Becoming The Product

What if you could rent a PM’s brain? In this episode, I share the idea of PMaaS—Product Management as a Service—and why I’m building it in public.

Timestamps:

• [00:00:38] Why PMaaS? Lessons from incubation and acceleration

• [00:01:20] The gap: feature-heavy, user-light startups

• [00:02:42] What PMaaS could look like (validation sprints, MVP roadmaps, prioritization)

• [00:03:32] Building toward a January 2026 launch

• [00:03:58] Validation first, iteration over ego, community first

• [00:04:22] Recap: PMaaS as the bridge between messy ideas and working products

Key Takeaways:

• Founders need product thinking before they need a full-time PM.

• PMaaS could fill the gap with lightweight, flexible support.

• Building in public means inviting community into the process.

  Key Links:

  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Smart PM Career Roadmap⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Build Without Permission – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Proof & Practice Bundle
  • Subscribe to the newsletter
  • DM me on LinkedIn about PMaaS

  
  

From validation to iteration, incubation reveals the truth about product work. In this episode, I share lessons from working with startups that every aspiring PM or side-project builder needs to hear.

Timestamps:

• [00:00:55] Landing an incubation role through community

• [00:02:28] Why vision without validation is quicksand

• [00:04:09] Iteration beats ideation every time

• [00:05:19] Introducing PMaaS: Product Management as a Service

• [00:06:05] Community as your first feature

• [00:07:18] Announcement: Speaking at Product Conference 2025

• [00:08:04] Wrap-up and CTAs

Key Links:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Smart PM Career Roadmap⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Build Without Permission – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Proof & Practice Bundle
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• DM me on LinkedIn about PMaaS

Everyone loves the idea of passive income, but it’s rarely passive when you’re still building. In this solo episode, I share what it really looks like to build on the side while working full-time. Let’s talk about PMaaS, proof, and planting in public

imestamps & Highlights:

• [00:00:00] The myth of passive income while building

• [00:01:00] Balancing a full-time job and building PMaaS

• [00:02:00] Why digital downloads and service offers still need heavy lifting

• [00:03:13] Teaching is marketing when you have no team

• [00:04:27] Proof before profit—and why it's uncomfortable

• [00:06:35] Reflection: share one small proof point this week

• [00:07:40] Final reminder: you’re planting, not failing

  
  

  Key Links:

  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Smart PM Career Roadmap⁠⁠⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Build Without Permission – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠Proof & Practice Bundle

Ever thought, “Who am I to teach this?” In this solo episode, Naya shares how surviving chaos led to teaching what she practiced, without a platform, permission, or perfect plan.

Timestamps & Highlights:

• [00:00:00] You don’t need to be an expert to be a guide

• [00:00:59] From survival mode to systems

• [00:02:15] When DMs become demand

• [00:03:00] Teaching = documenting what worked

• [00:04:00] Your lived experience is already a framework

• [00:05:00] Start messy, start small, start free

• [00:06:29] If you’ve helped one person, it counts

  Key Links:

  • ⁠⁠⁠Free Smart PM Career Roadmap⁠⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠⁠Build Without Permission – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠⁠Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course⁠⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠⁠Proof & Practice Bundle

Think your checklist or template isn’t a real product?

Think again. In this short solo episode, Naya unpacks why digital products count, and how to turn them into proof.

Timestamps & Highlights:

• [00:00:00] – Digital products are products.

• [00:00:51] – The SMART PM Roadmap story

• [00:01:31] – Full product lifecycle without a single line of code

• [00:02:01] – Templates solve real problems too

• [00:03:00] – From gap to launch: user research to iteration

• [00:04:10] – Turn your content into a case study

• [00:05:18] – Side Hustle Stories & Smart PM Roadmap callout

• [00:06:12] – You’re not just learning product—you’re becoming it

  
  

  Key Links:

  • ⁠⁠Free Smart PM Career Roadmap⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠Build Without Permission – Mini Course⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course⁠⁠

  • ⁠⁠Proof & Practice Bundle

This one’s personal. Naya shares how a career transition exposed the gap in protections for gig workers, and how she built GigSecure to fix it.

ength: ~11 mins

Timestamps & Highlights:

• [00:00:00] – Why GigSecure didn’t start as a hackathon idea

• [00:00:51] – From traditional job benefits to gig work vulnerability

• [00:01:49] – Asking hard questions about health, savings, and support

• [00:02:37] – Getting validation through the TEF grant

• [00:03:26] – Building the MVP with Flutterflow, Supabase, Buildship, and AI

• [00:05:16] – No-code isn’t a shortcut—it’s a strategy

• [00:06:00] – You don’t need to wait for validation, but it’s powerful when it comes

• [00:07:16] – What protections do gig workers really need?

