As I approach our scoping phase exit presentation, I’m embracing the courage to make clear recommendations in an industry full of options.

Taking a Stand in a World of “It Depends”

In the product management world, there’s a tendency to fall into the trap of presenting multiple options without making a clear recommendation. As Jason Knight recently pointed out in his insightful article “Is That Your Final Answer? Why Product Managers Should Always Present a Recommendation,” this approach often leads to decisions being made by default rather than by design.

At Trevean Spice, I’ve taken this lesson to heart as I prepare for our scoping phase exit presentation next week. Like many startups, we began with a multitude of potential directions. We could focus on educational content, prioritize sustainable packaging, emphasize direct farmer relationships, or push our recipe integration technology. The options were as varied as the spices we source.

But following Knight’s advice, I’m not walking into my presentation with just a menu of possibilities. I’m arriving with clear recommendations based on evidence, user research, and a carefully built coalition of supporters.

This approach comes from hard-won experience. In my first product role, I made a mistake that still makes me cringe. Our team had been tasked with redesigning the ordering flow, and I’d spent weeks gathering data, interviewing users, and exploring three different approaches. When presentation day came, I proudly went through my presentation, leaving the three options with their pros and cons until the end, and now I was nearly out of time. I waited patiently, expecting praise for my thoroughness.

Instead, our group Vice President glanced at the options, pointed to one that emphasized upsells (which our data showed actually frustrated users), and said, “This one. Next topic.” I hadn’t made a recommendation, so he made one for me – one that went against everything our research had indicated. Because I hadn’t confidently staked out a position with supporting evidence, I lost my chance to influence the decision. Worse, I spent the next quarter implementing a solution I didn’t believe in, watching our conversion metrics slowly decline.

The Evidence Behind My Choices

My journey with Trevean Spice began with customer research that revealed compelling pain points: 73% of home cooks report owning expired spices, and 84% want to explore global cuisines but lack authentic ingredients. These weren’t just interesting data points—they were signals pointing toward a specific solution.

While exploring our options, I considered five different business models:

1. A pure subscription service
2. A retail-first approach with storefronts
3. A content platform with product sales as a secondary
4. A technology play focused on freshness tracking
5. A custom blend creator with on-demand fulfillment

Each had merits, but as Knight suggests, gathering evidence is a product manager’s best friend. My customer interviews consistently showed that freshness, education, and convenience were the top three concerns, pointing clearly toward a subscription model with integrated content and technology elements.

Building My Coalition

Knight emphasizes the importance of building coalitions, especially in environments where product management might not be seen as driving decisions. I’ve embraced this approach by involving our culinary advisor, supply chain expert, and technology lead early in the process.

By the time we reached our pre-presentation review, our chief culinary officer was already championing my recommended approach because he’d been part of the journey. Our CTO wasn’t surprised by my technology recommendations because he’d helped shape them through iterative conversations.

Making the Call: My Recommendation

As I finalize my presentation for next week, I’m taking Knight’s core message to heart: “Making a recommendation doesn’t always mean that you always get your way, but not making a recommendation means that you’re giving away your chance to influence decision-making.”

My recommendation is clear: Trevean Spice will launch with a curated subscription model featuring three tiers of engagement, built on direct trade relationships with spice farmers across five regions. Each subscription will include our proprietary freshness tracking, recipe integration, and educational content about the cultural significance of each spice blend.

I’m prepared to explain why I didn’t choose the retail-first approach (higher CAC, slower feedback loops) or the technology-only play (missed opportunity to own the end-to-end experience). I have evidence for each decision point and confidence in my recommendation.

Owning the Path Forward

One point from Knight’s article particularly resonated with me: “If you don’t [get your recommendation approved], it’s your job to own the new decision now.” I’m prepared for feedback that might shift my recommendation, but I’m entering the conversation as an active participant with a point of view, not as a passive bystander waiting for direction.

What I learned from that disastrous first product experience was that presenting options without a recommendation isn’t being thorough—it’s abdicating responsibility. When I implemented that CEO-selected solution I didn’t believe in, I still had to own the results. I could have saved myself, the team, and our users a lot of frustration if I’d had the courage to make a clear recommendation backed by evidence.

As I move Trevean Spice from scoping to execution, I’m committed to bringing clarity of vision to everything we do—from our product strategy down to the specific blends we recommend to customers. After all, if I can’t make recommendations about our own product, how can we expect to make recommendations about flavors that will transform our customers’ cooking experiences?

In a world of overwhelming choice, sometimes the most valuable thing I can offer—whether as a product manager or as a spice company founder—is a confident recommendation based on expertise, evidence, and a genuine understanding of needs.

The spice world doesn’t need another company saying “it depends” when asked what flavors work best. It needs Trevean Spice, ready with answers and recommendations that customers can trust.

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As I prepare for our scoping phase exit presentation next week, I’d love to hear your thoughts on our approach. Have you found success making clear recommendations in your own work? Drop a comment below.