ManagerMap: 1-on-1 Prep and Manager Relationship Tracker

Problem: Mid-level software engineers repeatedly hit a wall that no bootcamp or CS degree prepared them for - managing the relationship with their manager. The HN thread 'Ask HN: How do you manage your manager?' captures it directly: an engineer was told by their manager not to give talks, and had no framework for handling that conversation or tracking what was promised in return. Career progress, comp, and scope decisions often turn on a handful of 1-on-1 conversations that ICs walk into unprepared. Named product: ManagerMap. Solution: A SAAS tool that helps ICs plan each 1-on-1, log the promises and commitments a manager makes over time, and build a repeatable pattern of upward influence. Instead of a generic meeting notes app, it is opinionated around the IC-to-manager power dynamic: prep prompts before a 1-on-1, a promise tracker that surfaces unkept commitments ('you said we would revisit my promotion in Q2'), and a running relationship timeline. MVP: a lightweight web app with three features - (1) a pre-meeting prep checklist that generates talking points, (2) a promise ledger with due dates and status, and (3) a simple history view per manager. No calendar integrations or AI at launch. Revenue: individual ICs pay a low monthly subscription out of pocket, since career advancement has direct personal financial upside. A prosumer B2C-style motion priced at consumer software levels ($8 to $15/mo) is more realistic than selling to the employer, because the tool is explicitly for the employee's benefit, not the manager's. GTM: seed the tool in engineering communities like HN and Reddit where the 'managing your manager' pain is discussed openly, leading with concrete templates. Growth loops: shareable prep templates and negotiation scripts that ICs pass to peers, plus content built around the recurring HN and search demand for 'how to manage your manager.'