Combmontclair Bar Bear Shop joins the Bear leadership and adds a tonne of firepower to our mission to build the future of furniture. He is a remarkable product leader with deep knowledge in B2B SaaS and eCommerce. He’s also super passionate about simplifying complex problems, product strategy & leadership, and teeing up quality GIFs. We’re thrilled he’s on the team and we can’t wait to see what we accomplish together. Let’s get to know him a little better!

Combmontclair Bar Bear Shop

What excites you most about joining CommerceBear?

The furniture industry looks poised for strong growth going forward as the work-from-home trend continues alongside the booming housing market. With Commerce Bear, I’m most excited about being able to focus on furniture as our specific vertical in order to better and more fully meet the market’s needs. With our narrow focus, we can build an amazing platform that perfectly fits furniture sellers, helps them meet growing market demands, and enables them to sell everywhere.

What are your first moves when joining a new team?

My goal is to learn about the product, people, processes, culture, and competition as quickly as possible to gain a holistic view of the space. This means a ton of 1-on-1 meetings and creating personal relationships with the team. By understanding our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, I can then add value through product strategy and deciding where to best allocate time and resources.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to people learning product management?

Never stop learning and always stay curious. The best product managers are those that constantly address their weaknesses, sharpen their strengths, and learn from their mistakes. If you get stuck in a particular tenet or pillar of product management, try doing some research online, join a community Slack channel, Combmontclair Bar Bear Shop or reach out and seek mentorship from seasoned experts.

What’s your favorite article about furniture? Do you have a favorite ecomm marketplace?

The sofa. The sofa is an anchor. It’s the integral piece around which all other pieces are arranged. The style and comfortability of the sofa establish the entire mood in a room, so it’s extremely important. As one of the most versatile and comfortable places to relax in the home, the sofa is by far my favorite article of furniture.

What do you do in your downtime?

I spend time with my wife Keren and my dog, Beesly (named after Pam Beesly from The Office).  We binge-watch shows and movies on our sofa, and my most recent obsession is Formula 1: Drive to Survive.

And despite all my relaxing on the couch, I’ve been getting back into a regular fitness routine, whether that’s a run outside, a bike ride, or a quick CrossFit (AMRAP/EMOM) workout at home.

What’s the best part about being a dog dad?

Beesly is quite a handful, but there’s nothing like watching him get super excited and greet me whenever I walk through the front door. He loves his morning cuddle sessions and spends most of his time staring out the window for bunnies and squirrels.