Brandy Crompton: Field Hockey to HubSpot Product Leadership | Women of HubSpot

Welcome to the Women of HubSpot podcast, the show that celebrates the voices shaping marketing technology and the ever evolving HubSpot ecosystem. Hosted by George B. Thomas from Sidekick Strategies, each episode brings you the stories, strategies and superpowers of the women driving this industry forward. It's their time. It's their mic. This is Women of HubSpot.

All right, ladies and gentlemen, it's your boy, George B. Thomas. And we are back with another episode of the Women of HubSpot podcast. I'm excited one, because we do have a woman of HubSpot here. If it was just me, that would be a really weird episode. But I'm also excited because we get to continue this journey. Listen, if it's your first episode, here's the deal. It's the Super Bowl. I'm sitting there with my family, and my daughter starts to talk about how the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback has an all women team. And I see her face light up and I see her excitement, and all of a sudden I get this urge to do a LinkedIn post of like, hey, if you know a woman who works in or with HubSpot, let's shine a light on them. There was no strategy. I was just emotionally moved by how moved my daughter was. And the post blew up. I looked at my daughters, they looked at me, and we got to do something with this. And so this style of interview or content, air quotes, if you want to call it, was created. And so today I'm here with Brandy Crompton. Brandy, first of all, how the heck are you doing today?

I'm doing great. It's nice. Sunny day here, so can't complain. How are you doing?

I'm doing great too. Better because you're here and we're going to have a great conversation. Sunny day. First of all, where are we at that?

It's sunny, so it's funny you mentioned the Eagles. I'm in the greater Philadelphia area, so about 40 minutes outside of Philly.

There you go. I love it. I love it. And so just real quick, before we get into the heart of the conversation that people are listening into, kind of maybe explain who you are, what you do, where you do it, to give them some context.

Yeah, definitely. So, yeah, for folks who don't know me, I'm Brandi. I've been at HubSpot for 11 years this past June, so longtime hubspotter. I basically started there right out of college, was in Boston for a long time, but after the pandemic, kind of staying remote allowed me to travel back home. So now I work remotely in the Philadelphia area with my family, live close to family, so it's great. So, yeah. And I focus specifically in our ecosystem product group. I'm the group product manager for our strategic integrations team. So I manage 7PMs who all work on HubSpot, built integrations, and I built a 6 extensibility for our partners and developers. And yeah, yeah, that's the quick hits.

I love it. That's the quick hits. So if my Math is right, 11 years at HubSpot. Does that mean you've had two sabbaticals?

I've had two sabbaticals, yes. I just am coming back for my second one.

Nice. I love it. I so love that. That's a feature at HubSpot for the humans of HubSpot. Okay, so, Brandy, let's go ahead and jump into this. If we could go back in time, you know, like, I don't know, we have the technology, which we may in the future. Who knows? If we could go back in time and meet young Brandy Crompton just starting out, One, what would we see? And two, what would she be most surprised about? Where you are now?

So, yeah, so growing up, I'm actually from a pretty big family. I'm one of five, and I'm a middle child, which I have just always used as a very positive swing. I know middle children sometimes get different definitions or. Or names for things, but no, I've always thrived at being a middle child. I would say I focused on being independent, trying new things, and. And, yeah, always, I think, been pretty outgoing. But, yeah, no, I. Yeah, as I mentioned, grew up with a big family, then went, you know, to school for Boston, and I really didn't know what to do. I. Or what I was going to do. I played field hockey for a very long time, so I actually played field hockey in college. I went to Bentley, and that was one of the biggest pulls to the school and taking me there. And it's a business school in the Boston area. And so from there, you know, tech was becoming pretty hot. I was looking into marketing, and then it was like, oh, might as well do computer information systems. But I really. I really didn't know what I was gonna do. I really wanted to play sports, and that was definitely something I really, really love. But new. Wouldn't have maybe a further career after college, unfortunately. But so then, yeah, I was kind of thinking about what would be next. And Bentley does a phenomenal job of, like, meeting companies in the Boston area, making mentors, thinking about what you want to do especially like right at freshman year. So that's where then I discovered I started getting internships in the area and looking more into marketing and computer information systems. And that's kind of where HubSpot was like a no brainer. I started initially on our support team, but just to go back to like your initial question was, yeah, I really had no idea what I was going to do. I was very determined to be a student athlete. And I think Brandy today would be pretty amazed that I lead a product team of seven. And our ecosystem team has just grown insane amount in my 11 years here. And HubSpot as the company in general has grown a crazy amount and the fact that I still be a HubSpot, but it's all been just an awesome opportunity and something that. Yeah, I mean I, I even am still very impressed that of where I am today.

But yeah, yeah, as you should be. I mean I entered the ecosystem in 2012 and the amount of people that I've seen come and go, loved and then lost, if you will. And so the fact that I, if I do my math right, it seems like 2013 is when you probably started at HubSpot.

So it's 2014.

2014. See, my math was wrong. That's why I do interviews. That's not why I do math. So 2014 is when you started HubSpot. You've had two sabbaticals. A sports fanatic. The thing I like too at the beginning is always willing to try new things. You slip that in there as the middle child, which by the way, if you're listening to this, I smiled as soon as Brandy said middle child because I have four children, which I kind of have two middle children. And there are things that can be true and not true about that whole kind of middle child thing, but I love that, trying new things. I love the sports, the field hockey, the I don't know what I want to do but let's figure it out along the way mindset that I heard as you were telling that story and you should be proud of where you're at and what you're doing. So it's been a journey to get from there to here. So Brandy, I'm super curious, like who are some of your biggest inspirations or mentors along the way, either in college, before that or Even during your 11 years at HubSpot so far?

