Beekeeper

Senior Product Marketing Manager

Startup Hypeman

Content Artist

Dock

Writing about buyer enablement, product marketing, and GTM motions. It's fun.

Contributing Writer

MarketingOps(dot)com

Led operations and account management for community partner marketing campaigns on a $350K book of business.

Partner Campaign Manager

Chili Piper

Launched Distro, the most flexible lead routing solution on the market. Worked with marketing, sales, and CS to orchestrate GTM motions driving a 2x increase in pipeline.

First customer-only workshop
Salesforce AppExchange launch
Channel partnerships
Demand gen and content
Pricing research and strategy
Competitive enablement

Improved messaging and redefined ICP through Wynter testing and customer interviews. Worked with an amazing customer marketing team on upsell motions that generated new business and expansion revenue.

The Cabin

Developed websites for world-renowned chefs, music producers, healthcare consultants, and SaaS founders. Advised on content strategy and demand gen for clients like Arrow Payments, ID Agent, and Rippleshot. 

Hired a few incredible designers, social media managers, and writers to help.

Founder

Intouch Group

Won $35M+ in new business RFPs by presenting case studies of best-in-class customer experience and personalization strategies for consumer, provider, payer, and investor audiences.

Managed team of 3 across Chicago and New York, drafting content audits, gap analyses, website redesigns, and messaging architectures that drove 15% benchmark lifts in portfolio engagement and retention.

Director, Content Strategy

GoHealth

Helped launch the Encompass partnerships platform, unlocking $10M+ in functional pilots. Led B2B marketing to generate channel partnerships.

Supported post-sale team in retention modeling, identifying high-impact mailers and app nudges to drive a 6% increase in member engagement and retention.

Product Marketing Lead, Partnerships

Intouch Solutions

Senior Account Manager

Content Strategist

Continuum Clinical

Global patient recruitment and retention services provider.

Manager, Market Research & Analytics

Product Marketing @ Beekeeper

Hey! I'm Sid. I work with founders and global teams to get products “in the hands” of the people who need them.

So far, that's looked like matching rare disease patients with clinical trials, helping seniors navigate health insurance, and keeping teams connected through workplace technology. 

Now I'm at Beekeeper. We help People/HR teams deliver an amazing employee experience for frontline workers and managers through simple automations and direct access to company resources.

Instead of relying on manual, paper-based processes, deskless workers like hotel staff, construction crews, and factory workers use Beekeeper to communicate, recognize each other, receive pay slips, swap shifts, and so much more.

Outside of work, you’ll find me DJing, writing from a Chicago coffee shop, or playing basketball. Always interested in meeting interesting people, DM me if we should chat!

Excited news: I’m your new host of the Product Marketing Life Show by Product Marketing Alliance!🎙️

When I first joined PMM, I felt like a fraud.

Landed the fancy title at a dream company, doing the work I wanted. But the imposter syndrome messed with my head.

Instead of enjoying it, I was constantly doubting myself.

What pulled me out of that slump wasn’t just grit. It was the community.

So many generous, genuine people shared insights, their time, and helped me realize I didn’t need to be so hard on myself

People who just love to help, find simple ways to explain complex concepts, and collaborate without ego.

At its core, that’s what product marketing is about: energy, teamwork, and being forever students (and teachers) of business and marketing.

I’ve been thinking about how to give back to this community that’s given me so much. The world answered by handing me a mic.

My goal with hosting this show is to make product marketing more accessible. Help that younger version of me and others who are trying to break in, build confidence in a new role, grow into leadership, or just learn the fundamentals.

That means spotlighting the journeys and struggles behind the job titles. Talking about our mistakes and the messy middle just as much as the wins.

Because NOBODY has it all figured out. And it’s a hard job, but it’s also not rocket science (maybe unless you’re in deeptech). You learn by doing, failing, asking for help.

Many of the guests you’ll hear from won’t be the loudest voices or your typical “thought leaders”. That’s intentional.

They’re PMMs sharing their perspectives often for the first time. Being honest and vulnerable about their career arcs and lessons learned.

If you’re looking to make a name for yourself (or just want to jam), drop a comment or DM me to get on the pod!

The PMA crew will still need to vet guests, but if it’s in my power, I'd love to help get your story out there. 💬

Big shoes to fill after Collin Mayjack but honored to carry the torch. 🔥

Sid Khaitan

Product Marketing @ Beekeeper | HR Tech for Frontline Teams | Founder Brand Builder @ Startup Hypeman | Community @ Startup Grind Chicago

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Went into the “office” (a WeWork) today with coworkers for the first time in a while and totally forgot what it felt like.

