Navigating Product Leadership: Robert Ta’s Journey from Founder to Innovator

ROBERT TA currently Chief Product Architect at Dayforce, has carved a purpose-driven path from entrepreneurship to coaching and leading product teams at top companies. A dedicated connector with a passion for giving back, he opens up about the lessons he’s learned as an entrepreneur and product leader, his advice for finding mentors, and his philosophies for success—both in business and in life.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey as a founder and some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way?

Robert: I actually studied chemical engineering at UC Davis, but I got my first taste of entrepreneurship when I started tutoring to put myself through school. I realized I could charge more for tutoring wealthier kids, and that got me thinking about education equity. Like, why does knowledge require privilege? So, I wanted to make an impact and find a way to help give people opportunities, and entrepreneurship seemed like the best way.

Eventually, I joined Workday and worked on product integrations, launched new SKUs, and earned a patent for product analytics. That patent helped double our revenue by improving cross-sell and up-sell strategies. Later, I founded my own crypto gaming startup, which grew quickly until the crypto market crashed. That ended up being a bit of a crash course in crisis management—lots of lessons learned there. One of the other big lessons I’ve learned is that being good at product isn't enough—distribution, marketing, and sales are just as important.

Tell us a little about your upbringing and how it has shaped your perspective and career.

Robert: My parents immigrated from Vietnam during the war and had to restart their careers here, despite being highly educated. They both earned engineering degrees in the U.S., but they faced discrimination because of their names. Growing up, I always wondered why they named me “Robert” instead of giving me a Vietnamese first name. When I was older, they told me it was because they wanted to help me avoid the biases they had experienced. That story has always stuck with me. At Workday, I started an initiative around building inclusive products to reduce bias and harm in our software systems. It's crazy to think there's another person out there just as qualified as me applying to the same jobs, getting fewer callbacks solely because of a name difference causing bias in the machine. I am still quite passionate about the topic of inclusive products, and that passion was really driven by my family’s experiences. I want to help make technology as fair and inclusive as possible.

You’ve mentioned continuous learning as a key part of your philosophy. How has that shaped your approach to your career?

Robert: As I've grown older, I've realized that no one really knows everything. Everybody’s just trying to figure life out. The best leaders I’ve met are forever learners, so that’s been the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my life: to love learning. It’s what gives life meaning, and it’s what helps answer big questions like, “Why are we here? What’s my purpose?” Learning helps you discover that. Because of this, I always aim to be the dumbest person in the room, and I'm always reading books to broaden and deepen my understanding of the world.

What strategies or habits have helped you perform at your best?

Robert: Small, consistent actions lead to big results over time. It's like going to the gym—your first day might feel awkward, but if you’re consistent, you improve. I also believe in having systems in place, like a solid morning routine. For me, that includes walking my dogs, meditating, journaling, and exercising. I am quite rigorous with my schedule to optimize my days and make sure I’m working on what’s important, not just putting out fires. I like using the Eisenhower matrix to sort out my to-dos in terms of importance and urgency. I slot time blocks on my calendar to do deep work, and I honor my health and family first, which gives me a ton of energy for my pursuits. There's a great quote I really subscribe to by Naval Ravikant: “A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought—they must be earned.”

How have mentors helped you on your journey, and how do you approach finding them?

Robert: Mentors are one of the most important ways to succeed, not just in your career, but in your life. We all have the tendency to think we're special snowflakes—but even snowflakes are made of water. We all want to love and be loved, have autonomy, pour energy into our passions, and so on. Mentors help you because they share how they've found success, how they've navigated hard times, and even how they define success (it's subjective), which can help shape your own path better.

As a kid, my chemistry teacher was a mentor to me. He taught me to love learning. Another mentor, Mike, helped me navigate feeling like a failure in startup life. That was a really vulnerable time for me. I really felt like a failure and was wrapped up in it. But he told me something really important—and this is what mentors do—which was, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Failure is only when you stop.” So, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and kept moving forward.

I believe in being very intentional when seeking mentors. There’s this saying: “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.” Come prepared, do your research, and show that you’re serious. People really respond when you show effort and are clear about what you want to learn. It's about reciprocity. If you put in effort to show up on time, ask thoughtful, well-prepared questions, and follow up, you'll be amazed at who will reciprocate. I've been lucky to have great mentors guide me, and I feel grateful for that.

You’re known for being a Go-Giver in the Sidebar community. Can you tell us a bit about that, and how Sidebar has played a role in your growth?

Robert: I joined Sidebar to be around ambitious people who are driven to make an impact. We all want to form connections with people we share values and goals with, right? Sidebar has been a place where I can learn from others while helping them avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made in my career, whether it's product or entrepreneurship. It’s very satisfying to know that just through talking, sharing knowledge, camaraderie, and connection, I can help save people time and headaches.

I believe in trying to leave every relationship or community better than I found it, so I started with a goal to deliver value to at least 50 members of the community. I’m at 24 so far. My mom taught me growing up that when you put goodwill out there, it comes back to you in some form or another. I’ve found that to be really true. So, I always have a mindset to be a Go-Giver, to give without taking, and to pay it forward.

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