Well, yeah, as I said with Bentley being a very, I would say prominent business school, you know, it's not an Ivy League, but it still has like incredible statistics on just getting graduates, college or jobs right out of college. And as I mentioned, like, I really didn't know what I want to do, but I think having that like business background was incredibly helpful. And just all the, the friends and people I met there as well, like went on to also have very ambitious careers. So I think that was very helpful to me realizing like, oh, I should do this, I should get an internship. I should start thinking about this. I might not be a finance major working at the Big four, but I think I could still figure out, you know, a career path there. And yes, I mean, I had ton of friends, teammates that all had like really great, fabulous careers and still do. And I think that was something that. Right. I didn't know if I wanted necessarily, but was something that I think really helped me in the beginning to just like start figuring it out, start working hard, start learning and putting yourself out there. And then from there you have my time at Bentley. So basically after I graduated, I was at HubSpot and I've been at HubSpot since. So people in the day used to say like, oh, you've done the HubSpot MBA program. Because I've been here for so long and started. So I started originally on our support team and then I was one of the second members on our dedicated support team, which was a new team. The company started to really give high Mr. Customers and folks that had deep integrations and needed more technical support that, you know, personalized go to person instead of always having to reach out. So leaning back to the just jumping on things and taking opportunities, you'll notice that's a kind of big theme at my time at HubSpot. So, so started there and from there had like a great mentor and folks there who were very technical, which I think I knew quickly. I loved that like, I loved the aspect of like troubleshooting, figuring out what's going on, figuring out like the technical solution. I only had a minor in computer information systems and that's where just like all the folks around me I'd say is really, you know, the champions of my career because I, I learned so much from just like my colleagues at HubSpot and getting their advice on like what I should do next or if I should take any courses or just taking the time to just learn more about technical solutions there. Yeah. Because then from there went on to be a technical consultant. And then from there a lot of my friends and folks who started in support also went onto the product team. So there were a lot of kind of early friends that I had made from the technical support team in the beginning that then I had as mentors to then figure out how I could move into product, what that would look like, what I would need to do. And so yeah, so just a ton of friends there and mentors there. I don't know if I. If you want me to name a few happy today.

Yeah, I was gonna say is there like one or two or two or three that stand above, you know, the crowd where you're like these people had a significant impact on something I was doing or something I felt or something I believed?

Yeah, no, definitely. So I'll say first shout out to Rob Ainsley. He was the one who was on the led the technical support team or sorry, the dedicated support team back in the day. I believe he's still at HubSpot doing same stuff. There's like really focused on figuring out technical solutions for our customers. He was so just I think like patient and so customer focused and just really knowing the plan, platform and figuring out how to solve for customers. So he was incredibly helpful in my career. And then also definitely Kevin Walsh, he is a long time PM at HubSpot. Not there anymore unfortunately. But he was definitely an incredible mentor for me, especially when I moved into product and you know, just product. You're working more with leaders in the company and figuring out what are the big bets and how to also just strike drive and be successful as a pm. And he was just such an incredible mentor. He had such a great career at HubSpot too. But I think just also, I think just also being a woman, it's also great to have men mentors too just for thinking outside of the box or things that I wouldn't necessarily think of. And yes, those would be a couple to name that. Yeah. I think just when I look back and think about my time that have been just super helpful to kind of, I guess moving my creative mind that I have today.

I love that very much because you'll see like as we do this conversation that we're having, there's going to be kind of some valley questions, but we'll get to some peak questions. And one of the questions we're going to get to is this idea of like networking for females, but is it just networking in general? And I love that you leaned in like hey, even having male mentors to think about the things that I wouldn't think about. Which by the way, I love having female mentors because it helps me think about the things that I wouldn't think about or females that are in my life, that are empowered and successful. And so I think that having this mix is a beautiful thing as we move forward. But now, Brandi, it's time to move. We're going to move into what I call some of the Valley questions so that we can get to the peak here in a hot minute. But let's talk about hurdles and biases, because I'm curious if there's been any hurdles or biases that you've had to overcome in your career, and if so, how did you navigate them in those moments and times?

See, as I mentioned, like, definitely in the early stages of my career, I definitely feel like I had nothing to lose. So with any new opportunities and such that came up, I'm very glad I jumped on them just to, like. I do think that's something I would give anyone advice that if an opportunity does come up and it's in the beginning of your career, why not, you know, what, what else? And if anything, you'll just learn more or figure out what to do. So I'm definitely very grateful for just kind of jumping on those opportunities. I think that's been really helpful. And then I think when you switch into product, I think one of the great things about product, but also the really hard things about product is that, undetermined, what should you do? You don't have all the answers. One of the biggest things I said when switching from, or just with folks I've mentored from switching from a service role to product is, you know, when I was on, you know, support teams or consulting teams, you're surrounded by everyone else who's doing the exact same job as you. But then when you switch into product, everything is really. You're flipped on its head, and you are now working with all these different roles. And as a pm, I don't have the perfect analogy for this, but the one I always go back to is like, we are maybe like the owner of the football team. You know, we're not necessarily the players on the field. We're not the designers design the jerseys, are not the engineers doing that. But we are kind of in the background, you know, making everything move and bringing in all the right people and make sure everything can keep moving along. And that was something that I was like, oh, this is very different when I switched over. And. And what's hard, too, is that you're not sitting with all the other PMs, so you are in that state, you know, alone. A little bit of being like, am I doing the right things? Is this the right Stuff, Am I doing the right new things there? And at my time at HubSpot, as I mentioned, I think because I'd been there so long, it was really nice that I had a lot of folks that had switched over to PM as well and been on a similar path as me. So that was just really helpful just to get that validation of, oh, like, is this correct? Are you doing the same thing? Is this right? Or I don't know if it's wrong because. Yeah, because as a product manager, you know, you can lean so much on the product, but then you got to also focus on the company initiatives. You got to make sure you're doing the right things. But then when things get go wrong, you know, you need to make sure you have the answers and figure out what you're doing next. But yeah, no, I think that was definitely a time that was like, okay, is this right? Is this wrong? I don't know. This is also just a role that I was so excited to finally be a part of and finally be having like a very, like be able to really make impact for the customers that I had helped from the support side for so long that, you know, it just was nerve wracking because it was like, oh, now I'm finally a pm. I'm doing the PM things. Oh my goodness. Um, you know, being worried about that failure. But that's where having I think some other folks that you know is really helpful. But that's definitely a tricky part where all of a sudden everyone is looking at you and you're the one that kind of is the decision maker. You gotta be confident in what you're doing. I'll say also on the other side is I've reported to a lot of VPs at HubSpot and that is something too. That is tough. But I guess in my perspective, I always used it also as like a great advantage to like learn from folks to ask them questions. But that's where I think having those mentors was just super important to have that knit of colleagues that were the same level as me to get feedback on. Just because, you know, VPs have all these other things going on and they're asking questions, you're not sure why. And as you're kind of figuring out what your flow is as a PM and doing things and getting those, you know, wins under your belt, it's hard when you don't have, I would say maybe managers that are, you know, solely totally focused on managing, I guess. But yeah, I guess, I guess those would be a couple of things.

