The Beginner’s Edge in Product

Why not being “there yet” is your best asset.

Author

Stefanie Brown
August 29, 2025

In partnership with

👋 Hey friend,

When I first moved into my PM role at HubSpot, I was tasked with pushing a big project over the finish line.

The team had been circling on it for months. Everyone worried about how users would react, “What if we upset them?” “What if CSAT tanks?”

I didn’t have that baggage. I figured the worst that could happen was we re-gate the change. So I pushed us to start rolling it out to the highest-risk users and get on calls immediately.

It worked. Not only did we gather feedback quickly, we built momentum. And it helped me earn trust with my team as their new PM.

Six months later, with the support of my incredible manager, that same beginner’s mindset led to my first INBOUND launch; One that turned into a global GTM rollout, with Andy presenting it on stage. My mind was blown.

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The Beginner’s Edge

When you don’t carry the weight of “how things have always been done,” you can:

  • Take bolder shots, because you’re not paralyzed by past failures

  • Earn trust faster, because your honesty signals you want to learn

  • Ask the questions veterans sometimes skip, which uncovers real insights

  • Write your story while no one’s watching too closely

💡 Quick Tip: Whenever imposter syndrome creeps in, ask: “What can I do right now because I don’t have 10 years of PM baggage?”

The Beginner’s Toolkit

Act before you feel ready
The perfect plan rarely beats momentum. Start small, gather feedback, adjust.

 📌 Try this today: Push something to Beta instead of polishing for weeks.

Ask the “dumb” questions
Curiosity uncovers context faster than confidence does.

📌 Try this today: In your next meeting, ask the question you’re afraid is too obvious. Or message it to someone on your team you trust!

Turn honesty into trust
Saying “I don’t know, let me find out” on customer calls built more credibility than bluffing ever could.

 📌 Try this today: Try it once. Watch how much faster users open up.

Stack small wins
Share customer quotes. Share a quick rollout result. Share progress as you go. Beginners build momentum by showing it, not hiding until the finish line.

📌 Try this today: Post one win in Slack before end of day.

Quick Reads:

Challenge: Flip Your Imposter Moment

This week, take one area where you feel “behind” — experience, knowledge, credibility — and ask:

“How can this actually be my edge?”

👉 Example:
When I was new at HubSpot, I didn’t have years of context about past launches. At first I saw that as a weakness. But it became my edge, I could push the team to move faster because I wasn’t weighed down by “how we’ve always done it.”

Write yours down. Use it before next Friday.

See you next week,
– Stef

💬P.S. I’m doing free mentoring sessions on ADPList. Book time with me to chat about breaking into product, resume review and mock interviews.

📬 Forward this to a PM who needs the reminder that not being “there yet” is an advantage.

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