What do small businesses really need to thrive—another app, or tools that blend seamlessly into their workflows? In this webinar hosted by Jonmichael Moy, Block Product Lead Gagan Shah will share what he has learned from a decade of building messaging and financial products used by millions of small businesses and their customers. He will unpack the these five principles that make products actually work:
- keeping conversations in context
- moving money fast and visibly
- automating admin instead of people
- meeting businesses where they alredy are
- measuring success by peace of mind.
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Show Notes:
- Here are 20 key takeaways from the webinar:
- Small businesses have scarce time and cash flow is their oxygen
- Tools should disappear into the workflow, not create new communication channels
- Automation should remove repetitive work, not replace human relationships
- Payment visibility is critical for small business survival
- SMBs care deeply about maintaining their customer relationships
- AI should prepare drafts for approval, not fully automate interactions
- Tools need to meet small businesses where they are, using their preferred communication channels
- Cash flow speed is more important than complex financial features
- Small businesses want tools that give them peace of mind
- Messaging should be workflow-focused, not tool-centric
- Payment links and QR codes provide flexibility for SMBs
- Tone and personalization matter more than generic automated messages
- Future SMB tools will be more specialized and industry-specific
- AI can help by detecting next steps and preparing suggestions
- Small businesses prefer tools that preserve their professional communication style
- Instant payouts and compressed payment cycles are valuable
- Product managers should prioritize understanding customer needs
- Trust is built through control and transparency in financial tools
- SMBs are becoming more tech-savvy and demanding more sophisticated solutions
- The future of SMB tools will likely involve more dynamic, customizable workflows
About the speaker
I’ve spent the last decade building messaging and financial products used by millions of small businesses and their customers. Here’s what I’ve learned about what actually works, in every case it is about merging in to their workflow than standing up another tool: 1. Conversation (Messaging) is best in context of the work 2. Money should move fast and visibly. 3. Automate the admin, not the human. 4. Meet them where they already are. 5. Measure success by peace of mind. Let\'s dig deeper.
About the host
Toronto Chapter Head for Products That Count I am a digital product executive with over 20 years of experience in retail, digital media, and e-commerce. I’ve held both strategic and operational leadership roles at Canadian Tire, Torstar, Postmedia, eBay, and PayPal as well as start-ups. I am a servant leader who is humble, self aware, always learning, and excels at collaborating with stakeholders. I am a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, a father of two, pancreatic cancer awareness advocate, moved to Canada 13 years ago, and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. I currently sit on the Product Management Program Advisory Council for York University which offers Canada’s first post-secondary product management program.