Yeah, I love that. No, there's a couple of things that I want to pull out of there that were interesting to me. Actually, it was all interesting. But when you said I was finally on the product side and could make an impact to the things that I heard heard when I was on the service side is so inspiring to me because it's like, hey, I had all this time to listen and now I have all this time to execute. Also, I do love your analogy of like the owner of the sports team because it's your job when you don't know, when you're second guessing, when you're trying to go through this journey of taking a product from maybe good to great or man, we gotta make this one from scratch. Whatever it may be. The idea of being able to put the right people in the right seats and you're almost the person's like, here's the designers I need, here's the, you know, product, here's the quarterback I need, here's the running back. And so to have that. But then also I heard multiple times of like leaning on the relationships that I've built along the way to be like, hey, I'm second guessing, so let me talk to somebody else. Are they second guessing too? And so I just love all of that. I think there's a lot that people could learn from your answer there. So let's continue on down this journey. Have you ever faced a moment, Randy, where you felt underestimated or maybe even overlooked or out of place? By the way, this could be pre HubSpot. This could be HubSpot, or it could just be life in general. By the way, it could be in this industry, whatever. And if so, how did you handle that kind of being underestimated or overlooked or that feeling of out of being out of place?

I'm always big on learning from my experiences and trying to get answers to figure out the why. More so I think it goes back to my athlete mentality of like, what can I do better? I always got to improve. I gotta fix the shot, you know, how can I do that? And so, yeah, so like one example is, yeah, when I originally applied to be in product, I didn't get it. And that was something that I felt like, oh, like I'm such a long time hubspotter. Like I have all this great knowledge. I have all this tech technical knowledge. I've seen these other people do it. Like, what is going on? You know, maybe I didn't know enough people or I didn't know the right people, you Know, and I, I think there's so much that you can do to overthink it or just get up, you know, get lost in, in your mind that I, I just have found it's really helpful to then like, just really go back, hear what folks say and just lean into that feedback. Like, I might think I'm better because of X, Y and Z, but if they think I need to prove on, you know, DN Y, it's like, okay, then let's do that. I will do that. I will go back and I will, you know, I will really focus in on those things you want me to work on and then use that to come back and say, like, hey, these were my gaps that you mentioned. I've now improved in these four ways. And now I feel like, you know, I, I can achieve that. So that's something I've always done versus trying to fight it. Just really leaning into the feedback are the reasons why, especially from folks that, you know, definitely I look up to. But. And, you know, I think, I think it's, I think it's valid. And also I think if something's still not working, there's going to be another path and maybe there's a reason why you didn't get it. So that's, I think some things I've always leaned on in my career of like, okay, do I really need to do this? Should I do this? Or the people around me feel like this is good? Or I think, yes, I definitely should do this. Because I think there were two times in my career as well that if I was, I guess, yeah, not thought of or wasn't picked that sometimes then I was like, well, wait a second. Like, I'm doing this, this and this, and this is great. Like, because then it's like, okay, wait, am I being an advocate of myself for it? Like, oh, if I'm not, then yeah, what am I doing? Maybe I don't need to do this. And I think that is, you know, fine. So it's a good, I think, fact checker. But yeah, I would say, like, most of the time when that's happened for me, I've used that as a way to just like, really lean into what the feedback is versus maybe fighting it or, you know, making up excuses or just saying, hey, if I deserve this more, it's no, it's. Instead, what is the things that you think I could do better and I will then double down and lean into that and improve on that and then hopefully, you know, it will then work out at the end. It's just the, I guess, the mentality I have around that.

I love that mentality. This idea of one, I heard possible paths, like, maybe a closed door is actually an open door for where you're supposed to be. I really love the idea of, like, being a power listener and embracing the feedback, dissecting the feedback, making changes based on the feedback. I'm always transported when everybody talks about feedback. I think it was 2013, 2014. Brian Helling said, Feedback is the breakfast of champions. Right. And, like, people just grabbed onto that during that inbound session that they did. And. And I think it's so true that if you can listen and if you can change, if you can pivot, you know, and transition in the places that you need to, and it not be. Excuse it not be a stopping point, but a starting point for where you're going, I think that's super powerful. I love that. That so much. Okay, we're getting to the bottom of the valley, and then we're going to start to go up to the peak of the mountain. Brandy, have you ever experienced a significant failure or setback in life? And then, if so, like, what did you learn from that?

Yeah, the biggest one that comes to mind, I would say, is, yeah. So when I was field hockey player in college, I ended my freshman career with getting a lot of play time. Things were looking good for going into next season. I was really excited. And then actually the next year at preseason, I got injured, like, right in the beginning at preseason, I was basically out and was concussed, which, at the time, there were a lot of protocol changes for concussions and stuff, which totally valid. So that, like, really put me out, and I was hit in the face. So I had to, like, adjust with wearing a mask at one point. And then we concussed and then taking the mask off, and it was just this whole ordeal totally, I think, just shifted my play and my confidence. I think what's really tough is, as like, a college player, you only really have four years. Like, yes, you can redshirt and stuff, But I'd already started playing, so I would say that is just, like, a big thing I can think of. That was just, like, such a bummer after, like, all this hard work I put into. And I was doing so well coming into it, from jumping from just, like, high school to the collegiate experience. And I think that was something where I'd really think through, like, okay, do I still want to do this? Even if, like, now there's new freshmen coming in and, you know, they take your Spots or they get more time. And yeah, I think it just really kind of leaned into then, you know, I gotta always now keep proving myself and I'm still now, like earning it all back, but then like new people coming in every other year and just deciding like, dude, I still want to play. And yeah, and that's something I did stay and I played my whole four years. But I do think that's something that really shifted that experience for me. But that was something that I guess, yeah, just kind of didn't, didn't slow me down and I still wanted to stay. But definitely, I think mentally that's a hard shift of like, oh, this is how it's going to be. I'm going to be one of the best. It's going to be great. I'm going to be a star. And then making it so that every year I then just still had to like, try your hardest every single time. Like your spot wasn't always there for you. Due to that, that setback I'd had.

