Ask a Product Manager how to best prepare for a role in product and they will tell you to go build something.

They aren't wrong.

But often we think about these resume enhancing projects from a lens of creating a case-study or checking a box that proves to someone that you can be a good Product Manager.

While these are both important goals while building a product, I challenge you to think a little deeper.

Why not try to build something that generates revenue?

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that me building a 5-figure side hustle was entirely intentional. But here we are, and what started as a way for me to prove that I was "technical enough" to be a Product Manager has now evolved into an extra paycheck every month (with minimal effort).

The unintended consequence of building a viable business is that it has changed the way that I look at the Product Manager role.

While job descriptions and recruiters will lead you to believe that the Product Manager role is a highly technical role that practically requires you to be a Software Engineer, the truth is that PM's create outcomes using technology.

And the most popular outcome is often related to revenue growth.

So the next time that you're pondering what project will prove to a hiring manager that you know how to code, I challenge you to instead choose a one that shows that you can solve problems with technology and quantify the impact of your outcome. If this means an actual revenue generating business, well consider it a perk of being a PM.

P.S. you still need to know what an API is and how the internet works.