Goodbye, 2024

HOW IS THIS YEAR OVER ALREADY?

Hey everyone,

Hell of a year, eh?

PMMs are replacing PMs, PMs are replacing designers, designers are replacing PMs… we’ve seen so much nonsense, primarily coming from people who have no idea what they’re doing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As the year winds down, I’ve been reflecting on the countless lessons learned. Whether you’re experiencing similar challenges or looking for fresh insights, here are the top takeaways that have truly shaped my approach and kept me grounded.

GTM isn’t one-size-fits-all

This year reaffirmed that a go-to-market strategy needs to be tailored to fit your specific product and audience. Whether you lean into a sales-led approach, embrace product-led growth (PLG), or find your sweet spot with a hybrid model, flexibility and alignment with your market are essential. There’s no universal formula—just a customized approach that fits your unique situation.

Soft launches are your friends

Stop putting so much pressure on your marketing teams. Soft launches, betas, and phased rollouts allowed me to gather real user feedback, make necessary adjustments, and ensure my product was truly ready before going all in.

Empathy and transparency strengthen leadership

Leading with empathy and being transparent about challenges and successes built a culture of trust and resilience. When teams feel understood and see honesty in leadership, they’re more engaged and motivated to push through tough times together.

💡 Book recommendation: Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

Say yes (and no) strategically

Mastering the art of saying no without burning bridges is extremely tricky. This is something I continue to learn how to do. Protecting my time and focusing on what truly matters helped maintain high-quality outputs and avoid burnout. When saying yes, I did so thoughtfully, ensuring alignment with core objectives. Although to be honest, I don’t think I said no to enough things.

Address toxicity to protect team morale

Identifying and addressing toxic behavior head-on was a tough but necessary lesson. Creating a positive, respectful work environment kept team morale high and prevented negativity from derailing progress. Sometimes all it takes is asking someone if they’re ok — other times, people are just dicks. Look at the type of environment the company is allowing to perpetuate.

Product is a team sport

I’ve always known this, but I’ve never truly experienced what a great product team looks like until this year. We created a product marketing leadership team that was fully aligned and working together, and it was truly, truly glorious. If you aren’t working with your product marketing team closely, please start today! And don’t worry… no PMM is coming after your job anytime soon.

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In other news, I’m working on a new book where I’ll be expanding on some of the lessons above. Can’t wait to share it!

Here’s to another year of growth, learning, and making an impact (and hoping AI doesn’t replace us all),

Andrea 🍾