I'd say, yeah, I love that so much. I mean, listen, the context, the story is around field hockey, right, in sports. But let's just be honest, if you took that out of it and you just looked at life in general, you kind of got to wake up every day and earn your spot. You got to earn it back, as you said. And I, I love this idea of just like, you go out there, you, you leave it all on the field, you do the best you can do, and you wake up the next day, the next week, the next month, and you get back on the field and you try it again. And I think when you're talking about working at HubSpot, that makes a superpower because it's always changing. There's always new things. You've always got to kind of earn it back and learn more and keep going. So I love how that ties into who you are and what you do now, the lessons learned from that. Okay, as a female who has been on a great journey, who's worked for HubSpot for 11 years, who's sports minded, has, you know, been mentored to and is being a mentor to others on a daily basis. When you hear the word empowerment, what does empowerment mean to you and how do you pass that to others in your field or in your department or just in your life in general? The. This empowerment.

Yeah, I'll say, like, definitely early in my career as a product manager, I had this click moment where I was like, oh, I'm doing it. Like, I'm Actually doing it. And the reason why I felt that was when. Because, right. I had all this customer experience. I knew so much about the product. And then to your point, and that's why, you know, people are coming in and out every day. So I was then working with all these, you know, designers and engineers that weren't really at HubSpot. And there were so many things that I was like, no, we can't do this. Because, like, I know this is bad. Like, customers want this. Like, I've heard it so many times. And finally, all of a sudden, I remember I was in this meeting, and one of my designers was, like, selling my vision or just had finally, like, I think, connected with her. And that was something that I was like, oh, okay, one. I must not be crazy. Like, she sees it too. And. And she, I could tell, was very excited and motivated to then motivate these other product teams to care about it, the engineers to care about it. And so if I had to, I guess, yeah, define that. Like, I just. I definitely feel like it all leans to, like, giving others confidence to move forward and complete their job and feel like it's valued and they're helping and they're doing something that makes them proud. Yeah. So I think that's one of the key moments I think of. And then I think I've had numerous things, situations or things like that throughout my career where then I've seen, you know, either the people I manage or other folks I work with or mentored, you know, be successful or have that, you know, the big win for them or the light shine. Yeah, I guess that's how I'd say I would do it. But it's definitely more of, I think, a feeling and emotion than really something you can define.

But I love the idea of feeling an emotion. I love the words you said to moving them forward, like, giving them the belief to kind of move forward and even use the word light in there, which I. Which I love. Kind of shining the light. So now that we've kind of heard, you know, your thoughts on empowerment, I'm super curious. Can you share a moment in your career where you felt especially empowered or proud of something that you have achieved?

Yeah, I would say a couple of things. This is. Yeah, just one thing I worked on for a lot, a couple of years, which is not, I would say, the most, like, glamorous thing, but I just knew it was something so painful for customers was. So I'm in the integration space, and we have to connect with all these other platforms, and at the Time when I switched over to product, I just think we had a lot of integrations, but just there was so much more we could do and there was a lot with errors and stuff that customer. We were always at the top of the support cases because customers thought things were broken or they didn't know how it worked. So when I spent like two plus years working on redoing our Salesforce errors for our integration and that was something that I feel like gave me so much joy because I feel like with the amount of customers and stuff that we met with and learned from and I'll never forget this one admin said to me like, I'm an admin and like I want to champion HubSpot. So instead of just like seeing something's wrong and everything stopped and it's hidden within settings, if you actually let me know, I can then be proactive and do something about it and still make you guys look like a champion, even if something's broken and still wrong. But at least if I'm notified at the right time, I can export and import and keep the day moving, I guess. And that was such a big thing that we leaned into when we redid errors. Was that communicating what was going on, More information, taking errors and making it more digestible so that folks could actually understand what the heck was going on. And yeah, so that, that was a big one that, you know, I'd say folks would be like, oh, how would you. It's errors, whatever. But errors are just. There was, there was so much things that were being misinterpreted because people thought like our platform was just bad and broken where a lot of those errors were like, no, this is how you set up both systems to work and communicate and we're actually following those rules. But it's definitely confusing to you to why and what is going on. So yeah, that as like, I don't know, as non flashy or that. I just know that was something that was so core to folks that needed to have these systems communicate and keep working together and you know, keep jobs moving and things like that. So that I think was definitely a really big win that just really stands out. But I mean, yeah, I mean we've had so many. The ecosystem team has grown from, you know, I was on a team with only like two other PMs and now we have multiple product groups. We have seven PMs that I work with for specifically on integrations. So it's just been amazing to see that grow because we have seen so many other companies be so successful with their platform and ecosystem. And that's something that I do think has taken a lot to shine. The purpose and reason and why it's so great to have partners and things, care about HubSpot and build on HubSpot and extend HubSpot. And I think especially now in this next wave of technology, it's going to be even more important for these systems to speak to each other. And we're going to really need to make sure that our platform can speak to it because I think we're going to see a lot more customers picking multiple systems and expect them to work together versus going all in one. Which is funny. It's like taking me back to like the beginning days of HubSpot. So deja vu. But I think we're though a lot more well prepared and we know a lot more. But, um, yeah, that, that would be, I would say a couple of. Couple of examples or big wins.

Yeah, I love it. I'll never forget when I started here in HubSpot instead of all in one, all on one and. And I just knew everything was changing at that point in time. The mindset. Because where the mindset goes. I love though too that I've got to tell you, it doesn't have to be flashy to be amazing. I'll just say thank you to you and whatever team worked on the errors because any. Any place in HubSpot, especially in a place where it's like Salesforce HubSpot integration, which I've had the privilege or pain, I don't know which one I want to use to help people through that process. Any place you can remove confusion and help people set things up properly and also then get notified when they're not. So your words can keep moving through the day is amazing. So congratulations. And I think that's a great moment where you could feel empowered because the number of humans that you're helping through that is. Is astronomical. Just if you look at, you know, the numbers of that. Okay, so let's keep moving forward on this conversation we're having. Brandi, if you could change one thing about how women are supported in this industry, there that we're in, you had a magic wand. What's the one thing that you would change?

