When Irembo's new payment product's main customer was an internal platform generating 99% of revenue, they mandated weekly external customer interviews for the new PM. This created a crucial counterbalance, ensuring the product was built for the market, not just its powerful internal stakeholder.
To move from a project-based model to a scalable product, Irembo created two distinct teams. One team focused on building the core platform and its capabilities, while the other handled client-specific implementations using the platform, effectively managing the transition without disrupting delivery.
To solve low adoption for its government services app, Irembo targeted a niche audience (car owners) with a high-frequency need (checking for traffic fines). This recurring use case provided a compelling reason for users to download and retain the app, creating opportunities to expose them to less frequent services.
When Irembo spun out its payment feature, it initially used the same brand colors, causing confusion. A simple change to a new color (green) was the critical first step in establishing a separate identity. This visual differentiation helped both internal teams and external customers see it as a distinct product.
To ensure its new payments platform was truly scalable, Irembo hired a new product manager. Existing PMs were too biased by the primary government product's needs. The new PM could treat the main product as just one client, enforcing standards and preventing over-customization.
To prevent its new mobile app from simply replicating its existing web platform, Irembo framed the mobile team's goal as competing with the web team. Their key metric was shifting user traffic from web to mobile for the same services. This created a competitive dynamic that forced innovation and differentiation.
When Irembo shifted to a platform model, it neglected to update its sales team on new, standardized features. Sales continued fielding custom requests for solved problems and couldn't articulate the platform's full value, revealing a critical sales enablement gap during product-led transitions.