Own Your Category

Josh Lowman

Host Josh Lowman, and guests, share mini-masterclasses in category creation, strategy and brand design. Join us for Listener Q&A episodes and interviews with category creators at companies like Stripe, VSCO, Uber, and more.

48 Episodes

Eric Wittman | VSCO
8/7/2026
36:12
Subscribe to my newsletter → https://ownyourcategory.substack.com ____ VSCO CEO Eric Wittman shares how they finally found their story. And why having great products isn't enough if you can't say what they're for. In this episode of Own Your Category, Eric Wittman, CEO of VSCO, joined Josh to break down how a platform built for photographers spent years with the right product vision - and the wrong words to describe it. Until now. We covered: Why "where photographers turn pro" unlocked everything elseHow VSCO went from consumer app to professional OSThe difference between hiring a writer and doing the actual category workWhy Eric stopped rewriting marketing copy the moment the strategy artifacts existedAnd what a LinkedIn post with 1,871 likes tells you about finding your community's nerve Links: Follow Eric Wittman → https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjwittman/ Learn more about VSCO → https://vsco.co Learn more about Gold Front → https://goldfront.com Work with Josh → https://tally.so/r/wQvNzp
Workshop: How to Fix Your Positioning
1/16/2024
31:00
Josh hosted a live workshop to help folks get their positioning back on track. Topics included: The Three Hard Positioning Problems everybody faces.The best tool to fix each one. And why everything will fall into place when you master these tools. Josh has written the positioning for over 100 companies including Uber, Qualtrics and Gainsight. And he’s the founder of Gold Front, the category design studio. Now let’s fix your positioning.
Don't miss an episode of “Own Your Category” and subscribe to it in the GetPodcast app.
The Gold Front Category Design Canvas
1/2/2024
10:28
Josh shares the Gold Front Category Design Canvas, a tool that helps you ask and answer the essential questions for crafting great category strategy. Plus, there’s a Mario-themed mnemonic that makes the canvas easy to remember. This is the actual tool we use to help tech companies design new categories. Did we mention it’s Mario-themed?
Live Strategy: Anna Furmanov
12/19/2023
34:56
Join Josh and Anna Furmanov for live strategy work. Anna is the founder of Furmanov Marketing Consulting, who’s been called the “Marie Kondo of startup marketing”. Josh and Anna talk about: Gold Front’s category strategy.The unique problem Anna’s business solves. Giving the problem a name CEOs will connect with.And how to get more specific with language. A good show! Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com
WTF is Category Design?
12/5/2023
9:07
We are back! Josh explains category design. Topics include: Why category design sometimes gets people so angry. Strategy is just thinking before you act. And category as a force multiplier for strategy. Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com
Q&A: 5 Principles Every Category Creator Must Follow
8/1/2023
26:58
Josh shares 5 foundational principles that category creators can use to stay focused on the work that really matters. It’s easy to lose your way when creating new categories, use these tools and insights to keep yourself, and your category, on track for success. They are: Is thinking happening? Are you creating something in the mind of the customer? Is it different? Is it interesting? Is it true? Did you know there's a newsletter too? Check it out at: categoryfirst.substack.com
Q&A: You Gotta Feel It
7/12/2023
14:35
Josh answers listener questions about category creation. My boss, the VP of marketing, wants to test everything, even an Instagram story, and I think it's making us late to get content out. Have you dealt with this? What are the main signs that a Category POV is not working? Is designing a category sort of putting the cart before the horse? Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com
Five Laws for Un-boring Brands
6/21/2023
14:12
Josh shares 5 laws for branding to help you design original, interesting, and un-boring brands. Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com
How Josh Writes Strategy
6/14/2023
20:12
Josh shares his process for writing strategy. Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com
Paul McDonnell | Insight Partners
6/8/2023
40:14
Josh talks to Paul McDonnell, Vice President at one of the world's largest private equity firms, Insight Partners, about the qualities and mindset that successful category creation teams must have. In his work at Insight's Marketing Center of Excellence, Paul has seen inside many different category leadership teams, including successes like Bizzabo, Chargebee, OwnBackup, and more, and speaks first hand to what will make or break a new category. Some highlights: What it means to have the right culture for category creation. Getting the right people in the room before you start.Why humility is essential to creating good category strategy. And how category creators can start using AI today. Submit questions and subscribe to our newsletter here: categoryfirst.substack.com

More Episodes

Get the whole world of podcasts with the free GetPodcast app.

Subscribe to your favorite podcasts, listen to episodes offline and get thrilling recommendations.

A company from

Own Your Category

Josh Lowman

48 Episodes

Eric Wittman | VSCO

Workshop: How to Fix Your Positioning

The Gold Front Category Design Canvas

Live Strategy: Anna Furmanov

WTF is Category Design?

Q&A: 5 Principles Every Category Creator Must Follow

Q&A: You Gotta Feel It

Five Laws for Un-boring Brands

How Josh Writes Strategy

Paul McDonnell | Insight Partners