What would I change? Yeah, I mean, like, obviously at my time at HubSpot, I've worked on a lot of teams where I've been the only the girl and worked with a lot of, you know, engineering designers and folks. But I think what is great is that we have really seen that you know, change over time. Right now I have, like, a full leadership triad where we're all women, which is. Which is great. I don't know what changed, because as I said earlier, like, there's so much I've learned. I think the biggest thing, though, has been to just, like, ask questions sometimes. I always am like, oh, I'm asking too many questions, or I'm talking too much, but it just never hurts. And I think that's the biggest, like, learning opportunity that I've learned of, like, some of my male counterparts or things that I'm like, oh, why. Why are you asking? Like, what are you doing? Why are you asking that? And then I see their, you know, perspective, and I'm like, oh, okay, I should use that next time when I'm dealing with this. I see what you're doing. So I think, I do think that's important. I. I also do think having really strong managers is. Is important. Like, as I said, I've. I've reported to a lot of VPs that I think I've navigated my own way. But I think now being a manager and I have, you know, a couple of women on my team, that it is just really important, I think, to have that manager and to have that touch points and, you know, really just make sure that they can ask the questions. Or also be super transparent, I will say, like, the, The VP managers I've had in my time at HubSpot, I think have always been incredibly transparent. And that's something that I'm like, okay, the company's going this way. We should do that. Or, oh, it was like a light bulb moment. But I think not always folks know, like, oh, because you said that I should do this, or, well, wait, how do I tie that? Or, are you sure I could do that? And I think just giving. Making sure that everyone does have, like, that strong manager to, you know, support you, be your cheerleader or just give you some. Some push or guardrails of like, hey, this is the direction you should go. And why, I think just is really, really important. And, you know, not even just for women, but probably just, I would say, for. For everyone. But I do think that is something that I, I think I've seen folks, like, fail in the past when it's like, they're not sure what to do. They're not. They're then missing that opportunity or missing that moment to shine or, you know, to your point, staying up a tech, and now you just kind of miss that moment because you didn't do that. And that's where I just think having that manager really support you or ask questions or learn or connect you with the right people is very helpful. And I think the job of the manager, and that's something that I think, you know, is really important for folks. And I guess you could say, yeah, it could be more helpful for. For women as well. Because I've seen people, once you get that little push of confidence or things like that, it's like, they're good, they're perfect. You know, they're great. All they just needed was that, you know, double checking. But I do think sometimes it's like missed opportunities like that, that then all of a sudden folks aren't sure and they, you know, maybe go in a different direction. So, yeah, I would probably say that. I mean, there could be numerous of things. I remember, you know, when I first joined product, there was a lot of talk of we were doing a lot of stuff externally with other companies and things to help women in tech that were coming maybe out of college and stuff. And it's like, oh, we should do more in HubSpot, like, do we have the events, like, for our own product team that we do things? And I kicked off this lady's who lunch event, and we started then meeting quarterly where we would have a lunch and then next quarter we would do a breakfast, and then the other quarter we would do, I think, like drinks and apps. And what was great is that one you've just got to meet all the women of product because at the time there weren't a crazy amount. So it was just like, okay, great, you're now just meeting more folks. And it was also great because it was like all different times of the day. So maybe a lot of people that had kids could make it more in the morning and then other folks, you know, maybe younger crowd in the afternoon. But it was just great to kind of change it up. And I think just like little things like that, of having space to make the connections and ask questions and have a conversation is something that's just so valued and should really be there. I struggle with, like, putting in really, really strict things in place because I feel like that takes away sometimes from that creativity. But, yeah, I think that would be something. It's just still like leaning on that, making those connections. This product is moving so quickly that it's just good to have those touch bases or those. Yeah. Being able to touch base and meet other folks as well. Just to learn, like, oh, you also have this problem or what you learned from that. I would say maybe I would be my magic wand.

Yeah, I love that magic wand moment. There's actually a lot in there. I would say it's maybe a rewind point, to be honest with you. Rewind and listen that again, because a couple of things that I want to pull out of there. One, you talked about kind of building a community of humans that you can. And by the way, this is a theme that has gone from the sports to HubSpot into this question, as well as, like, building that community around you. The flexibility for them to show up when they can show up as that community. Also, I love that you were talking about kind of giving the push or challenge, but also with those words, you use the word support along the way. And at the very beginning of our magic moment, something that I love and I believe in deeply is the power to ask questions and the space to enable people to have the power to ask those questions. Because if we. If we ask questions, it will get us to magic places. If we just sit there and accept what's happening, sometimes that just doesn't end the way that we think it's going to or the way that it could. And especially when we're talking about HubSpot and product. The power of questions, the power of listening. Themes that have kind of gone through this conversation so far are so important. So important now.

One thing. Oh, one thing quick just to add to that, when I switched over into product, you know, right. Like the, oh, my gosh, should I really be here? I don't know. But to the point of leading questions was that I made a point for like, every team meeting or product AMA we had was to ask at least one question. And most of the time I'd be like, oh, I totally regret asking that question, or, oh, that was stupid. But I would say that's something that then over time, it just became a muscle. And I think that is a really good. To your point, like, if. Because also with zoom and everything remotely, no one asks questions, no one talks. And I will say, like, even if you don't feel like it's that great of a question, I do think that's such a good muscle to. Especially if you're starting your career just to get your voice out there, have people make eye contact with you, you know, you get your name known, you know, that just really, there's so many building blocks there. And then over time, like, I don't even think when I have a question, like, I'm just always asking questions. But I do think that's been something that in beginning, my Career. I really remember being just, like, terrified, and I hated that I asked the question. But now, like, as we just said today, like, I. I do that so freely and I don't even think about it, but I think that is something that's good for folks to think about, that if there's new people or leaders in the room, try to always at least just get one question in to just practice that muscle.

Yeah, I love that. Practice the muscle of asking the question. So listeners, viewers today, find one space where you usually wouldn't have and ask that question. Okay, this next one is going to be fun because you're in product, Brandy. And I feel like it's like asking a parent who their favorite child is, which probably is a question that should never be asked. But this is called the Women of HubSpot podcast. So I have to ask one question about HubSpot because, you know, you should. Are there any particular tools, strategies, or trends in HubSpot that excites you right now?

