Vision and strategy are not interchangeable. Vision is the ambitious, long-term future state that provides direction and coherence. Strategy consists of the specific, repeatable choices and actions you make over time to get closer to that vision.

Founders must consider their sales motion (e.g., PLG vs. enterprise sales-led) when designing the product. A product built for one motion won't sell effectively in another, potentially forcing a costly redesign. This concept extends "product-market fit" to "product-market-sales fit."

Unlike sales-led companies that get feedback from sales calls, PLG companies are blind to their competitive positioning without formal research. You must conduct jobs-to-be-done interviews to uncover why customers chose you over alternatives, as relying on internal assumptions or simple "what do you love" surveys is misleading.

For companies with multiple products, positioning cannot begin until the go-to-market strategy is set. You must first decide if you have a lead "wedge" product with add-ons (like early Salesforce) or if you're selling an integrated platform. This foundational business decision precedes any messaging work.

When a product team is busy but their impact is minimal or hard to quantify, the root cause is often not poor execution but a lack of clarity in the overarching company strategy. Fixing the high-level strategy provides the focus necessary for product work to create meaningful value.

Instead of debating whether Product Management or Product Marketing "owns" positioning, teams should treat it as a critical point of shared alignment. It's a collaborative space where the entire team agrees on the product's value and market strategy.

The term "product strategy" can create silos, suggesting it's separate from the business's main goals. Instead, frame it as the "product plan" for executing a unified business strategy. This reinforces a "one team" mentality across all departments.

Many founders conflate their brand with their first product. A successful company requires a broader brand positioning that can accommodate future products. This prevents the business from getting stuck as a single-product entity and enables long-term growth and category expansion.

For companies with multiple products, the initial step isn't the positioning exercise itself. It's deciding what to position. This choice—company, lead "land" product, or full suite—depends on your sales motion (e.g., land-and-expand vs. platform sell) and must be made upfront.