Navigating Career Growth: Breaking Free from the Traditional Career Ladder
For years, product managers and other professionals have been conditioned to follow a linear career path—climbing the corporate ladder step by step, often constrained by company politics and rigid promotion cycles. But the landscape has changed. No longer do ambitious professionals have to wait for a title bump to advance their careers.
In this session, we introduce the "Career Lattice"—a dynamic and flexible approach to career growth that allows individuals to expand their skills, impact, and income beyond traditional promotions. We’ll share how product leaders, executives, and professionals can create new opportunities on their own terms—leveraging side projects, consulting, cross-functional collaborations, and strategic skill-building to shape fulfilling, financially rewarding careers without leaving the security of their full-time job.
Key Takeaways:
- Why career growth isn’t just about promotions—and how focusing solely on climbing the ladder can hold you back.
- The Career Lattice framework—how moving sideways, diagonally, or even taking a step back can open bigger doors.
- Real-life success stories—case studies of professionals who have successfully navigated non-linear career growth.
- Actionable strategies—three practical steps attendees can take to start applying the Career Lattice approach immediately.
Audience Engagement & Format:
Storytelling & Case Studies – Examples of individuals who have successfully built careers outside the traditional mold.Interactive Reflection – Guided prompts for attendees to assess their own career aspirations and opportunities.Actionable Framework – Attendees will walk away with a practical roadmap to implement the Career Lattice approach in their own careers.
This session is perfect for professionals looking to expand their career potential without sacrificing their current stability. Attendees will leave empowered with a fresh perspective, tangible next steps, and the confidence to take control of their career trajectory—whether through internal moves, side gigs, or passion projects.
Product Gold was born from a refusal to settle. With 20+ years of product experience for each Co-founder—spanning startups to global enterprises, junior roles to the C-suite—we’ve navigated every stage of the product journey. Now, we help others do the same. Product management isn’t just our expertise; it’s our passion. We stay ahead of trends, challenge conventions with purpose, and know when to follow frameworks or forge new paths. Whether you’re charting your next career move or tackling product challenges, we bring the insights and guidance to help you break out of the status quo and move forward with confidence.
Product Gold was born from a refusal to settle. With 20+ years of product experience for each Co-founder—spanning startups to global enterprises, junior roles to the C-suite—we’ve navigated every stage of the product journey. Now, we help others do the same. Product management isn’t just our expertise; it’s our passion. We stay ahead of trends, challenge conventions with purpose, and know when to follow frameworks or forge new paths. Whether you’re charting your next career move or tackling product challenges, we bring the insights and guidance to help you break out of the status quo and move forward with confidence.
Building a side hustle or business is challenging! I'll share the roadmap to your first customer and then all the way to your first $10K. We'll cover everything from pricing, branding, sales and marketing.
Too many creatives move through their careers taking whatever the industry gives them—climbing corporate ladders, following expected paths, and losing sight of what truly makes them different. In this raw and insightful keynote, we’ll explore the power of betting on yourself, the fears that hold us back, and how to reconnect with your creative identity. Whether you’re questioning your next move, considering going solo, or simply seeking more fulfillment, this talk will challenge you to stop playing it safe and start building a career on your own terms.
Key Takeaways:
- The Real Roadblock: It’s not your logo, brand colors, or pitch deck—it’s you. Why self-doubt is the biggest challenge to launching your next big move.
- Defining What Makes You Different: How to stop blending in and start embracing what sets you apart.
- Breaking Free from Industry Expectations: Why waiting for the “perfect moment” is a myth and how to create your own opportunities.
- Reframing Fear & Failure: Lessons from making the leap—what I learned about risk, rejection, and real success.
- Taking Control of Your Career: Whether you’re starting your own thing or rethinking your next role, learn how to move with intention instead of just taking what’s given.
My company Path Unbound, a boutique UI/UX design school, is a challenger brand in a saturated market with many big named schools. We experienced a long slump in revenue in the first couple of years in business because we couldn’t find our product positioning. We offered products similar to our big competitors and tried to beat them with lower price only to have the opposite effect. People start doubting if we are bad because we were so much cheaper.
Last year, we discovered the magic formula to growth for us as a small challenger brand without big budget for advertising. We started to repackage our big product offerings into smaller ones that are ultra flexible serving mini segments of user personas. We started to see results within weeks of launching our new offerings, attracting more customers than we’ve ever have. In this talk, I’ll how we structured our product offerings according to customer personas and how other small businesses that are challenger brands to big competitors can thrive doing the same.
In those crucial first seconds on your homepage, can prospects understand what you do and why they should care? Most B2B startups struggle to clearly communicate their value, leaving potential customers confused or unconvinced. In this practical session, marketing consultant Garrett Jestice will show you a proven framework to make your homepage message crystal clear. You'll learn:
- How to structure your homepage so prospects immediately understand your value
- A simple formula to articulate what makes your B2B solution different and worth caring about
- Techniques to transform technical features into benefits that resonate with business buyers
- Real examples of clear vs. confusing B2B homepage messaging
Perfect for founders and marketers at B2B startups, you'll walk away with actionable templates and frameworks to make your homepage message immediately clear to the right prospects. No marketing fluff––just practical guidance to help prospects 'get it' in seconds.
