How Topmate Unexpectedly Made Me Think Like a Product Manager
Updated: Oct 16, 2025
When I first joined Topmate as a student mentor, I simply wanted to help students the same way I used to mentor juniors during college club activities. After graduation, it wasn’t possible to do that on campus anymore. I missed those one-on-one conversations where someone would say, “Bhaiya, I’m stuck… what should I do next?”
So, after graduating in early 2024, I made a small resolution🎯 “Help at least 50 students this year through Topmate.”
That was it. A simple, personal goal.
But like many good stories, this one didn’t go as planned; it went far beyond. By the end of 2024, I had mentored 100+ students. Today, that number has crossed 250+ one-on-one sessions, spanning topics like career planning, MBA entrance strategy, community building, and even personal growth.
Somewhere along the way, I realized this wasn’t just mentoring. It was my crash course in thinking like a Product Manager.
Thinking About “Fit”: The First Lesson of Product Thinking
Every student who booked a session came with a different story.
Some were engineers trying to shift into management.
Some were freshers preparing for CAT or NMAT.
Some were confused about whether to pursue an MBA or not.
There was no “one-size-fits-all” advice.
I had to listen deeply, ask clarifying questions, and understand their context just like how a PM identifies a user’s real problem before suggesting a feature.
One story that stays with me is about an MBBS aspirant. She had spent 4 years preparing for NEET but couldn’t clear it and felt lost. She told me, “I don’t even know what I like anymore.”
As I listened, I noticed her energy shift when she talked about people she enjoyed talking, connecting, and understanding others. That was my signal. I helped her explore HR and people-oriented roles, suggested a few short-term training programs, and guided her through interview prep.
A few weeks later, she got a job she genuinely loved. That’s when I understood what PMs call “problem-solution fit.” It’s not about pushing what you know; it’s about discovering what truly fits the user’s need.
Learning to Solve Ambiguous Problems
There’s no playbook when someone says,
“I have a decent profile but still not getting shortlisted anywhere.”
These are ambiguous problems with emotional, informational, and behavioral layers.
Over time, I learned to break them down like a PM does:
What’s the root cause? (Resume gap, unclear goal, wrong positioning?)
What’s the impact metric? (Getting interviews, confidence, clarity?)
What’s the possible MVP solution? (Mock interview, profile review, roadmap?)
This structured thinking didn’t come from a product course; it came from real conversations with real users (students).
Each session taught me to handle ambiguity with calm, not panic, a must-have skill for any aspiring PM.
Documentation and Organization Became My Secret Weapons
I quickly realized that if I didn’t take notes, I’d lose track of who asked what. So, I started maintaining a small session note system for every mentee, recording key points, next steps, and resources I shared.
This habit changed everything.
It not only helped me stay organized and consistent but also made my sessions more personalized. I could start a follow-up by saying,
“Last time you mentioned you were stuck on X, how did that go?”
Students appreciated it, and I found joy in this process. What started as a time-management exercise turned into a documentation discipline, one of the strongest PM habits I developed unintentionally.
It taught me that clarity is kindness, both in mentoring and in product management.
Responsibility and Ownership Go Hand-in-Hand
Being a Topmate mentor means taking ownership. When someone books your time, they trust you to show up on time, fully present, and committed.
There were days when I had back-to-back sessions after college classes or internship work, but I still showed up because I made a promise to help.
This wasn’t about “customer support”; it was about ownership. I wasn’t just sharing advice; I was responsible for outcomes.
If someone didn’t get clarity after a session, I would follow up, send resources, or check in later.
That’s the same ownership mindset a PM needs when a feature doesn’t perform; you don’t blame the team; you iterate, improve, and take charge.
Staying Updated to Stay Relevant
As sessions grew, so did the variety of questions. MBA prep, data analytics, product roles, internships, portfolio building, and community strategy, every session stretched my knowledge base.
I had to stay updated, read about new tools, frameworks, and industry shifts to guide others properly. Over time, I noticed I was becoming more well-rounded, not because I was studying product management, but because I was practicing curiosity daily.
That curiosity became my biggest asset as a PM aspirant.
Building My “MBA Entrance Framework” Like a Product Strategy
One of my most popular sessions on Topmate is about how to get into your dream B-school.
It started because many students kept asking me,
“Sir, how should I even start preparing for an MBA?”
So I built a 5-step framework that felt natural, but later I realized it’s exactly how a PM builds a roadmap.
Find your WHY MBA? Spend time reflecting on your motivation. If you don’t know your ‘why,’ you’ll drift during your MBA.
Choose your specialization early. It helps shortlist B-schools that align with your goals.
List your target schools (10–30). Analyze their strengths, placement trends, and culture.
Understand eligibility and exam mapping. Know what exams fit your profile (CAT, NMAT, SNAP, etc.).
Build your study plan and ecosystem. Choose material, mentors, and peers strategically.
This framework worked for dozens of students, and it reminded me how PMs design processes to reduce friction and increase success rates.
I wasn’t just mentoring; I was building a repeatable solution, a product in itself.
Reflection: Mentoring as Product Thinking in Disguise
When I look back now, mentoring on Topmate wasn’t just a side hustle. It was my playground for building product skills in real life.
Every student became a “user.”
Every session became a “feature.”
Every feedback message became a “metric.”
And through it all, I learned to listen, analyze, design, and iterate the exact loop every good product manager lives by.
Takeaway: Topmate Became My PM Sandbox
Today, when I write PRDs, design journeys, or analyze user data during internships, I realize I already had a year of “PM simulation” through Topmate.
The only difference my “product” was human potential.
Topmate taught me:
How to find fit before proposing solutions
How to stay calm with ambiguity
How to document and iterate
How to take ownership of outcomes
And most importantly, how to empathize deeply with the user in front of me
That’s what product management truly is: building value through empathy, clarity, and consistent execution.
If you’re an aspiring PM, you don’t need a fancy title to start thinking like one. Just find a way to solve real problems for real people.
For me, that way was Topmate.
It started as a simple initiative to help students and ended up helping me become a better version of the product manager I want to be.
(If you’d like to explore the same journey or discuss career, MBA, or product strategy 1-on-1, you can find all my sessions and services here on Topmate.)
