Looking back at 2023

6 min readMar 22, 2024

Hi there,

Today is the 22nd of March — perhaps a bit late for writing a 2023 retrospective. But, as they say, better later than never, so let’s keep it short and sweet thanks to bullet points ;)

2023 has been quite intense to say the least, perhaps even more than intense, between my position as CPO, several health issues, and the ever-present need for space and quiet in every aspect of my life. But it has also been a year where I learnt a lot, both personally and professionally, helping me to see the future more clearly.

My experience as CPO at MYM

MYM’s results were astonishing, along with rapid growth, significant human impact and various challenges to overcome. So, after careful consideration, I have decided to devote a series of articles on all the lessons I learnt from this incredible adventure, covering a variety of topics, such as:

Best team rituals for group cohesion and management
Creating an efficient roadmap
Improving product onboarding
Writing relevant feature documentation
Recruiting a product designer or a product manager
The importance of a product demo
Remote work in 2023: are companies really on board?
The importance of onboarding and offboarding

These articles will be short, serving as memos to record my thoughts. If you have any questions or topic suggestions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

A quick sum up of MYM in 2023:

Going from CDO to CPO! This change in position — thoroughly discussed with Gaspard and Pierre — made sense to me as it meant unifying Product and Design under one leadership. This new job led to me work on a number of projects:
Creating a unified Product and Design team
Simplifying existing processes, coordination between various departments and optimizing the balance between commercial and technical requirements
Reevaluating the company’s priorities and methodologies by adopting a more global and company-wide product approach (legal, customer, marketing, growth, finance…)
In short, various tasks to be completed quickly and efficiently, without exhausting the teams
Lots of other tasks such as: carrying out a complete onboarding, improving legal, conformity and payment processes, working closely with our users, implementing a continuous growth/product improvement approach, further educating our users through our communication/product channels, (finally) taking more data-driven decisions, creating a key feature commando mode and achieving an incredible uplift. In other words, we had our work cut out for is.
That’s quite a handful already, isn’t it? This year was definitely intense, and despite the passion I put into my work, exhaustion slowly crept in. I started feeling more and more tired and less and less aligned (which happens in every company). We wanted to move forward fast, efficiently and successfully, but sometimes, our interactions lacked fluidity, management, time and leadership. I felt as if… I was approaching the “end of a cycle”. So, long story short, I decided to leave MYM at the end of 2023, with a hint of sadness and a tinge of nostalgia. I’d like to give a warm thanks to Gaspard and Pierre for trusting me and I wish them the very best. And what a great send-off that was ❤
A little piece of trivia for you: my first farewell party as a memorable one. I was deeply touched by everyone’s words, stories, anecdotes, gratitude and advice for the future, not to mention all the presents! A massive thanks to all of you, you are amazing.

What’s next?

Where to go after a job like that? Find a new management position? Work for a new or growing start-up? Go back to freelancing? Or something else entirely? I’ve been lucky enough to discuss many fascinating opportunities (and witnessed — very unexpectedly — the return of my impostor syndrome). I feel extremely privileged and grateful for the incredibly rewarding interactions I had with various companies. And I’d like to thank everyone who facilitated these contacts, who reached out with opportunities and who took the time to have a word with me. A special thanks to my friends who were a great help in guiding me in my choices.
In the end, I chose the path most suited to who I am: a human-scale company, with little hierarchy, where I feel challenged and empowered to progress, without any fuss, surrounded by passionate people who share a profound fondness for MVP and craft. I’m super excited to share more details with you, unless things don’t go as planned… #whoops
Going back to craft, leaving management behind. First and foremost, I am a product designer and a craftsman. I need to create, to experiment and to get my hands dirty so to speak. Even though I really enjoy the strategic aspect of a project, I also need to see it from start to finish.

*I often use the term “craft” to talk about creating things from scratch, launching and building projects.

The extras

The year 2023 saw its fair share of hardships, but it was also a source of much satisfaction, various highlights and realizations:

An ongoing commitment as mentor with mentorat-design.fr.
An eye surgery which freed me from glasses and chronic headaches.
A serious motorbike accident which generated a lot of anxiety, and required surgery and much rehabilitation.
Letting go of an entrepreneurial project with friends in the field of AI. Right after having started working together, I realised I wasn’t up to the task, I was exhausted and less invested following my accident. To avoid any further disappointment, I preferred to withdraw from the project. It was a difficult decision, but I know that it was the right one.
I became the cliché thirty-something-year-old who discovers a deeper connection with nature and compulsively buys technical clothing, forever on the quest for the perfect bivouac tent.
The importance of cherishing quality time spent with loved ones (yet never telling them enough how precious these moments are).
A few brief forays into teaching. I’ll share my frustrations regarding existing training courses on another occasion.
The end of an overwhelming routine in favour of greater flexibility. Time to say goodbye to the cliché of the perfect workaholic shared and encouraged by social media.

2023 anecdotes

A massive thanks to Remi Bardoux, the best mentor that ever lived! You came into my life at the perfect time.
I learnt that style actually doesn’t matter much, and I’ve fully accepted being constantly covered in ginger cat hair. (tip: opt for white clothes)
Regularly asking for feedback, both professionally and personally, is the best thing you can do.
The utmost importance of sport. Physical exercise is vital, movement is key.
The feeling that all my friends are becoming parents as they get closer to their thirties and conversations tend to revolve around investments, taxes and baby clothes on Vinted.
Keeping your phone outside the bedroom is a real game changer!
Trips to Morocco and Vietnam. (Thanks to 2023 objectives)

2024 objectives

Of course!

Finish the training courses I already purchased → Spoiler: already behind.
Finish my reading list → Spoiler: off to a good start.
Keep writing → Gotta hold on.
Keep interacting with the community and take the time → I promise to organise myself better, sorry for the emails left unanswered.
Learn to take time in everything I do.
Less screen time and more Game Boy time (Yes, Game Boy).

I’m curious to see how this year will unfold, what surprises and twists it will hold. Same as last year, I feel grateful for everything that has come my way, for the opportunities that presented themselves and above all, for the people around me. I can’t wait to tell you all about the projects I am working on and I look forward to reading your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to read this far!

Rest assured, the cats are fine