What have I got myself into? (What to expect a a founding PMM)

What have I gotten myself into?

Most founding PMMs feel this way at some point.

I know I did.

I mean, what do you expect when:

No pre-written playbook exists

Nobody really understands what you do

Requests are flying at you from every direction

You’re expected to run a major launch in your first quarter

Everyone uses a completely different version of your messaging

You’re having to switch contexts multiple times a day

You barely know people, or how to influence them

You’re expected to make an impact, like now

You don’t understand the product yet

Your mouse hasn’t even arrived

☝️ First off

Recognize that you’re not alone.

I’ve coached over a dozen first-time founding PMMs in the last year.

And this feeling is totally normal.

But on the flip side, consider this:

You get to build the playbook

Everyone will soon learn what you do

You can learn how to prioritize, say no, and focus

Nobody nails their first launch, there will be plenty more

BIG complicated problems are a chance to make a BIG impact

Relationships, credibility, and influence will come with time

It’s okay to not know everything. Ask all the questions

None of these things are easy

But you didn’t sign up for easy..

You signed up for a career-changing role.

#productmarketing #foundingpmm