Understanding the Landscape: Types of PM Roles

Before you find your niche, it helps to understand the different ways PMs can specialize.
There are two broad dimensions to consider: vertical and horizontal specializations.

Vertical Specialization

1. Industry-Specific

Many PMs find a niche by building deep domain knowledge in a particular industry — healthcare, fintech, or e-commerce, for example.
If you understand the regulatory landscape, market dynamics, and unique customer needs in an industry, you can become a highly sought-after expert.

2. Company Size-Specific

Another axis is company size:

• PMs who thrive in early-stage companies (0–1, 1–100) are often generalists and builders.
• PMs in large enterprises drive impact at scale, often with more structure and process.

3. Type of Customers

B2B PMs must master the distinction between users and buyers:

• In B2B2C, your users may love your product — but it’s the procurement team or C-suite who decides to buy.
• This dynamic creates opportunities to specialize in building products that delight users and address buyer concerns (ROI, integration, security).

Horizontal Specialization

1. Technology

Some PMs focus on the tech stack: APIs, AI/ML, data, or cloud platforms (SaaS/PaaS/IaaS).
Technical depth gives you a strong edge when managing complex B2B products.

2. Platform

Platform PMs create products that serve as the foundation for other services.
In B2B, platform work is often mission-critical — think payments infrastructure, developer platforms, or enterprise integrations.

3. Growth

Acquisition, retention, and engagement are not just B2C concerns.
In B2B, Growth PMs run targeted experiments across sales funnels, onboarding flows, and usage patterns to drive business outcomes.

4. Outbound / PMM

Positioning and messaging are vital in B2B, where long sales cycles and competitive differentiation can make or break your product’s success.
PMs with a knack for outbound and product marketing can carve out a valuable niche here.

Tap Into Your Essence: Defining Your Niche

Finding your niche is not just about market trends — it’s about understanding yourself. Ask:

• What kind of customer problems do I instinctively understand?
• Where do I already have credibility or domain knowledge?
• Am I drawn more to technology, growth, platform, or outbound/product marketing work?
• What type of companies and working environments excite me?

Example niche combinations:

• Healthcare + AI/ML + Growth PM → Working at a mid-size digital health company.
• Enterprise SaaS + Platform PM → Driving integration strategy at a large enterprise.
• Fintech + Outbound PMM → Crafting competitive messaging in a Series C fintech startup.

Actionable Steps to Build Your Niche

Here’s how you can actively carve out your space as a B2B PM:

1. Audit Your Strengths

Ask yourself:

• What hard skills have I developed? (e.g., API design, AI/ML knowledge, enterprise integrations, data analysis, UX research, experimentation frameworks)
• What soft skills do I consistently demonstrate? (e.g., stakeholder management, cross-functional leadership, negotiation, storytelling, customer empathy)
• What domains or industries do I understand well? (healthcare, fintech, e-commerce, AV, education, etc.)
• What types of companies have I worked in? (startups, mid-size, enterprise — each context builds different muscles)
• What types of products have I built? (platforms, API-first products, growth features, enterprise SaaS, outbound/PMM initiatives)
• In which parts of the product lifecycle am I strongest? (0→1 innovation, scaling, optimization, sunsetting)

2. Audit Your Interests

• Write down your top industry domains and favorite PM types (growth, platform, outbound, etc.).
• Identify your preferred company stage based on work style and goals.

3. Pick a Combination

• Vertical + Horizontal + Company size → this is your starting hypothesis for a niche.
• Example: B2B SaaS Platform PM at mid-size companies.

4. Find Role Models

• Seek out PMs who are already thriving in your niche.
• Follow their work, reach out for advice.

5. Build Proof of Expertise

• Share your learnings: write articles, speak at meetups, contribute to community conversations.

6. Target Roles Intentionally

• Don’t jump between random PM roles — choose opportunities that deepen your niche and expand your influence.

My Journey: How I Deliberately Carved Out My Niche as a B2B Technical Product Manager

My career hasn’t been accidental — at each step, I’ve made deliberate choices to build my niche in B2B product management, with a strong focus on technical-driven products.

Starting Out: Building a Technical Foundation

I began as a Full Stack Engineer at Oracle, working on large-scale enterprise products.
It gave me a solid technical foundation and exposed me to the kind of complexity I genuinely enjoyed.

But I realized I didn’t just want to execute — I wanted to influence what problems we solve and why.

That’s what led me to pursue an MBA at the Indian School of Business, bridging the gap between business and technology.
(And before you ask — no, you don’t need an MBA to become a PM. But based on my skills and experience back in 2016, it was the right move for me.)

Choosing B2B and Startups with a Scale Mindset

When it came time to pick my first PM role, I made a deliberate choice to focus on B2B.

Why?

• My time at Oracle exposed me to the complexity and scale of enterprise products.
• I saw how critical well-designed, technically sound software is for businesses.
• I noticed that B2B startups in India were scaling globally, creating massive opportunities.

At Zenoti, I got the best of both worlds — building SaaS products for businesses while learning how to think deeply about technical design and product design.

It was a crash course in:

• Managing all aspects of product management.
• Working closely with Sales and being my own product marketer.
• Execution and obsessing over UX.
• Building for enterprise customers while moving at startup speed.

Scaling Products with Technical & UX Rigor

At Freshworks, I doubled down on UX, technical, and platform-focused product management.

I intentionally worked on scaling an MVP product — taking something with early traction and building the technical foundations for sustainable scale.

It was the challenge I enjoyed most: balancing speed and iteration with long-term technical decisions that drive business impact.

This experience taught me:

• How to build with a startup mindset but design for enterprise scale.
• The importance of investing in emerging technologies (like AI/ML) to stay ahead as a Technical PM.

Where I Am Today

Now, as a Senior Technical Product Manager at Amazon, I’m exactly where I’ve been building toward:

• Leading products that combine technical depth, AI integration, and massive scale.

This role perfectly represents everything I’ve worked toward:
B2B, technical depth, and building with scale in mind.

The Niche I’ve Carved Out

✅ B2B SaaS + Technical Product Management + Scale + AI/ML

This journey has been a series of intentional choices — driven by chance, curiosity, and self-awareness.

Conclusion

Carving out a niche is a powerful way to stand out in a crowded field and build a fulfilling career.

With the wide variety of PM specializations and company contexts, there is no "one right path" — but with intentionality, reflection, and continuous learning, you can define a niche where you thrive.

Remember:
Finding your niche is a journey. You don’t have to get it perfect on the first try — just take steps toward alignment between what you love, where you add value, and where the market needs you.

About Author:

Suvarsha is a product leader with over 12 years of experience scaling products from inception to IPO across startups and enterprise organizations. She currently serves as a Senior Technical Product Manager at Amazon, where she leads Speed Initiatives for the Amazon Business team