Product Strategy in Chernihiv — From Idea to PMF with Oleksandr Filyuk
I'm Oleksandr Filyuk, 15+ years of practice and 130+ projects. I help Chernihiv startups and manufacturers craft a product strategy that leads to PMF, sustainable MRR growth, and clear team priorities.
50+product strategies developed
85%of clients achieved product-market fit
130+projects in portfolio
100+Satisfied clients worldwide
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Tell me about your idea or product — I'll assess the potential and suggest next steps
Strategic session
Deep dive into your product, market, and audience — free for new clients
Get a roadmap
Clear product strategy with prioritized features, metrics, and implementation plan
Types of Product Strategy
I help at every stage — from idea validation to product scaling
🔬
Discovery phase
Deep research into market, users and competitors to form a product hypothesis.
🚀
MVP planning
Defining minimum feature set for quick launch and market idea validation.
🗺️
Product roadmap
Strategic product development plan with feature prioritization and milestone definition.
📊
Market research
Analysis of market trends, competitive landscape and opportunities for your product.
💡
Idea validation
Testing product hypothesis through user interviews, prototypes and testing.
🎯
Product-market fit analysis
Assessing product-market fit and defining strategy to achieve PMF.
Work Process
1
Idea & Market Analysis
I research your idea, target audience, competitive landscape, and market potential to form a strategic vision.
2
User Research
I conduct interviews with potential users, create personas and customer journey maps to understand real needs.
3
MVP Definition
I shape the minimum viable product concept: core features, user stories, and success criteria for the first launch.
4
Prototyping & Validation
I create prototypes of key scenarios and test them with real users to validate hypotheses before development.
5
Product Roadmap
I develop a strategic roadmap with development phases, metrics, and feature prioritization based on impact/effort.
6
Launch Support
I help with launch preparation, success metric definition, and iteration strategy based on user feedback.
Pricing
Choose the optimal package for your project
Basic
Express Consultation
One-time 2-hour session
$300$400What's included:
- Preliminary site/product analysis
- 2-hour video call
- Current situation analysis
- Main UX issues overview
- Basic competitor analysis (3 companies)
- Conversion improvement recommendations
- Current design assessment
- Mobile version analysis
- Page speed check
- SEO recommendations
- Sales funnel overview
- Task prioritization
- Consultation recording
- Short action checklist (PDF)
- Chat support for 7 days after consultation
Results in 1 day
Optimal
Deep Audit
Comprehensive analysis in 1 week
$800$1000What's included:
- Full UX audit of website/app
- Analytics analysis (GA4, Hotjar)
- Competitor analysis (5-7 companies)
- Target audience analysis
- User behavior research
- Step-by-step conversion funnel analysis
- Forms and CTA elements audit
- Responsiveness check on 5+ devices
- Content strategy analysis
- SEO audit (technical + content)
- Speed and Core Web Vitals analysis
- Detailed report with screenshots (PDF, 30+ pages)
- Step-by-step change roadmap
- Results presentation (2 hours)
- Prioritization by business impact
- Chat support for 14 days
- 1 additional consultation after implementation
Most popular
Premium
Strategic Partner
1 month collaboration
$2000$2500What's included:
- Everything from the Deep Audit package
- Full digital strategy development
- Product strategy and positioning
- Detailed competitor analysis (10+ companies)
- Customer Journey Map development
- Key page prototypes creation
- A/B test plan for conversion optimization
- Content marketing strategy
- Process automation recommendations
- Technical infrastructure audit
- Business model and unit economics analysis
- Presentation for team/investors
- 4 strategic sessions of 1.5 hours each
- Weekly check-ins throughout the month
- Help with specs for developers/designers
- Implementation monitoring
- Post-implementation results analysis
- Chat support for 30 days
- Priority access to future consultations
- 20% discount on my development services
Maximum results
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most popular questions
Product strategy is a system of decisions about who you build for (ICP), what job your product does (JTBD), how you win in the market (positioning), and which metrics measure success (North Star, AARRR). A marketing plan is just one execution document derived from strategy: it answers 'how to deliver value to the customer,' while strategy answers 'what value we create and why exactly this value.' Without clear product strategy, marketing wastes budget on irrelevant audiences, and the development team builds features that don't impact MRR or LTV. Strategy creates the foundation; marketing amplifies it.