Having lunch outside, randomly catching a neighbor at the bus stop, forgetting to post on LinkedIn (until now)

Not feeling guilty for being human and “not productive” for a bit. This feels nice.

Ready for summertime Chi

“Who’s gonna own this?”

The most dreaded question you can get as a PMM in a meeting.

Because when the hot potato game starts, the buck typically stops with product marketing.

Why? Because our job description is just wide enough to make us the default owner for most projects. So even if we’re not responsible, we’re accountable to everything.

And we thrive in ambiguity, so when no one else raises their hand..we get excited and volunteer ourselves. 

But just because we CAN doesn’t mean we SHOULD.

That’s I’ve been questioning more and owning less.

Narrowing scope. Asking for clarity first. Pointing to something that already exists.

Because if we say yes to everything, we end up playing whack-a-mole instead of focusing on what’s best for the business and customer.

I still mess this up. I still take things on that I shouldn’t. But I’m getting better.

Because more practice = less reactive projects = more time to focus on OKRs and impact.

Who else struggles with this? How do you handle the silence after “who’s gonna own this”?

“Remind me, what do you do for work?”

I’m a product marketer!

“What’s that?”

I make sure the right customers find, understand, and want our products.

“So you create products? That’s cool!”

Not really, I help define what to focus on and launch them.

“Oh so you’re in marketing!”

Kinda, but I also work with sales and customer success.

“Gotcha, you’re in sales!”

Oh no I don’t really sell, but I make selling easier.

“OK. So wtf do you do?”

Go-to-market.

How about you go to hell?!

PS: enjoy the image ChatGPT made with my auto-prompt…doesn’t make much sense

In an ideal world, product marketers talk to customers all the time.

Maybe once a day.

But there’s so many roadblocks that get in the way:

⚠️ Customer success and account managers don’t always want PMMs talking to “their” customers. They think it adds too much friction for the customer or worry the conversation won’t go well. They might not see the value, or feel like it’s a black box.

🛑 PMMs are busy! It’s hard to find the time to schedule and record interviews. Then process them. Then turn them into useful insights for other teams.

So what ends up happening is…

We rely on secondhand insights.

We recycle quotes from the same three customers.

We guess what actually leads to adoption.

And we build messaging that sounds... fine. But not *felt*.

That’s why I’m very convinced about what I’m creating. The Go-To-Customer Playbook for founders and PMMs. 

How to make time for collecting insights, processing them well, and building an ongoing practice.

But in the meantime, let’s all start here:

Make time to meet with one customer per week.

Headlines make it easy to feel disconnected.

Politics are polarizing. Markets are messy. Optimism can feel like a luxury.

So spending two days with founders, community builders, and VCs from Ecuador to Egypt was both refreshing and energizing.

Just wrapped up the Startup Grind Global Conference 2025, and it was one of the most best events I’ve ever attended. Not just for of the ideas, but for the people.

Community isn’t a buzzword for the startup ecosystem. This is emotional infrastructure for people building through uncertainty, loneliness, and constant rejection.

It reminded me why I took on the role of Head of Community for Startup Grind Chicago in the first place. Because of its values. To make friends, not contacts. Give first. And help others before you help yourself.

If you’re working on something and need a platform OR just want to be around ambitious, early, messy thinkers…there’s a spot here for you.

DM me if you want to:

- Pitch at an event
- Meet early-stage builders
- Jam on your idea over coffee

Let’s keep building. Together.

One of the best parts of my job at Beekeeper is interviewing founders, practitioners, and consultants

But up until now, I’ve been gatekeeping their brilliance

We’re officially 4 episodes deep into the ‘People, process, then HR tech’ interview series and the lineup is STACKED:

Kristin McDonald, MA, PMP, PHR, LSSGB, HR Tech Advisor

Greer Procich, M.A., sHRBP, People Strategy Leader and Disability Advocate

Dakota R. Younger, Founder of Boon

Shannon McQuarrie, Chief People Officer at Built Brands

Coming soon:

Ryan Englin, CEO of Core Matters and our very own Emily Busse-Fillingim

Steve Goldberg, The Godfather of HR Tech

Marci LaRouech, Owner of Seay Management Consultants

Eric Elwer, Founder of MySteppingStone

This all-star crew is giving a voice to the most overlooked yet essential teams in the world: frontline workers.

