Your First 90 Days as a Marketing Manager: What to Do and What to Avoid with Bolaji Anifowose
Starting a new marketing leadership role? The first 90 days are crucial.
In this insightful interview, Bolaji Anifowose—Product Marketing Manager (Partnerships & Integrations) at DistroBird breaks down his proven playbook for thriving in marketing leadership roles at B2B SaaS companies like Simpu, Chef4Me and Rubystack.
Whether you're new to leadership or just want to sharpen your edge, this conversation is packed with practical tips you can start using today.
Let us know your thoughts, comments and questions below!
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction: Meet Bolaji & The Topic
01:00 - Starting a New Role: What to Expect as a Marketing Lead
02:30 - Learning a New Industry Fast
04:00 - Getting Context: Meeting Stakeholders & Building Alignment
06:00 - Cross-Functional Realities in Marketing
08:00 - Communication & Check-ins: Lessons from Team Collabs
10:45 - How to Lead Without Disrupting the Team
12:25 - Quick Wins vs Long-Term Wins: Striking a Balance
15:15 - Using Data to Identify and Act on Quick Wins
18:00 - Aligning with Management on What Matters
20:30 - Assessing Team Strengths: The Skill Audit Approach
22:30 - Building a Learning-Driven Team Culture
24:10 - Making the Case for Hiring on a Lean Budget
27:00 - Final Advice: How to Start Strong as a Marketing Lead
28:45 - Avoiding Burnout: Tips for New Marketing Leads
31:16 - Building a Support System for Success in a New Marketing Role
33:35 - Taking Credit vs. Celebrating Team Wins
36:34 - Final Thoughts: Leading with Clarity and Confidence
👉 Connect with Bolaji on LinkedIn: / bolajianifowose
👉 Build the skills you need to thrive as a product marketing manager with this course: https://treford.africa/product/produc...
👉 Manage teams better and get them on your side with this course: https://treford.africa/product/managi...
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