25 growth lessons from 2025
I'm not taking these mistakes into 2026
Hi there,
A little bit earlier this week, I didn’t think people needed any reminders of work after today.
As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been doing what I always do at this time of year: looking back at the work, the writing, the talks, and the experiments that actually changed how I think.
Sometimes it feels like learning should slow down as you get more experienced. This year did the opposite.
Working deeper with subscription apps, spending more time on app product growth and monetisation, and writing far more long-form content forced me to reflect properly.
Writing became a feedback loop: experience, research, reflection, better decisions.
So in the spirit of December reflection, here are 25 things I learned in 2025.
Not trends. Not predictions. Just lessons I’m taking with me into 2026.
What 2025 taught me about growth strategy
1. Trust beats cleverness every time
If trust isn’t there yet, no tactic will save the conversion.
2. Most growth problems are messaging problems
When growth stalls, the story usually breaks before the funnel does.
3. Speed of learning beats speed of shipping
Teams that close feedback loops faster outperform teams that just ship more.
4. Vanity metrics hide fragile growth
If you’re not looking at retention or post-acquisition behaviour, growth is temporary.
5. Don’t optimise for sales, but for Jobs to Be Done
I focused on what customers actually needed and wanted to achieve.
6. Strategy shows up in what you say no to
Focus is visible in omissions, not intentions.
7. When strategy isn’t clear, execution gets heavy
Decisions slow down, alignment meetings multiply, and progress stalls.
8. Consistency compounds more than breakthroughs
Small, aligned improvements beat occasional big bets.
9. Depth of a product offering beats adding more features (Credit: Rosie Hoggmascall)
Doing one thing exceptionally well scales better than expanding too early.
What I learned about acquisition and trust
10. Video ads build trust when your site can’t (yet)
When social proof or context is missing, videos can help with credibility.
11. Too many static ads can quietly limit reach
Platforms over-optimise towards existing users, even with exclusions.
12. The aha moment doesn’t have to happen in your product
Make it happen as early as possible, before users ever sign up.
13. Ads aren’t just a channel, they’re great for testing
You can experiment with Meta ads and learn about value proposition, landing pages and offers.
14. Web-to-app is far more creative than just a quiz (Credit: Nathan Hudson)
There are many high-performing funnels beyond quizzes. Narrative and sequencing matter.
What I learned about product, onboarding and retention
15. Activation is more than onboarding completion
Users activate when they feel progress, not when they finish steps.
16. Onboarding often needs restraint, not more value
Giving too much upfront often delays commitment (especially with freemium).
17. Onboarding is a promise, not a walkthrough
It sets expectations more than it explains features.
18. Over-educating users delays commitment
People don’t need to understand everything to start.
19. Retention problems usually start pre-purchase
If expectations are wrong, churn is inevitable.
20. Retention is earned in moments, not features
Small emotional wins stack up over time.
21. Monetisation improves when it’s treated as product work
Revenue grows faster when pricing, paywalls, and UX are designed together.
What I learned about learning itself
22. Writing forces better thinking
If I can’t explain it clearly, I don’t understand it yet. I always research my articles in depth, even when I know the topic well, because there is always more to learn.
23. Reflection is a growth system, not a soft habit
The best insights came from slowing down and writing them out / thinking them through.
24. Experience without reflection doesn’t compound
Repetition isn’t learning unless you extract the lesson.
25. App product growth turned out to be where I do my best (and most enjoyable) work
I’ve loved working more closely with product, monetisation, and retention this year and plan to focus even more on apps in the coming year.
If you made it this far, thank you. As the lessons hint at, writing these forced me to reflect, and sharing them keeps me accountable for thinking them through.
If any of the lessons resonated or challenged how you think about growth, I’d love to hear which ones.
Hit reply and tell me.
Those replies are honestly one of my favourite parts of sending this newsletter.
Wishing you a restful end to the year and plenty of clarity going into 2026.
I’m so excited for 2026, I have a new project I can’t wait to share with you next year 👀
But first, I will be off skiing next week.
Don’t worry, I’ve scheduled a deep dive into my favourite lesson of these 25, so you won’t have to miss me for too long.
Daphne
Love these! So much wisdom here. Enjoy skiing!⛷️
This "Speed of learning beats speed of shipping" stands out for me cuz' the phrase 'move fast' is often associated with faster = better. And yet, it misses A) if that motion is driven by clear/simple strategy (are we heading in the right direction?) and B) can we come up with a good hypothesis and Plan B (next moves) when tactics of Plan A don't move the needle.