The ones who don’t sit behind desks or have email logins, but keep entire industries running.

Getting this off the ground hasn’t been easy, but I’m lucky to have a team and company who believe in the mission.

Start with Shannon’s episode, it’ll rewire how you think about culture, headcount, and what leadership looks like

And if you know someone who belongs in Season 2 (maybe it’s you?)..

Drop a 🙋🏽‍♀️🙋‍♂️ or tag them below.

Let’s keep this alive.

But comparison is the thief of joy. And it’s also a liar

If you stare at LinkedIn long enough..

It feels like *everyone* has a million-dollar solo business

Their own brand. Their own product. Their own calendar.

It looks like freedom. But the conversations I have with real people tell me it’s also a grind.

And for most, it didn’t start with “I just went out on my own.” It started with a long, messy middle.

There’s this thought (at least in my head) that if you’re talented and ambitious, you need to go solo. Be a founder. A creator. A consultant.

Escape the 9-to-5 and never look back.

And for some that’s the dream. But that doesn’t mean it’s your dream. Or your timeline.

I fall for it too. A little voice says “damn, I should be that far by now.”

When I realllly think about it, I like where I’m at right now:

The full-time job gives me a front row seat to how companies actually work. I see the pains of larger orgs. How decisions are made. How software is implemented. How execs think.

Plus side gigs help me scratch the creative itch and stay on the cutting edge. It’s an unfair advantage.

In the not-so-distant future, I’ll go all in on my own thing. I think a lot of us will and the market will get saturated. So being early definitely helps.

But today I’m learning, building, and experimenting. With structure, with support, with less pressure to monetize every move.

There’s no tried and true path. Just seasons.

This one’s working for me. How about you- how do you make sure you’re living your dream and not someone else’s? 

(Ironic because I’m suggesting you can collect a salary and still be living your dream)

If you don’t see this every now and then…are you even doing it right?

(This is after closing out Descript and a few others)

Yes, I know. I’m the problem.

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I’m not a wedding DJ. But 2 weeks ago I found out that I’m not a wedding DJ.

Everyone’s a DJ these days. You’d think there’s not enough bars, clubs, weddings, etc to handle all of us.

But wedding DJing is a beast of its own.

It’s not about the tracks or fancy transitions.

It’s about logistics. Reading the room on someone else’s terms. Managing expectations. Doing what the bride and groom want.

And yes, I’m getting to the point and it is about slinging SaaS.

There’s usually enough room for every flavor of a product and service. It’s just about finding your business Ikigai.

It doesn’t have to be the most profitable one, but it’s A profitable one where:

- Your product is best positioned to serve a specific group of people
- Your team gets excited by solving this group’s problems
- This group wants you to solve their problems

We all need to keep finding the dance floor where our skills can make the biggest impact…with music we enjoy playing.

For me, that’s DJing at Bollywood bars and coffee shops. Maybe helping a friend out with a wedding occasionally.

Ideally before midnight so I can be in bed sooner…I’m getting old.

I was so pumped. We launched 3 customer stories, an interview series, and a few deep-dive buyer guides.

Then someone asked: “how will sales actually use this?”

Whomp whomp whomp 😬😅

There was no playbook. no enablement plan. And if we only used these for ads and the website, we’d be cutting distribution in half.

It’s like throwing a party but forgetting to invite half the guest list

That’s a lot of wasted resources. So we went back to the drawing board. What should a good marketing asset do for sales…CS..AM?

Here are my 3 main criteria:

1. It should spark commercial insight

Show buyers you understand their world. Challenge and reframe assumptions. Educate and entertain. 

2. It should address objections BEFORE they come up

Give reps and champs content they can share internally without feeling like they’re forwarding a sales deck.

3. It should reduce FUD (fear uncertainty doubt). 

Provide social proof and a clear implementation plan. Make the path to value clear so people are confident about what happens next.

—

Do this right and your best marketing assets become the best sales enablement tools.

Now I’m working on a playbook for doing this right. Mostly because I’ve gotten it wrong so many times.

How else do you make marketing more relevant to reps and buyers? Let’s see what you got.

People on LinkedIn be like:

“We need to stop being reactive!”
“We deserve a seat at the table!”
“We should push for clear OKRs!”

