Great product teams don’t just build—they master the art of finding the right problem, crafting the right solution, and unlocking growth. In Part 2 of Episode 1, Aakash Gupta shares his framework for identifying the right problem and growth equation—insights every product leader needs. But that’s not all. We also dive into another interesting topic: Was an MBA worth it for Aakash? How did it shape his career, and should aspiring Product Managers consider an MBA? His take might surprise you. Tune in to Episode 1 Part 2 of Beyond the Grind, where Arushi Maheshwari, our PGP Co ’25 student chats with Aakash Gupta—the Product Growth Newsletter guy—to find these answers. With 240K+ LinkedIn followers, Aakash has led product teams at Apollo, Affirm, and Epic Games, completed a Wharton MBA, and written 180+ deep dives on product growth. Now, he’s helping the community navigate Product Management in the AI era. About Beyond the Grind Arushi has always been fascinated by people’s career journeys—the experiences that shape them and who they become along the way. That’s how Beyond the Grind was born—a podcast where she sits down with professionals from product, investing, marketing, and beyond to learn from their journeys, tactically. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:33) How to find the right problem or solution (10:13) How to find the right growth for your company (15:59) Identifying whether the product team is focusing on the right growth equation (19:19) MBA advice for Product Managers & why MBA (22:32) Was Wharton MBA worth it as a PM? (21:53) How to ace an AI interview (26:38) Rapid Fire with Aakash References: 1. Lenny’s Podcast with Archie Abrams (VP of Product & Growth at Shopify) - https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vUiSBKPrvPRAqSEc6T0Mq?si=b795695423b3491b 2. Archie Abrams (VP of Product & Growth at Shopify) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/archie-abrams-b6aa8b6/ 3. Product Compass by Pawel Huryn - https://www.productcompass.pm/ 4. David Pereira, Untrapping Product Teams - https://www.d-pereira.com/untrapping-product-teams 5. Pragmatic Engineer by Gergely - https://www.pragmaticengineer.com/ 6. Diary of a CEO Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@TheDiaryOfACEO 7. Modern Wisdom podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/0XrOqvxlqQI6bmdYHuIVnr