• [00:09:20] – Encouragement for listeners to start small and build proof

• [00:10:14] – Tools, roadmaps, and next steps for building in public

  
  

  Key Links:

  • ⁠Free Smart PM Career Roadmap⁠

  • ⁠Build Without Permission – Mini Course⁠

  • ⁠Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course⁠

  • ⁠Proof & Practice Bundle

Are you tired of one-size-fits-all careers? In this episode, Naya shares how she moved beyond the traditional product path and built a portfolio career that reflects her real life and values.

Timestamps & Highlights:

• [00:00:00] – Intro: nervous, excited, and ready to unpack it all

• [00:01:10] – Feeling boxed in by a single job title

• [00:02:01] – What a portfolio career actually is

• [00:03:45] – How life changes (marriage, motherhood) led to redefining work

• [00:04:41] – Building proof through courses, roles, and self-driven work

• [00:06:00] – Starting small with what you already know

• [00:07:31] – Proof, clarity, and courage over audience size

• [00:08:25] – Final thoughts + free resources

  
  

  Key Links:

  • Free Smart PM Career Roadmap

  • Build Without Permission – Mini Course

  • Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course

  • Proof & Practice Bundle

In this season opener, I’m reflecting on how Becoming the Product has evolved, from a way to break into product management to a framework for building a career (and life) on your own terms.

I share how launching a podcast, building mini-courses, pivoting careers, and trusting the process helped me stop waiting for permission and start designing a portfolio career. If you've ever felt like you're more than just a job title, this episode is for you.

Timestamps
[00:00:00] – Welcome to Season 3 & life/career update
[00:01:02] – How and why the podcast started
[00:02:17] – Learning to build trust in myself without a title
[00:03:00] – Pivoting into incubation, courses, and GigSecure
[00:03:52] – From jobs to portfolio careers: defining a product-led life
[00:04:18] – What “Becoming the Product” actually means
[00:04:48] – The unglamorous (but real) part of growth
[00:05:13] – Proof through storytelling, no-code, and consistency
[00:05:44] – Who this season is for (creators, PMs, multihyphenates)
[00:06:11] – How to get started: free roadmap & courses
[00:07:02] – Closing and gratitude

Resources Mentioned

• Free Smart PM Career Roadmap

• Build Without Permission – Mini Course

• Side Hustle Stories – Mini Course

• Proof & Practice Bundle

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Thanks for being here. Let’s make this season the one where you become the product.

In this season finale of Becoming the Product, Naya reflects on her first 180 days as a Growth Manager, sharing key lessons and milestones in her journey. From building confidence in project scoping on Nifty to validating problem statements and taking on her first go-to-market (GTM) task, Naya discusses how these six months have shaped her approach to product management. She recounts how early challenges in understanding company tools and culture evolved into skills she now confidently applies, emphasizing the importance of iteration, resilience, and adapting to the fast-paced nature of product management.

Naya also expresses gratitude for the support from the Becoming the Product community throughout this season, including an award win that validated her commitment to sharing her story. As she looks forward to next season, Naya offers advice for aspiring product managers: embrace iteration, stay curious, and don’t shy away from challenging tasks. Whether you’re just starting out or growing in your career, this episode is a heartfelt conclusion to the season, packed with practical insights and inspiration for the journey ahead.

In this episode of Becoming the Product, Naya shares her exciting journey to securing second place in the Enyata Buildathon, a competition where she used no-code tools to create an innovative solution for freelancers. Naya takes listeners behind the scenes of how she almost didn’t apply, but eventually submitted her project, "Gig Secure"—an AI-powered digital marketplace that connects gig workers to affordable micro-insurance. From outlining her project plan in Nifty to building the MVP using tools like FlutterFlow and Supabase, Naya offers a step-by-step guide to navigating a hackathon, even with minimal technical experience.

Throughout the episode, Naya shares valuable tips, including the importance of playing to your strengths, using the right no-code tools, and ensuring your solution works effectively for demos. She also emphasizes the power of storytelling in presentations and how focusing on the problem can make a difference. Whether you’re interested in competing in hackathons or bringing a product idea to life, this episode is packed with actionable insights on leveraging no-code tools and showcasing your solution with impact.