How did Balaji Rao transition from being a designer to developing product management skills?

As a freelance designer, Balaji had to become more creative when working with founders and entrepreneurs who didn't provide specific instructions for screens and functionality. He needed to figure out design elements himself while asking deeper questions about the product's purpose. Through collaborating with various stakeholders (founders, engineers, business people), he learned to understand entrepreneurs' motivations by probing about target users, unique selling points, and core features. This experience taught him the importance of understanding the purpose behind products and how they solve problems - key product management skills.