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Episode 231:

From Pre-Med to Product Strategy: Eric Dodds’ Journey in Data and Startups

March 5, 2025

This week on The Data Stack Show, the tables turn as Eric takes the guest seat! Eric shares his unexpected career journey—from aspiring doctor to business and data enthusiast—shaped by an early passion for mechanics. He reflects on navigating the 2008 economic downturn while working at a marketing agency, sharpening his adaptability and networking skills. The conversation dives into working with startups and venture-backed companies, the power of understanding customer pain points, and the value of hands-on product experience. Packed with insights on data and product management, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to blend strategy, adaptability, and a customer-first mindset.

Notes:

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

  • Early Aspirations: Becoming a Doctor (1:09)
  • The Shift to Business Studies (3:54)
  • Father’s Influence on Career Path (4:39)
  • Interest in Statistics and Psychology (6:47)
  • Networking and Early Career (10:24)
  • Developing a Passion for Data (12:09)
  • Joining a Startup Accelerator (17:30)
  • Data and Engagement Metrics (21:39)
  • Lessons on Data Fidelity (23:40)
  • Entrepreneurial Journey in a VC-Backed Incubator (26:15)
  • Software Engineering School Initiative (30:21)
  • Growth and Market Timing (35:08)
  • Post-Exit Consultancy Experience (36:36)
  • Finding RudderStack (38:53)  
  • Behavioral Data Revolution (40:44)
  • Advice for Aspiring Product Managers (44:20)
  • Understanding Customer Pain Points (46:29)
  • Final Thoughts and Takeaways (47:03)

 

The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, the CDP for developers. Each week we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.

RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

About the Podcast

Each week we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.

To keep up to date with our future episodes, subscribe to our podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google, or the player of your choice.

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