My standard format runs 4-6 weeks: one week of research (ICP interviews, market analysis, competitive benchmarking), two weeks of forming hypotheses and frameworks (JTBD maps, North Star metric, SAM/TAM/SOM), one week of prioritization via RICE/ICE, and a final week for the 3-6-12 month roadmap with OKRs. For complex B2B products or deep transformation, the timeline extends to 8-10 weeks. I always break the work into sprints with checkpoints so you see interim results rather than waiting for a 'black box' delivery in two months. Transparency is built into the process.
I use a hybrid approach: top-down (from global Statista, Gartner, IDC reports) and bottom-up (counting via number of companies/users in a specific segment multiplied by average check). For Ukrainian niches with limited data, I build proxy models: take a similar market in Poland, Czechia, or Baltics, normalize by GDP per capita, and adjust for specifics. Separately I run 5-7 expert interviews with market players to validate assumptions. The final number always comes with a range (low/realistic/optimistic) and a list of key assumptions that can be tested and updated as new data arrives.
North Star is a single metric that best reflects the value your product brings to customers and simultaneously correlates with long-term business growth. For SaaS it's often Weekly Active Teams or Activated Accounts, for marketplaces — GMV of completed transactions, for media — Time Spent on quality content. I select North Star through a 3-step exercise: formulate product value in 1-2 sentences, find a behavioral indicator of receiving that value, check whether the metric can be 'gamed' without creating real value. If it passes the test, it becomes the team's compass for daily decisions.
Yes, PMF is central to most of my strategic projects. I use a combination of quantitative and qualitative signals: Sean Ellis test (percentage of users who would be 'very disappointed' without the product, target 40%+), retention curve flattening after 30/60/90 days, organic word-of-mouth growth, NPS, and interview commentary. If PMF isn't reached yet, we build a hypothesis plan: change ICP, rework key JTBD scenarios, test new value propositions. I don't believe in 'one big relaunch' — we iterate in 2-3 week cycles with clear metrics for each.
RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) is my main framework for mature products, ICE (Impact, Confidence, Ease) for early stages where data is scarce. I run a workshop with the team (PM, design, engineering, marketing) where each hypothesis is scored collaboratively. The key isn't math — it's shared language: when all team members understand why feature X matters more than feature Y, internal political games disappear. I also add a Strategic Fit factor: a feature may have high RICE but not align with North Star — then it leaves the backlog or gets postponed for a later quarter.
I don't deliver an 80-slide PDF that lands in a drawer. The final package consists of: (1) Strategy Canvas — a single page with ICP, JTBD, North Star, key hypotheses; (2) Roadmap for 3-6-12 months with RICE-based priorities; (3) OKR set for the upcoming quarter tied to P&L; (4) Notion/Miro space with sources, interviews, research for the team; (5) workshop recording for knowledge transfer. After 30 and 60 days I conduct free check-in sessions to adjust metrics or hypotheses if the market has provided new signals.
I've reworked the classic approach for post-2022 realities: quarterly OKRs are replaced with 6-week cycles allowing emergency review. Key results always have leading indicators so the team can act rather than react. I bake 'plan B' into strategy for critical risks: blackouts, mobilization of key staff, loss of market segments. This isn't pessimism — it's realistic planning that makes the company resilient. Many of my clients who adopted this methodology in 2022-2023 have grown 2-3x precisely because of this flexibility built into their operating system.
