Posts by Mike Alonzo
The AI Adoption Straight Line: Finding Focus in the Age of Unlimited Potential
Fortune smiled upon me in the most spectacular way I recently received what every Product Manager dreams of: the ultimate gift of empathy, wrapped in AI brilliance. Through a LinkedIn automation twist of fate, I found myself in conversation with the CEO of BuildBetter.ai. Following an impressive demo, I was invited to explore their innovative platform,…
Read MoreThe “Big Lift”: A Developer’s Favorite Unit of Measure
After having the pleasure of leading countless products, shepherding creative and technical minds of varying degrees of enthusiasm, I’ve learned that asking about effort estimates is like opening Pandora’s box – if Pandora’s box was filled with increasingly creative ways to say “it’s complicated.” When I ask “what’s the effort?” I’m not plotting one’s demise…
Read MoreFrom Pixel Pusher to Product Leader: My unorthodox journey to product management
What do you want to be when you grow up? When asked the timeless childhood question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I never once replied “product manager” – shocking, I know. Instead, I declared I’d be an artist, spending countless hours sketching away in that long forgotten era known as…
Read MoreStuff & Fear
Why you will never achieve the things you are always telling others about… This article was originally published on Medium in 2014. Way back when MySpace was the dominant social network, I was a recent college graduate, a high demand Macromedia Flash designer at one of those hip new dot-com start-ups, proud owner of a…
Read MoreCoffee Table with Storage
The Find While wandering the alleys, I came across an old cheap ottoman. The pillow top was wrecked but the base was still in pretty good shape so I brought it home. My wife had recently purchased an outdoor couch and wanted a small coffee table, so before she bought more stuff I jumped on…
Read MoreiLA the Alleybot
The Find Sometimes your scraps have scraps, and that’s where the darndest things live. I came across this little gal in a pile of wood bits and metal parts. The Build I started by putting together the body with some left over nails, attaching the head with a metal peg, adding a few accessories and…
Read MoreAspen Branch and Pallet Wood Art
The Find While visiting my mom and grandmother in beautiful Flagstaff, AZ, I came across some fallen aspen tree branches. I’ve always loved the texture of the white bark and figured it could make a nice organic art piece. The Build I took 3 pieces of broken pallet wood and lined them up to match…
Read MorePlumbing with Pete
My Grandmother had a leaky pipe from her water heater. It was Sunday. There was no one to call. So with little to no plumbing experience, my brother in-law Pete and I answered the call. Wish us luck.
Read MoreHanging Sewing Thread
The wife wanted her sewing thread mounted to the wall. A cut here and a screw there. Boom perfection.
Read MoreLA Fashion District with Briabay
In 2015 my wife Amie started a children’s clothing line called Briabay. She’s been grinding ever since and in the last year Briabay has really turned a corner. In an effort to find unique fabrics we’ve started venturing from our home in Scottsdale, AZ to the LA Fashion District. Watch our multi-day journey! Shopping in…
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