fit in the Age of AI (13:03 - 18:01)
- Shifting Growth Metrics in AI (18:01 - 25:54)
- Finding and Leveraging Early Adopters (25:54 - 30:38)
- Core Users vs. “Lottery Ticket” Users (30:38 - 33:56)
- The Xmind Case Study: Bootstrapping to Success (33:56 - 43:59)
- Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital: Finding the Right Path (43:59 - 49:59)
- The Importance of Self-Awareness in Entrepreneurship (49:59 - 1:10:26)
- Personal Growth and Adapting to Change (1:10:26 - 1:23:18)
- Closing and Call to Action (1:23:18 - End)
Other Platforms
- Apple Podcast: @QuestionLabPodcast
- Spotify:@QuestionLabPodcast
- Xiaoyuzhou: @QuestionLabPodcast