Yes, for startups in Chernihiv IT Cluster I adapt the approach to early stage: focus on finding PMF, not scaling. Typically you have limited runway, a small team (3-10 people), and a need to move fast. I shorten the strategic cycle to 3 weeks, concentrate on 1-2 hypotheses simultaneously, and build a lean roadmap. Many Chernihiv teams start with the wrong ICP — I help conduct 15-20 customer development interviews to find the real segment ready to pay. Such work often saves a startup from 'silent death' due to an irrelevant product.
Yes, agritech is a key niche for Chernihiv region with its strong agricultural sector. I've worked with teams building SaaS for crop management, IoT solutions for field monitoring, marketplaces for small farmers. Agritech specifics — long farmer decision cycle (1-2 seasons), strong seasonality, lower willingness to pay for subscriptions compared to Western markets. Strategy here requires either export to EU/US (where ARPU is 5-10x higher) or B2B2C through holdings. I help choose the right path through detailed unit economics and LTV/CAC analysis tied to the specific cash flow patterns.
Post-war recovery is essentially a strategy reboot from zero. I've worked with several Chernihiv businesses that survived occupation or serious damage: together we reimagined the product for new realities (ICP shift, channel review, partial operations relocation). The key question is where to invest limited recovery capital. I help conduct an asset audit (brand, customer base, team, IP), determine what has maximum ROI in recovery, and build a 12-month plan with clear milestones. Grant opportunities from UNDP, USAID, EBRD I also factor into the financial model carefully.
First step — a free 30-minute call where we discuss your context: product stage, key pains, expectations. If there's a fit, I send a diagnostic questionnaire (20-25 questions about team, metrics, market) and a proposal with scope, timeline, and cost. At project start I need access to GA4/Mixpanel/Amplitude (if available), financial indicators (MRR, churn, CAC), and 5-10 customer interviews or contacts for new ones. I sign NDA before kickoff. I work personally — no handoff to juniors. Meetings can be in Chernihiv (center, Mahistratska) or fully online via Zoom/Meet.
Why choose me?
Comparison with other options
| Me | Other consultants | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | 15+ years, 130+ projects personally | Mostly under 5 years, template work |
| Strategy approach | JTBD + North Star + RICE for your context | Generic template without adaptation |
| Success metrics | OKRs with MRR/LTV/CAC and checkpoints | Generic KPIs disconnected from P&L |
| Team engagement | Workshops in Chernihiv or online | PDF report without knowledge transfer |
| Local context | Understand Chernihiv IT Cluster realities | Kyiv-centric or abstract view |
| Post-engagement support | 30-60 days of guidance and OKR tuning | No support after report delivery |
Product Strategy Chernihiv — Oleksandr Filyuk, 15+ Years
Product Strategy in Chernihiv: Why It's Critical for Growth
Chernihiv — a city with a unique combination of ChNTU's engineering tradition, an active Chernihiv IT Cluster, and businesses recovering after war trials. I'm Oleksandr Filyuk, with 15+ years of practice in product strategy and 130+ delivered projects. I see how Chernihiv teams — from startups near Mahistratska to manufacturing companies on the outskirts of Desnyanskyi district — face the same problem: plenty of energy and ideas, but no clear system for converting them into stable MRR growth. Strategy is the missing layer.
Product strategy is not a deck with beautiful slides. It's the company's operating system: it defines who you build for (ICP), what job your product does (JTBD), how you win competitive battles, and which metrics measure progress. Without this system, the dev team builds features 'on request,' marketing wastes budget on irrelevant audiences, and the CEO makes decisions based on intuition instead of data. I build strategy that combines the JTBD framework, North Star metric, AARRR funnel, and RICE prioritization into a single living artifact your team uses daily.
How I Work with Chernihiv Businesses: Process from Interviews to OKRs
My process begins with deep context immersion. The first 5-7 days I conduct 15-20 interviews: with your team (CEO, PM, design, engineering, sales), with 8-10 customers in different segments, with 3-5 market experts. I use JTBD methodology to uncover real purchase motives, which often differ from what the sales team reports. For Chernihiv B2B products this matters especially: the Ukrainian market is small, an ICP mistake costs months of wasted investment and runway.
