From Project Plans to Product Breakthroughs: JC Landivar on Building with Clarity and Purpose

In this episode of Product Led Growth Leaders, host Thomas Watkins sits down with JC Landivar, a product management leader and executive coach at SportsLab360, to explore how startups and SaaS companies can sharpen their strategic focus, deepen user discovery, and drive clarity across product decisions. JC shares hard-won insights from his journey spanning corporate product roles, founder coaching, and organizational advisory—revealing how the most successful products are built not just from speed, but from strategic listening, realignment, and customer-first thinking.

Bridging Strategy and Empathy in Product Management

JC Landivar’s path into product leadership was shaped by a strong foundation in project management and a curiosity for how things get built—from user needs to business alignment. Early in his career, he realized that while execution is essential, many product teams suffer from a lack of clarity around what they’re building and, more importantly, why. In the episode, he emphasizes how first-time founders often get caught up in building too fast without pausing to truly understand their users. JC advocates for intentional discovery—getting out of solution-mode and spending time listening to users’ lived experiences to uncover real, unmet needs.

One of the most powerful examples JC shares is his work with SportsLab360, a platform originally focused solely on soccer training. Through strategic coaching and deep product reflection, JC helped the team realize their broader value wasn’t sport-specific—it was youth athletic development and digital education. This pivot led the company to expand into new verticals like basketball, significantly increasing their market potential. It’s a reminder that product-market fit is dynamic, and the most resilient teams are the ones willing to step back, reassess, and adapt their value proposition.

JC also breaks down his coaching methodology, which blends product rigor with personal growth. Whether he’s advising a founder struggling to scale or a product team stuck in tactical chaos, JC helps clients reconnect with their original vision and map that to tangible goals. He believes product strategy shouldn’t live in a deck—it should guide daily decisions, from prioritization to how teams communicate with customers. His practical advice? Don’t just chase velocity—chase clarity, and the results will follow.

About JC Landivar

JC Landivar is a product management leader, executive coach, and organizational advisor. He blends deep experience across user experience, business strategy, and coaching to help startups and product teams build with clarity, alignment, and purpose. He is currently advising at SportsLab360, where he helps teams scale through strategic pivots, product discovery, and customer-centric innovation.

About SportsLab360

SportsLab360 is an interactive learning platform designed to elevate youth athletes’ cognitive development. While the platform started with a focus on soccer, its evolving vision now spans across youth sports education, helping young athletes enhance decision-making, tactical awareness, and overall performance.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• SportsLab360

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Key Episode Highlights

• Discovery First, Delivery Second: Great product strategy starts by slowing down to understand the real customer need—not rushing to build.

• The Power of Strategic Reframing: When product-market fit feels off, zoom out and reevaluate the true value proposition.

• Why Coaching > Consulting: Instead of giving answers, coaching helps founders surface the right questions.

• Operational vs. Strategic Product Roles: Early-stage PMs may default to project work—but must earn the trust to lead strategy.

• Build with Empathy, Pivot with Insight: Listening deeply to users often reveals higher-leverage use cases you didn’t expect.

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