The Best Answers Start With Better Questions
I always assumed the value of being a HubSpot partner was the obvious stuff: the certifications, the beta access, the directory listing, the dedicated channel manager... Turns out some of the best value is access to each other.
Each month I spend an hour on a call with people I'd normally call "competitors". We compare notes, share what's working, admit what's not, and occasionally lose ten minutes to debrief the previous night's FIFA game.
The call is with a HubSpot Partner User Group (or PUG, which is a better acronym than most). Initially, I didn't expect much. However, it has quietly become one of the most valuable hours in my calendar.
The group discovery started with what AI has done to the pace of learning.
AI Has Changed How Fast We Need To Learn
Our industry has always moved quickly, but AI flipped it on its head. Every week there's a new model (or feature, pricing update, agent, etc...) that's apparently going to change everything. By the time you've properly explored one, three more have landed.
It doesn't matter whether you're a HubSpot partner, marketer, consultant or business owner. Nobody can keep up on their own anymore. Which is exactly why peer groups matter more than they ever have.
The Smartest Thing HubSpot Did? Leave the Room
HubSpot initiated the groups, but they don't attend. That one decision created something surprisingly rare: trust.
Not because we spend our time complaining about HubSpot. We absolutely don't. It just means that nobody is defending a product or selling a roadmap. We're a room full of partners having honest conversations about running businesses, serving clients, and navigating an industry that changes almost daily.
Sometimes you don't need the answer. You just want to know if everyone else is experiencing the same things.
It's Never Just About HubSpot
AI dominates a lot of the discussion. How could it not?
We talk about Breeze, HubSpot agents, Claude, prompting techniques, what clients are asking for, what's delivering real value, and what's generating more hype than results.
But we also get into pricing models, client mix, whether niching down is worth it, how to stand out, and how people are structuring their teams. There's no real agenda. Just good conversations between people who genuinely want to help each other. And who all run their businesses differently enough so that every perspective adds something.
None Of Us Have It Figured Out
The biggest surprise has been how open everyone is. Some partners work exclusively with enterprise. Some specialise in manufacturing or healthcare. Some have big teams, and others are flying solo. Nobody claims to have the formula, and nobody pretends they've "solved" AI.
Everyone just shares what they're actually seeing. Collectively, that's worth more than any one person's certainty.
The Goal Has Changed
I used to think staying successful meant staying ahead. Reading more, learning faster, testing everything first. The pace of change has shifted that. It's no longer about knowing everything. It's about learning faster than you could on your own.
The faster this industry moves, the less it pays to be the smartest person in the room, and the more it pays to simply be in the room.
People Move Businesses Forward
We spend a lot of time talking about AI replacing human work. Ironically, the most valuable thing I've found is the most human thing possible: a room full of people sharing experiences, challenging each other's thinking, and asking better questions.
That's why I never miss the call. Not because anyone has all the answers; but because together, we ask better questions.