Lessons I Learned the Hard Way as a First-Time Product Manager

Let me start with the truth:
When I landed my first official product manager role, I had no idea what a rising sign was, let alone what Gemini moons wanted in an app.

I was the founder of a software dev company, acting as both product manager, operations director and occationally back end developer. We’d landed a contract to build the KTZ Astrology app, and I thought, “How hard could this be? It’s just star signs and stuff… right?”

Wrong. So wrong. Here's how I fumbled, learned, adapted, and came out with fewer bruises (and more product instincts).

🚀 Lesson 1: You Don’t Have to Be the User, But You’d Better Understand Them

I had zero background in astrology, and the first time someone asked if the app would include synastry charts, I thought they were asking for some kind of dessert.

Suddenly I was deep in product research for a niche I knew nothing about.
Turns out, astrology is not just horoscopes and pretty moons , it’s a deeply personal, data-rich, spiritually charged universe, and the community doesn’t mess around.

Hard lesson: You can’t fake domain expertise.
So I started interviewing real astrology fans, lurking in forums, downloading competing apps, and listening ,really listening to what users cared about.

Takeaway: Empathy starts with curiosity. Even if you're not the user, you must be their translator.

📉 Lesson 2: Feature Creep is Real and Sneaky

As we built the KTZ app, we kept finding “just one more thing” to add: moon phase animations, daily compatibility scores, custom chart filters… and suddenly we had a constellation of features orbiting a confused core.

I didn’t push back early enough. Why? Because I thought being a “good PM” meant saying yes to everything and keeping everyone happy.

Big mistake.

Takeaway: Clarity is kindness.
Now, I set stronger product boundaries, build around MVPs, and remind myself daily that a focused product is better than a bloated one, even if the bloat has cute astrology icons.

🧠 Lesson 3: Product-Market Fit Isn’t Just a Buzzword, It’s the Whole Game

At first, we assumed astrology fans just wanted beautiful daily horoscopes.
But through user feedback, we discovered what really mattered: accuracy, personal relevance, and trust.

People didn’t just want content, they wanted an experience that felt like it was made for them, not just some templated star-stuff.

That shift changed everything. We rebuilt the onboarding, revamped the UI, and prioritized personalized chart analysis. Only then did our retention climb.

Takeaway: You’re not building a product. You’re solving a desire, sometimes one the users can’t even fully articulate.

🔄 Lesson 4: Agility Isn’t Just for Developers

I used to think Agile was something the devs handled. My job was to throw specs over the wall and cheer them on.

Nope. Turns out, if you’re not iterating as a PM, you’re stagnating. I started running weekly reviews, doing tighter sprints, and even prototyping with users before writing a single spec.

And the difference? Night and day.

Takeaway: PMs need to be agile with everything priorities, expectations, even their egos.

💬 Final Thought: PM is the Hardest Job You’ll Ever Love

Being a first-time PM felt like flying a plane while reading the manual, upside down.
But every late night, every tough call, every awkward “uhh, what’s a Venus return?” moment taught me something:

It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being relentlessly curious, brutally honest, and always listening.

Now, whether I’m building an astrology app or managing dev teams, I start every product journey with a little more humility, a lot more structure, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.

Thinking of becoming a PM?
Great, just bring snacks, patience, and a whiteboard. You’re gonna need all three.