Anna Borbotko

Building Intellectual Property, Not Just Skills

Author

Ivan Buric
August 22, 2025

Hey,

Episode 16 of the podcast is live!

This week, I sat down with Anna Borbotko, product marketer turned enablement leader at TomTom, to talk about a topic every marketer, enabler, and career-driven professional should care about:

👉Why building intellectual property matters more than stacking up skills.

Anna’s career path is anything but linear — from studying journalism, to procurement, to product marketing, and now leading enablement. Along the way, she’s learned why careers are “jungle gyms, not ladders,” how to spot real potential in young talent, and why product launches aren’t where the real value lies.

Listen on:

What we talked about:

  • How Anna landed her role at TomTom during COVID through “the click.”

  • Why soft skills, adaptability, and curiosity matter more than hard skills.

  • The unusual interview question she asks every candidate: “If you see a wall in front of you, what would you do?”

  • Why product launches “suck” and how the real impact happens after.

  • How TomTom pivoted from B2C to B2B — and what it means for marketers.

  • The future of careers: shifting from skills to intellectual property.

  • How to build visibility on LinkedIn without turning it into a second job.

  • Why she believes AI will reshape enablement into managing agents, not just creating training.

Anna Borbotko

“Careers are jungle gyms, not ladders. The winners will be those who keep adapting.”

Anna Borbotko

A few key learnings:

  • Product launches aren’t everything — real growth comes from post-launch positioning, packaging, and training.

  • Adaptability > hard skills — in a rapidly changing market, curiosity and flexibility are the biggest assets.

  • Intellectual property is the future — frameworks, methods, and content that live beyond your current role will define your career.

  • Personal branding compounds — showing up consistently on LinkedIn can create opportunities without needing to go viral.

  • Enablement is evolving — AI will reduce manual training work and shift focus to managing smart agents.

Episode Chapters – Anna

  • 00:00 – Intro & Anna’s Background — From journalism dreams to product marketing.

  • 06:00 – Joining TomTom during COVID — and why “the click” mattered more than the CV.

  • 10:00 – Hiring juniors — soft skills vs. hard skills.

  • 12:00 – Intellectual property over skills — the future of careers.

  • 17:00 – Building a personal brand on LinkedIn (without overthinking it).

  • 21:00 – TomTom’s shift from B2C to B2B.

  • 28:00 – Transition from product marketing to enablement.

  • 39:00 – Why product launches often fail — and where to focus instead.

  • 42:00 – How AI is shaping enablement and the future of work.

  • 49:00 – Where to find Anna online.

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Ivan