Hila Qu

Growth Advisor and Consultant at Independent

Growth advisor and PLG expert who wrote two of the top 25 most-read posts in Lenny's Newsletter on how to add a product-led growth motion, working with startups on optimizing their PLG funnels, activation, and retention.

The Growth Scientist The Growth Architect

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 55%

Execution & Craft 50%

Data & Experimentation 80%

Growth & Distribution 90%

Team & Leadership 30%

User Empathy & Research 55%

Key Themes

product-led growth implementation PLG plus sales hybrid model self-serve funnel optimization data-led growth as PLG foundation activation and retention mechanics freemium and free trial strategies

Episode Summary

Hila Qu provides a practical guide to implementing product-led growth, starting with her foundational insight that PLG is really DLG (data-led growth) because without data infrastructure, a free product gives you nothing in return. She walks through the three essential properties of PLG products, explains why every company eventually needs both PLG and sales motions, shares how to audit your existing funnel, and provides frameworks for improving activation and retention in self-serve products.

Leadership Principles

→ PLG is fundamentally DLG — data-led growth — if you don't have a foundation of data understanding, you are giving away a free product for nothing
→ You don't need to be a PLG purist — eventually every company needs both PLG and sales because competitors will add whichever motion you're missing
→ PLG products need three properties: low barrier to entry with a free version, self-service checkout for upgrades, and the free product spreads on its own

Notable Quotes

"PLG is fundamentally DLG, data-led growth. When you give away your free product, what you want in exchange are two things: broader reach and understanding usage behavior of free users. If you don't have a foundation of data, you're giving away a free product for nothing."
— On the data foundation required for successful product-led growth

"I was never a PLG purist. You don't need to be. Eventually every company needs both PLG and sales because competitors will add whichever motion you're missing."
— On why the PLG vs sales-led debate is a false dichotomy

"The fundamental driver is that users of B2B software are also human. We're already trained to try before we make any decision. We demand that in B2B as well."
— On why product-led growth became inevitable in B2B

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