7 Lessons I Learned From My First Go-To-Market (GTM) Project

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When I started working on my first go-to-market project, I expected a lot of strategy, maybe some design, and a few late nights pulling slides together. What I didn’t expect was how much of the process would challenge the way I think about branding, consumer psychology, and storytelling.

My project was centered around a concept beverage brand called Bombay Bevs — a hard seltzer inspired by authentic South Asian flavors like mango lassi, cardamom rose, and tamarind. From product development to experiential activations, I had to think like a marketer, a founder, and a strategist all at once. The result was a brand I’m proud of — not perfect, but a reflection of my cultural pride, creativity, and big aspirations.

Here are seven lessons I learned along the way:

1. Start with Story, Not Just Strategy

One of the first things I realized was that it’s easy to dive into tactics (market segmentation, price points, channel strategy) and totally forget why the product exists in the first place. For Bombay Bevs, the heart of the story came from wanting to create something that reflected both my roots and the flavor gaps I saw in the alcohol aisle. Starting with why made every decision feel more intentional and helped shape a narrative that felt personal and powerful.

2. Your Target Audience Isn’t “Everyone”

I originally thought Bombay Bevs could appeal to anyone who likes hard seltzer. And maybe it can. But trying to market to “everyone” usually means you end up reaching no one. Zeroing in on South Asians, young adults, and urban drinkers gave my project sharper focus. Once I embraced that core audience, the brand’s personality became clearer, bolder, more colorful, and specific.

3. Branding Is More Than a Logo. It’s a Personality

Creating a visual identity was important, but what surprised me was how helpful it was to choose a brand archetype. I picked “The Explorer,” someone adventurous, proud, and curious. That choice influenced the copy, the product photography, and even how I thought about potential partnerships. Without a clear personality, the brand would have felt generic. With it, everything became more cohesive.

4. Being Different Is Better Than Being “Better”

I ran into this during the competitor analysis. I kept saying things like “we’re more authentic” or “we taste better,” but those claims are subjective. What matters more is being different in a way that resonates. Junglee, one of my brands competitors, makes Indian-inspired canned cocktails. But Bombay Bevs isn’t trying to be a cocktail. It’s trying to take traditional non-alcoholic drinks like mango lassi and reinvent them as seltzers. That difference gave me a lane to own.

5. Packaging Does the Talking When You Can’t

When I started generating mockups for the can, I thought it was mostly aesthetic. But I quickly realized that packaging is visual storytelling. It communicates tone, quality, and culture before the consumer even reads a word. The right balance of color, typography, and iconography helped Bombay Bevs feel premium and fun, not gaudy or overly traditional.

6. GTM Requires a 360° View

Go-to-market doesn’t mean one thing. It’s a combination of media, PR, distribution, experiential marketing, and retail execution. I had to think about how the product shows up in a store, how it’s experienced at a music festival, and what kind of social media moments it can spark. GTM is where creative meets logistical, and I learned how many moving parts have to work together for a launch to feel seamless.

7. Perfection is the Enemy of Completion

I never actually launched Bombay Bevs into the real world. It has since stayed a concept. But that didn’t stop me from obsessing over whether my gender breakdown should be 55% women or 60%, or whether the font spacing on a single slide was just right. I spent too much time fine-tuning details that didn’t make or break anything. What I eventually realized was that the goal wasn’t to make it flawless, it was to learn how to build and structure a go-to-market strategy, and more importantly, to understand the process behind it. Letting go of perfection helped me focus on what really mattered: growth, curiosity, and progress.

Final Thoughts

Bombay Bevs may have started as a class project, but it taught me lessons I’ll carry into every future product, campaign, or launch. This experience helped me see what it takes to create a brand from scratch. One that’s rooted in culture, driven by story, and powered by execution.

One day, I hope to work on go-to-market projects that go beyond concept decks. Projects that carry real responsibility, reach real people, and generate real feedback. I look forward to launching something into the world, making mistakes, learning from them, and doing it better the next time around. Because that’s what this journey is all about, not just building ideas, but building momentum.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll actually see Bombay Bevs on a shelf one day.