"This course really helped me refine my knowledge of growth"

Vince Aidoo, a dedicated product professional, passionate about driving meaningful change and improving people’s lives, recently participated in the Product-Led Growth Certified: Core course in London.

With a diverse career spanning the management of digital advertising and marketing campaigns, launching a startup, and delivering new product features across various platforms such as App, Web, and Kiosk, Vince brings a wealth of experience and a keen problem-solving mindset to the table. His love for tackling complex challenges is evident, whether he's playing chess, exploring the creative arts, or navigating the intricacies of digital products.

Hear what Vince had to say about PLA and his biggest takeaways from the one-day course.

A multitude of perspectives

I found out about PLA courses through LinkedIn ads and saw them while searching for L&D courses related to Growth products. Previously, I mainly used YouTube to learn; however, I like structured courses, and PLA offered a good price that fit within my L&D budget.

The most helpful aspect of the course was the ability to discuss each topic. Everyone shared their perspectives on how they cope with their domains. The course included a CEO, a Head of Product, a VP, and two Product Leads, all at different stages in their careers.

The variety of perspectives, given their respective business stages, made it interesting in terms of how to deal with growth. Some participants had mature businesses with dedicated Growth teams, while others were figuring out how to incorporate Growth into different functions. Overall, discussing these topics was incredibly helpful for me.

Insights and knowledge gained

We discussed personas and how they change when shifting to Product-Led Growth (PLG). For example, a product that is very sales-driven and involves pitching to procurement teams changes its persona from Buyers to Users under PLG. This simple insight was refreshing because it brought clarity. When building a product for a wide variety of users versus a few buyers, the approach to the problem is very different.

Another valuable insight was understanding a product's delight using a formula of "delight = quality + specificity + ease—expectations". I thought that was so interesting because you usually want to build amazing onboarding journeys and retention strategies in different ways, but sometimes, it's the delight that you build in a product that can enhance user engagement.

We also delved into various pricing strategies, such as freemium models, free trials, user-based pricing, seat pricing, and feature-based pricing. While I was aware of these strategies, I had never explored them in depth. Hearing how different pricing strategies worked for others in their respective industries made me realize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to pricing.

Enhancing your network

I want to focus on Growth as a PM, so roles with a Growth element interest me. This course helped refine my knowledge of Growth and confirmed my interest in this area.

With only five of us, the class size was small, allowing everyone to speak and participate, even those who were quieter. This in-person interaction was refreshing compared to virtual courses, where distractions from work or life can hinder my focus. Being in person allowed me to concentrate fully on the course.

Impact on professional growth

I have been interested in Growth long before finding any courses or accreditations. Having a credible certification helps facilitate important conversations about my future career in Growth. I aspire to be recognised as a Growth leader, encouraging others and providing tips on PLG. This accreditation is a step towards achieving that goal.

The course and community

I highly recommend attending an in-person course to actively participate and engage with others interested in Growth. You can exchange tips, wisdom, and learn from each other. The instructor, Ryan Soosayraj, was excellent and brought the course to life.

I am now part of the Slack group, continuing to be part of the PLA community and looking forward to further learning and Growth.

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"This course really helped me refine my knowledge of growth" - Vince Aidoo