The imperfect product journey

It's been a five-year endeavor, reshaping tolpagorni thoughts AB into Productbeats . From a local Swedish knowledge firm to a international digital hub for product professionals, the journey has been profound. These years have not only changed the company but also shaped me personally and professionally. Let me share our story with you.

Back in 2018, I sensed a big change in the world of product management. It was clear that our positioning and structure were not right for what was coming. The role of product management was about to change from being “the glue” in a company to becoming the engine of growth.

We, along with many other “product thinkers”, have supported this shift driven by the speed of the market, the digital changes, and the complexity of product business. The ROI of a high-performing product team is incredible. The Zeitgeist of product thinking has struck the corporate world. We are living in the age of products. Every part of product management has evolved in the last five years. Everything from requirement management, product marketing, product-led growth, discovery, and business management to product operations has been challenged, and new ways of working have been introduced.

In 2018, I felt that change was on the horizon. But the question was: what direction should we as a company take? Should we create a research hub with our friends at BTH? Should we become a consulting boutique? Or a broad training company? Decisions needed to be made. We used our knowledge in product management. We gathered insights, made hypotheses, and ran experiments. We tried various things:

• We partnered with the amazing Brainmates team (but we couldn't work out the financial model)
• We expanded our training offerings ? ?(but had trouble marketing a portfolio instead of specific products)
• We tried to adapt the ISPMA foundation to include the new way of doing product management ? ?(we succeeded in not conflicting with it)
• We built a product marketing factory ? ?(but the operations were too demanding for us)
• We brought in an external CEO ? ?(but the tail started wagging the dog)
• We changed the ownership and structure of the organization ? ?(but entrepreneurship is not defined by a percentage of the shares)

And on top of all this, we faced hurdles from Covid, personal injuries, and financial difficulties.

Today, my heart beats with pride. We've successfully transformed the company. But time, relations, and energy have been squandered; hopefully, lessons have been learned. We have done an imperfect journey yet paving the way for triumph. I failed to build internal readiness for the obstacles we were to face and the pressure we had to go through. I remember my former CEO's words at Str?lfors—transforming a company inevitably means entering a state of chaos. I thought we could defy that notion, but maybe he was right.

As a seasoned entrepreneur (this is my fifth startup.) I know there is no silver bullet, but there is magic in perseverance. In August 2021, we took a board decision to create the brand Productbeats after a series of experiments. We wanted to build a hub of product knowledge, much like a specialized publishing house. A hub that grows week by week, filled with knowledge and members. Shifting the way, professionals access knowledge and tools in the ever-changing world of product thinking.

Our weekly product show takes center stage, not just as a show, but as the very heartbeat of our operations. It drives our knowledge engine and fuels our marketing and networking efforts. This show is our keystone for success. With our team, the system and product set up, and the membership, we can enter the future with a solid belief in success. I've eagerly anticipated this for five long years.

• Despite a string of missteps, I find comfort in the fact that we:
• Chose to forge ahead and accelerate in the face of challenges.
• Partnered with demanding clients, enabling our evolution.
• Collaborated with exceptional partners across the globe.

The next era of knowledge management is set to launch this week. The Productbeats team is poised and ready. With friends like Sofie Ohlsén Joshua Atlas , Petter Hagberg , Torbj?rn H?jer , Henrik Johnsson , Todd Birzer , Sandra Hinz , Fredrik Cewers, Lina Str?mmer , Anna, Prof. Dr. Dr. Tony Gorschek , HENRIK ?STBERG , David Pereira , Fanny Wikstr?m , Klas Orsv?rn , Magnus Agerstr?m , Johan Billgren , Sumit Kumar Singh , Roman Pichler and more brilliant minds and invaluable partners, we embark on this new chapter.

Fall of 2023 marks the culmination of our transformation journey, and the entry to our business-building odyssey.

P.S. I can't help but wonder about the new obstacles and joys the next six months will unveil, I’ll keep you posted.D.S.

if you want to talk: https://calendly.com/magnus-billgren/productbeats-membership