Yeah, I mean, I think there's so much excitement going on at HubSpot right now. I mean, hubs. I mean, one of my favorite things that I always tell folks that I love working at HubSpot, especially in product, is one we, like, still are always so customer focused and, like, going back to that, being nervous of, like, oh, am I doing the right things? And what if I mess up or launch the wrong thing? That's been something that I've, like, really loved at HubSpot was that regardless if you launch totally the wrong thing, as long as you get the customer feedback and know what to do next, that's all right. Like, we learned and we said, everyone, I thought everyone wanted a blue button. Turns out they want green. We're now going to give them the green button. It's like, okay, good, good, good. So one that's. That's been so great. I think that's something that HubSpot is still, you know, completely downing, double downing on. It's just like leaning into, like, how are customers thinking about AI? Do they even know about AI? The biggest thing I take away is that customers just want to be able to do their job, and they want to be able to do it, you know, fast and well and efficiently. And I do think AI can really help us take so much, so much of those tedious problems and move them quicker. So, yeah, so I think there's a lot that we're looking into there. Just trying to really think out of box and just the HubSpot way of doing things, you know, Bigger and better with that customer focus. Now I'm like blanking on your initial question of what excites me at HubSpot. Yeah, I guess I'm just like, really excited as well to see what happens the next couple of months, because every day, honestly, I feel like something new is coming or just a new idea or new thought of way to solve things, you know, completely out of box for our customers. Just look at, like the US integrating with OpenAI last month, and that's, you know, who knows what will happen there. Customers interacting with business software through ChatGPT is just mind blowing. But I look at it too. Maybe that actually can help a lot of my integration problems. That, you know, setting up integrations is very tedious. Takes a lot of steps. I think our platform, though, has just so much greatness with our automation. I mean, I've always said, like, our automation tool, I just think is like the backbone of HubSpot. And you do so many cool things. And I'm a very platform thinking person. So at this moving quickly, I'm like, okay, I get why we're moving quickly on these things, but now let's take what we've learned and now get our bigger bang for our buck by building out some platform solution that then can really solve a lot of problems. So, yeah, I hope we really lean into that because I think there's a lot that we can do there, especially for integrations, for just data to automate business processes. So. Yeah, I'm not sure if I fully answered your question.

Yeah, no, no, I think you did. I think it was great. And there was even of like a. A life nugget in there where you. You talked about learning a lesson versus, like, classifying it as failure. Right? Oh, oh, they. They wanted the green button. We gave them a blue one. That's all right. Lesson learned. And I think there's power to that. I think that's part of why HubSpot can be so fast and flexible, by the way, because let's just be honest, at the time that we're recording this interview, I'm getting back from a week's vacation. I also record the customer platform podcast where we meet every morning five days a week, and we talk about HubSpot updates. And when I got back this morning for an episode that I. Well, let's just say the week of vacation, and then it was the week of rest, right? So it had almost been like two weeks. 47 updates. 47 updates that HubSpot had launched. And so I was like, okay, well, time to like get caught up. But that's because lessons were being learned and things were being updated and things were being released. And I just love that about the ecosystem. Randy, let's keep moving on here. We're almost done. By the way, we're starting to crest up the mountaintop of questions here. How important has it been for you? Which by the way, as we've been conversating, I feel like I already know the answer to this, but I can't wait to ask the question. How important is it for you for networking with other females? Or maybe even just networking in general, but for sure on the female side of it too. So the other women of HubSpot or outside of HubSpot who are watching or listening this, how important is that? And are there any strategies that you use to kind of build connections along the way?

I would say yeah, like definitely. I so many folks, especially like hubspotters, like I, I meet a lot with other hubspotters in other departments, especially ones that are interested in product, just to chat with them, hear about career, hearing about their product switch. Because like I said, there's just so many things that I think are, that you just might not know about and might not sure what to do or like, oh, should I really reach out to that product lead to get their advice? And it's like, yes, just do it, go. So when folks reach out to me, I, I would say mostly always like just take, take the meeting, take the coffee, chat, always, always take it. You know, why not? That's, that's, and that's such, just like built into HubSpot's culture. It's like a no brainer and like I said, like, it's, it's paying it forward. I had done that a ton with folks when I wanted to get career advice or think about the next best thing. I'm even still doing that. I randomly reach out to other leaders and stuff just to get their advice on things. And so yeah, so I, you know, I always try to have those meetings, give them advice, help them out, especially when they're looking to either join or apply to other roles within the company. I've also had a lot of folks on LinkedIn reach out, especially in college that are like, oh, I want a product career path. It's so crazy though, because when I was in product or when I was in college, the product management role I think wasn't even really a role or it was like starting to be one where now they actually have like courses and sessions on project management. But anyway, But I actually really love taking a lot of those meetings with folks just because they're just so excited. They're super ambitious. We did also at HubSpot, a full like APM intern program and oh my gosh, all these folks had so much experience and it was just, it was just wild to see. But yeah, so sorry. I would say definitely always taking the meeting, the call to help out and that's why I lean into just like always ask. Because the worst, the worst someone could just say is no. So why you know and not. But yeah, I always try to take that just because I know it can be really helpful to folks especially just navigating the career and getting the adv. And if there's anything I can do to help to kind of give, you know, that little extra push or things I've learned, especially just from some of the, the men mentors I've had in my life too. I'm like, oh yeah, no, like I did this and it was totally fine. Like don't be worried just because you're a woman that you can't do that. Like definitely still do it. You know, just handle everything graciously and being respectful and you know, you, you know, it's always, you know, never can hurt then to jump an opportunity or reach out to someone. So yeah, just constantly mentoring, always trying to help out and that's a big thing too. Just the whole like putting forward like all the PMs that come into HubSpot that I manage. I always make sure there's a ton of mentoring communities programs that we have set up. But I try to also like find them someone else like either a long term Hubspotter or things like that or you know, whatever it might be. Just to always make sure that everyone has those extra touch bases because I think the more people you check with and get advice from, just the better you can feel about the decisions you're making moving things to forward.

