First 100 Days Playbook
A 500-line playbook in four phases (Orient, Diagnose, Strategize, Establish), anchored by the Trust Equation.
Three roles, one methodology. Brian Benitez.
Multiple product management executive roles including MLB and Disney. Most recently CPO at the AI-native company BoardLens, a seed-stage strategic intelligence platform for board directors and investors.
Executive.
25+ years operating product at executive scope. Most recently CPO at BoardLens, a seed-stage strategic intelligence platform for board directors and investors.
MLB
Product management executive roles at enterprise consumer scale.
Disney Streaming
Product management executive for Disney Streaming (Disney+).
BoardLens
Repositioned a seed-stage board-intelligence platform and led the team through a CTO-departure crisis.
- What I produced
- A repositioned product and a single go-to-market roadmap, pivoting a seed-stage board-intelligence platform from single-document reporting to longitudinal intelligence for VC/PE partners, board directors, and capital allocators, converging three competing founder visions into one direction and the competitive-moat thesis behind it.
- What I installed
- Weekly sprint and demo cadence; governance rituals; the discovery discipline behind the JTBD synthesis.
- What I led through
- A CTO-departure crisis, including a four-week rebuild of the product foundation.
Before that: Executive Director of Product Management at Disney Streaming, Senior Director at MLB, and a sequence of Product Executive roles at mid-stage companies across B2C, B2B SaaS, fintech, marketplace, and media.
Builder.
Two AI products built as founder. One production harness in daily use.
ProductLobster
An AI product management partner for builders. productlobster.ai
CoachAssistAI
An AI-native product for executive coaches.
A production AI harness in daily use for two years: skills, slash commands, subagents, and knowledge-graph modules. The harness is the methodology as runnable software, not a product.
The methodology underneath this work is the AI Product Operations framework, running in my own practice and informing the way I build consulting artifacts.
The essays live at newsletter.pmcoaching.net.
Coach.
Situational coaching for senior PMs through VPs. Staff and Principal PMs making the jump to Director and VP; newly promoted product management executives navigating first-time-exec transitions.
"I owe you a bottle of champagne for that role."
Alex B.Staff PM at a tier-1 developer tools platformStaff PM at a fintech-data company: eight years stalled, labeled "technical," through eight sessions over thirteen months reached promotion in the next cycle, platform-wide scope expansion, and a tier-1 platform-company offer as leverage. In the continuing engagement, I supported interview prep that landed the next role and built a First 100 Days playbook for onboarding as Staff PM at a tier-1 developer tools platform. Read the full case study
"Brian's coaching in product management was instrumental in sharpening my strategic thinking, presentation skills, and execution. His guidance gave me the confidence and skills to lead at a higher level, ultimately helping me secure my recent promotion."
Matt M.Principal Product ManagerCoaching focused on strategic thinking, executive presentation, and execution at the senior-IC-to-lead transition. Promoted during the engagement.
Signature methodology the engagements draw from.
Named patterns, drawn as their real shape.
Trust Equation
Trust = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy) / Self-Orientation. Self-orientation is the lever the equation makes visible.
Mechanic vs. Architect
The framing for the senior-IC-to-executive jump.
Philosophy → Framework → Evidence
The executive-communication pattern.
Seven C's
The two-week diagnostic rhythm.
Snap Strategy Document
The one-to-two-page strategic output for moments when full depth is not justified.
One methodology, three expressions.
The through-line across all three roles is one methodology, codified as PM skills running as executable software in the harness. Each role is an expression of that methodology, tuned to a different buyer.
- Coaching
- Teaches those skills to the client.
- Fractional CPO
- Installs them as rituals and artifacts inside the product organization.
- AI Product Operations
- Teaches a team to build their own PM agent environment.
How to work with me.
Two doors, priced and scoped. If you would rather read first, the newsletter is just below.
Book a Coaching Intro.
For senior PMs, directors, and VPs looking to advance. 30 minutes, no charge. Via Cal.com.
Book a Coaching IntroRequest a Fit Call.
For companies needing product leadership. A direct 30-minute consulting conversation.
Request a Fit Call