The Neglected Asset Growth Play
by Chris Miller • VP of Product, Growth and AI at HubSpot
Chris started as an individual contributor PM at HubSpot and helped establish their early growth team, playing a pivotal role in shifting HubSpot from a sales-led to a product-led growth (PLG) giant. He now leads both Growth and AI teams and serves as an Operator in Residence at OpenView.
🎙️ Episode Context
Chris Miller breaks down HubSpot's evolution from a sales-heavy inbound marketing company to a Product-Led Growth powerhouse. He shares the specific tactics used to build the initial growth team, how to navigate the tension between sales and self-service, and the critical distinction between mentors and sponsors in career development. The conversation covers the 'hybrid' reality of B2B PLG, why most companies fail at transitioning, and how to maintain customer obsession at scale.
Problem It Solves
Enables new or small growth teams to find high-impact wins in a crowded or mature product environment.
Framework Overview
A strategy for identifying high-potential, high-traffic areas of the product that are technically 'owned' but effectively neglected by feature teams. By taking radical accountability for these orphaned assets, growth teams can achieve step-function changes without needing permission to build new features.
🧠 Framework Structure
Principle 1: Audit the product for hi...
Principle 2: Ask the nominal owners: ...
Principle 3: Apply the 'Discoverabili...
Principle 4: Adopt an aggressive 'For...
When to Use
When establishing a new Growth team or when a PM feels blocked by dependencies on core product roadmaps.
Common Mistakes
Waiting for a mandate to fix a problem rather than seizing the 'orphaned' opportunity.
Real World Example
Chris's early team found that HubSpot's pricing/checkout page was neglected code. They took it over, redesigned it for usability, and created a massive step-change in self-service revenue.
We approached the team who owned it and we were like, 'Are you all working on this?' They were like, 'Nah...'. We were like, 'Can we take this?' They were like, 'Sure, if you want it.' And so, we took it and immediately blew it up.
— Chris Miller