So I love that so much. You used one of my magic words, helpful. And you used it multiple times in, in that part of the conversation by the way, which I love because for since what, 2013, 2014, I've been ending most of my videos with don't forget to be a happy, helpful, humble human and do some happy hubspotting along the way. And, and this, this idea of being helpful, of being the mentor. But really the thing that was screaming at the front of my cranium was the serendipity of the call. You never know if you're going to learn something if you're going to teach something or if it's going to be like a relationship that is kindred for a long time, but just you said, why not? Like, take the call. Why not? And so if you're listening us watching this and that's not baked in your culture, in the company that you're working in, maybe it's time to make a move on that, where it's the serendipity of the call and it's, how can we be helpful or how can we ask for the help that we need to move forward? Love it, love it, love it. Okay, Brandi, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

I mean, there's definitely been so many moments. I. I think what's really just exciting is, as I said, like, just how everything has just, like, continued to grow and expand and. And solve so many customer problems and solve them in, like, newer ways that, as I said, like, you're bigger bang for your buck by us moving to be more platform, making more of those connections. And the acquisitions we've done have, like, drastically helped things. Rewarding, though, I mean, I will say just being a manager has been, I think, super fulfilling. There was a time, or I guess I. When I joined product, there were so many superstars, There were so many people that came from support, just like me. We know the customer in and out. We're just, like, crushing things, solving customer problems. And then there's this worry that sometimes when superstars become managers, that they're just still superstarring and they're not really supporting their managers. And I guess good and bad, I've always had the problem if I manage too much stuff. I have so many integrations and so many problems and so much going on that basically anytime I got someone to manage, it was like, okay, I got this whole great area for you. Let me give you my two thoughts of what I've learned and things like that. But now it's your choice to let you do what you think you want to, what. What should be done with it. And I've just seen just so many of my PMs just like, really lean into that, put their own spin on things to solve the problems differently. And I think also, too, with being at HubSpot for so long, I just really feel like I can point my PM's in the right direction, have them talk to the right people or, like, the right platform team so they're not just doing something that needs to be thrown away or that something's already been done and that I think has been just like such a. Just a great moment from just like being at HubSpot so long to then solving customer problems. I never thought I would to now actually like really helping folks that are, you know, just superstars themselves. And then me being able to add just like all that historical concept content and, you know, other things that have been really helpful to me and see them take that and then thrive with that and just having them do, you know, really successful with their leaders. Yeah, it's like a proud, proud mom. And I recently had a. Had a kid, so I don't know, I'm just proud mom movement, just like all my team. But yeah, no, I think that's just been just a really great evolution of I think just my whole product or I guess my whole career experience that I've had. And yeah, I think it's just really great to see. And as I said, like, I had, I had no idea when I was starting at HubSpot like, what I would be doing today. And yeah, I think it's just been really, really great to not full circle, but I would say just to your point, like, passing it forward, moving it on, and then seeing others be successful. Someone said to me, like, oh, you should always like, hire people that could take your job. And I'm like, oh, I do love that. Like, I mean, I don't want them to take my job. I still love my job. But I love the idea that like, I have what I think has grown. This great team, hired awesome people that I do think are superstars. And I'm like, oh yeah, they could, they could totally still, you know, crush that HubSpot even if I wasn't here, you know. So I think that's just been really great to kind of like continue that legacy on in some kind of way and that customer, customer vision and hope and everything that they've wanted and see it, see it continue.

So legacy along the way and customer vision. I. So let's lean into that a little bit. Not the piece that I just said, but your actual answer, because I'm super curious of like, what advice would you give to other women who might want to choose this career path that you've chosen?

I mean, the PM role is scrappy. I hope AI can figure out some great tools to really help with it. But the PM role is definitely, I would say, a scrappy role. And that's something that I do like, even when I hire folks, I like really always look for go getters, people that are really okay with things, you know, being undefined. And figuring how you move forward with it and, you know, being okay with trying putting your neck out there to see what sticks, what works, and then being able to back it up and communicate the why. And I would say that might not be for everybody. I don't know if it's specific, you know, it doesn't need, I think, to specifically be like, men or women. It's just like, hey, here are character characteristics that are helpful to being a good pm, at least in the. My takeaways of it. And, you know, it just depends is like, okay, is this really what you want to do or do you want to roll there? Maybe, like, things are a little more straightforward or things like that. It all depends on how you want to grow and how you want to step out. But, I mean, I've seen people who've come in and they've been shy, and then they just kind of come out of their shell, and now they're like, okay, I get it. I got it. I got to get these, like, product life cycle stages under my belt, and now I feel better. So, yeah, never, never hurts to try. But I. I do think. And that's where I think it comes into just like the experience and the mentor in that community you build. Because to. To my. One of my points earlier, like, that's been something where it's like, am I doing the right thing? Like, oh, this feels, like, messy, or this is taking really long. But I really think we need to do this because of what my engineers are saying or things like that. And I just need to properly communicate that to leadership so they know what we're doing and they don't think that I'm like, you know, just doing the wrong thing. But. But, yeah. So, I mean, I think that's definitely, you know, big advice I give folks is like, I remember when I wanted to join someone was like, oh, you want to be a PM? Like, the hostel PMs are always just like running around from conference room to conference room, you know, being crazy there. And I was like, oh, yeah, I definitely want to do that. I think I'm ready. Like, it's probably my athlete mentality. But, you know, I think that is part of it, you know, knowing what the role is and. But also everything I just said about the role that's not like, on the product to see description when you go to apply of like, oh, you know, living in kind of the product fundamentals of things changing, software changing, keeping up with that. But yeah, so I think like, really knowing what the role is and being like okay with that. And you know, if it's not okay, then, you know, there's plenty other great careers out there like UX or you know, customer success or things like that that are still so much solving for the customer. The end product is definitely fast paced and you got to move quickly and take bets sometimes on things that who knows how they'll do. And you know, it might not be for everybody, which I think is fine, but I think it's just knowing and understanding, maybe having a good perspective before jumping right in and then being like, oh, this is not what I set up for. But as I said, that goes back to like having good managers and mentors and things like that. But I think right when you don't have that, I think that's what can hurt.

Good. So, so good. So we're, we're cresting the mountaintop. We got three last questions. And so you've reached this destination. You've been on a great journey. Eleven years, two sabbaticals, a bunch of mentors, a bunch of product changes, things that you've like been empowered to do. You've reached this point. Brandi, what are your long term goals from here?