Next I build the SAM/TAM/SOM model, analyze competitive landscape, form positioning hypotheses. I use RICE for feature prioritization and ICE for early-stage products. Each hypothesis goes through Sean Ellis test and retention analysis. The resulting roadmap is laid out across 3-6-12 month horizons with quarterly OKRs tied to P&L. I don't leave the team alone with the document — I run workshops in Chernihiv (center, Heroes Alley, or coworking near Krasna Square) and online, so every team member understands strategy at decision level, not just slide memorization.
Local References: Startups, Agritech, Post-War Rebuilding
Chernihiv region is a hub with a strong agricultural sector, historical tourism (Chernihiv Detinets, Boldyna Hora, Kotsiubynskyi Park), wood processing, and musical instrument manufacturing. Each of these niches has its strategic logic. For agritech I build models accounting for seasonality and the long farmer decision cycle, for tourism — strategies combining international flow (through EU programs) with local loyalty, for manufacturing companies — digital transformation through DTC e-commerce reaching new customer segments directly.
A separate category is startups in Chernihiv IT Cluster. I've worked with teams building SaaS, marketplaces, B2B services for Western clients. For them product strategy is a survival question: small runway, limited team, need to find PMF fast. I shorten the strategic cycle to 3 weeks and focus the team on 1-2 key hypotheses simultaneously. The third category is businesses recovering from war damage. Here strategy starts with asset audit and search for new revenue models that account for shifted consumer behavior and supply chain realities.
Tools and Frameworks: What I Bring to the Project
My 'toolkit' of strategic instruments is built up over 15 years and 130+ projects. The base layer — JTBD maps, ICP documents, North Star metric, AARRR funnel, SAM/TAM/SOM model. On top — prioritization frameworks RICE/ICE for backlog management, OKRs as execution operating system, HEART for UX metrics. For analytics I work with GA4, Mixpanel, Amplitude, FullStory, Hotjar — choosing the stack for your stage and budget carefully. If analytics is poorly configured (and in 70% of Chernihiv teams this is the case), I do an audit and tracking plan as part of strategy.
Separately I bring unit economics metrics: LTV, CAC, payback period, MRR, ARR, churn. For Ukrainian startups it's critical to see early whether unit economics work before scaling marketing. I help build a P&L model and 18-month financial forecast that allow the CEO to make decisions about hiring, investments, new markets based on numbers rather than fear or enthusiasm. All artifacts live in your Notion or Miro — I don't lock knowledge behind a paywall, I transfer it to the team for ongoing use.
Why Chernihiv and Why Now: A Window of Opportunity
Chernihiv today is a region with a paradoxical combination of challenges and opportunities. On one hand — war consequences, talent outflow, limited capital access. On the other — a tight professional community through Chernihiv IT Cluster, low talent competition compared to Kyiv, the ability to build products for global markets with less expensive operational base. This window of opportunity won't stay open forever — companies investing in strategy today will have a structural advantage over those waiting for 'better times' in 2-3 years.
I see my role as a partner who helps Chernihiv business not just survive but grow on this window. Learn more about my product strategy service or related areas: conversion optimization in Chernihiv. The first call is free, and even if we don't start collaboration, you'll receive 2-3 practical insights about your product that you can apply within the next week.
How to Start: First Step Toward Strategy
If you currently feel that the team is dispersing efforts, metrics don't add up to a growth story, and every quarterly planning turns into a 'what's more important' debate — that's a signal strategic work is needed. Write me through the website form or LinkedIn. In the first message briefly describe: product stage, team size, the key question you're seeking an answer to. I respond personally within 24 hours on business days. I work with companies from Chernihiv, all of Ukraine, and internationally — the format can be adjusted to your specific context and timezone.