People IRL (including me):

“You need that in two hours? I’ll drop everything I’m doing”

“Here’s the deck for the meeting I’m not invited to”

“Too busy putting out fires…let’s talk next quarter”

For everyone out here bragging about being able to spot AI through em dashes…

What if the AI overlords come for you first for going on this witch hunt?

Are you putting “Em Dash Detection” as a core skill on your resume now?

Is semicolon surveillance next?

I’ve now met with 15 HR leaders in the past few months. As a product marketer, I can’t help but see the similarities:

- We both have to constantly explain what we do (and how it’s evolved) to other people

- We’re both doubted but clearly needed more than never

- We’re both responsible for metrics we can’t control alone

- We both take on projects outside of our scope because we can and know it has to get done

- We both survive by drinking water and eating food

But seriously, is marketing and HR the same but different? There’s a lot of nuance but still: 

Employee experience ~ customer experience
Employer brand ~ founder brand
Employee retention ~ net dollar retention
Talent acquisition ~ customer acquisition

There’s prob a lot more we can learn from each other. I know I am.

Which reminds me: if you’re working in HR and serving a frontline workforce, we should chat. Coffee’s on me!

There’s only 1 metric I’m measuring on LinkedIn.

It’s not impressions. Not likes. Not comments.

It’s time. Screen time.

This community is awesome. I’ll always make time to respond to comments, post, and learn from others. But I can batch that in an hour.

After that there’s diminishing returns.

When I start spending too much time here, it starts to feel like real life. But it’s actually a highlight reel. A mirror with a filter.

Because the real story isn’t happening on this feed. It’s happening when I’m not looking at it.

This isn’t a callout or a rule, everyone’s different.
Just something I want to internalize, and guessing others might feel the same!

Being an “idea person” is back in style if you learn how to use AI.

I’m so in love with Lovable

Vibe-coded multiple project ideas in the same calls last week. “What if we had a simple framework for collecting ROI data?” or “what if we could run a mini-audit for our buyers?”

Sure, actually here’s a fully clickable prototype. Let’s think through this before we finalize the build…in the same call you asked for it lol

It won’t take a week or a month anymore. Can iterate faster and get to an MVP worth testing. The fute is kinda scary, kinda bright.

But my favorite part is that “idea people” are back in style. Still need to be creative, persuasive, and resourceful.

But getting from 0 to 60% with very minimal effort is possible. 

PS: what do you think of this idea, and who wants to help me build it? I’ll bring the vibes

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“It’s impossible for us to tell their story right”

I was wrapping up a call with two early-stage founders last week. We delivered 5 customer stories. No two were the same.

One was an industry playbook. 

Two talked about new use cases for more “advanced” customers. 

Three was an overview of the core product for newer prospects.

Four and five were all about the decision-making and implementation process.

This project validated what I’ve been shouting for awhile. And the best part is, it came directly from the client’s mouth (I know, real meta)

To paraphrase, here’s what they said:

“We’re too busy building the product and handling support, that it’s hard to zoom out and think from our customer’s standpoint.

Not to mention setting up interviews, staying objective, synthesizing the research. But now we see how powerful this is and love how quickly you can understand our business because of it.”

Boom.

Yes, in an ideal world founders and PMM teams should talk to customers all the time. But they’re in the weeds dealing with tons of other projects or only able to focus on a select few.

A trained third-party can run all the backend. Come up with a process, interview customers, turn it into well-written case studies and video clips that are ready to go. 

Early-stage startups “need someone who can set up a tight customized process, improve based on feedback, and provide good value for money”.

---

If we haven’t met yet…what’s up!

I help early-stage founders and PMMs with customer research and storytelling. DM if you want to learn about my trial offer: the Go-To-Customer Story Series. Only accepting 2 more clients now!

Should it be you “chatted” it? Or “GPT’d” it? 

Or something else?

We open email to feel needed. 

When you’re busy at a conference, it’s a relief to feel like someone needs your expertise. Your support. That you are important and belong.

Still, most emails still talk AT people vs. ask them anything or make them feel important.

Instead of: “my guess is you’re dealing with…”

Try: “what are you dealing with?” or “can you help me out here?”

Asking questions and getting input > oversharing

There’s a fine line with some nuance. Good insight and problem statements still have their place.

But are you starting the interaction with a conversation or a lecture?

Subject line: “professional link insertion”
Me: 🤭

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