I will say it's hard to long term plan right now in this world of AI tech changing. So. Yeah, no, but I mean I say that in like it's a really exciting time in tech. It's crazy just to see all the different technologies that are evolving, all the new ones that are changing. I love that. I'm really excited about it. I'm very curious to see where everything goes. So I mean, I will say ever since I got to product, it was something that I didn't necessarily always be like, oh, I gotta be here, I gotta be SPM by this or a GPM by that. It's, it's just kind of evolved that way, I'll say. And just by like taking on opportunities and leaning into feedback and stuff that I got from mentors and managers, I think pushed me along career and I, I still very much like have that mentality. Like right now I'm like, I gotta manage my people, I gotta sell for our customer and I gotta keep helping the HubSpot company, you know, grow. And there's so much to do that that really is just like my main focus. I just want to keep solving for the customer. You know, having HubSpot stay up to speed with all these AI changes. So whatever that means next to my career, that's great. I'm excited. I'll take it on whatever that Means, but yeah, just continuing to keep, Keep working hard and keep growing my team and, you know, building out our ecosystem is, Is really just where I see, like my main goals right now. Like, I just want to keep doing that. That's probably from like my support back in the day. I'm like, there's still so many problems to solve. Like, I'm not done. I have so many more problems to solve. So that's where I just still very much am like, focused on that, which is, yeah, probably not the exact answer you were looking for. I like to keep working hard and solving on it. And you know, I do think having career goals and everything is definitely really, really important. But I think just right now and I'm just. I, yeah, I guess I never thought I would be a group product manager. So I still am just like, oh, still just navigating, growing my team, keeping them happy. So I'm still just very much like, I guess living in the moment, you could say.

Yeah, no, I. It's good to live in the moment and they're your long term goals. And by the way, when it's like, hey, I want to be able to grow and I want to be able to keep helping and I, I want to be able to, you know, focus on customer. I think those are great long term goals, by the way. Okay, Brandy, what's a surprising or little known fact about you that people might not expect?

So I, well, one, like, fun fact about me, which I always say, which I probably a lot of people do know about me, but I. My favorite color is yellow, which is like really a core thing of me. I know it probably sounds silly, but I, I loved it my whole life. And I think that's where just always staying very optimistic and positive is something like I've really carried throughout my whole career. So that goes very nicely with the, the color yellow. I think on the flip side of that, I do feel like I'm very, you know, get stuff done. I very much like, I like to come in, get my zooms. What are the takeaways? What can we do? How can we, you know, solve this problem? I don't like to dwell. I like to fix. And I think that's something where from being, you know, just optimistic, super happy all the time. I am also sometimes very much like, all right, let's go. Let's. Let's figure it out. Let's move it forward. So, yeah, I say on the flip side of that, I am very like that. I feel like, yeah, maybe sometimes can be a. Can be A surprise. But I just, I think time is. Time is sacred. So if we can, you know, move things forward and get stuff done, especially with helping folks, I do really have that mentality when it comes to work. I'll say.

I love that so, so, so much. You gave us the yin and the yang, the heads and the tails of it. But I'll tell you a life nugget that I think you just dropped when you said, I don't like the dwell. I like the fix. Listeners and viewers. I wish there were more humans that would dwell less and fix more. And I could be talking about HubSpot, or I could just be talking about life right now. Anyway, Brandi, finish this sentence for me. Success to me means blank.

I'll go back to one of these slogans. Dharmesh said it used to be on the HubSpot. Well, it actually probably still is, but we got like postcards of this when we started at HubSpot back in the day. But yeah, it's a quote from him that says, success is making those. It's like, who supported you look brilliant. And I just, I love that so much. I think that's so great of like, the people that believed in you in the past that like, them supporting me and my success is all because of them. So I, I do still love that quote and I think it's something I think about all the time, especially just when I think about my own career, because I think I would be nothing with. Like I said, I had no, I had no plans to. To do this, but I think it all worked because of the great connections and friends I made, you know, especially at HubSpot and the folks that believed in me and mentored me or took a chance on me. And I work so hard to not let them down. So I think that's, that's definitely the quote that I always think of when I think of success. I guess I'm just like, really excited as well to see what happens these next couple months because every day, honestly, I feel like something new is coming or just a new idea or new thought of way to solve things, you know, completely out of box for our customers. Just look at like the US integrating with OpenAI, you know, last month, and that's, you know, who knows what will happen there. Customers interacting with business software through chat, GBT is just mind blowing. But I look at it too. Maybe that actually can help a lot of my integration problems that, you know, setting up integrations is very tedious. Takes a lot of steps. Yeah, no, I think our Platform, though, has just so much greatness with our automation. I mean, I've always said, like, our automation tool, I just think is like the backbone of HubSpot, and you do so many cool things, and I'm a very platform thinking person. So at this moving quickly, I'm like, okay, I get why we're moving quickly on these things, but now let's take what we've learned and now get our bigger bang for our buck by building out some platform solution that then can really solve a lot of problems. So, yeah, I hope we really lean into that because I think there's a lot that we can do there, especially for integrations for just data to automate business processes. So. Yeah, I'm not sure if I fully answered your question.

Yeah, no, no, I think you did. I think it was great. And there was kind of like a. A life nugget in there where you. You talked about learning a lesson versus, like, classifying it as failure, right? Oh, oh, they. They wanted the green button. We gave them a blue one. That's all right. Lesson learned. And I think there's power to that. I think that's part of why HubSpot can be so fast and flexible, by the way, because let's just be honest, at the time that we're recording this interview, I'm getting back from a week's vacation. I also record the customer platform podcast where we meet every morning five days a week, and we talk about HubSpot updates. And when I got back this morning for an episode that I. Well, let's just say the week of vacation, and then it was the week of rest, Right? So it had almost been like two weeks. 47 updates. 47 updates that HubSpot had launched. And so I was like, okay, well, time to, like, get caught up. But that's because lessons are being learned and things were being updated and things were being released. And I just love that about the ecosystem. Randy, let's keep moving on here. We're almost done. By the way, we're starting to crest up the mountaintop of questions here. How important has it been for you? Which, by the way, as we've been conversating, I feel like I already know the answer to this, but I can't wait to ask the question. How important is it for you for networking with other females, or maybe even just networking in general, but for sure on the female side of it too. So the other women of HubSpot or outside of HubSpot who are watching or listening this, how important is that? And are there any strategies that you use to kind of build connections along the way.