And why taking a lesser valuation might actually accelerate your growth.

Veteran entrepreneur and investor, Joe Chura, breaks down the critical questions every entrepreneur needs to answer before raising capital—and explains why even successful founders get more "nos" than you'd expect.

What you'll learn:

• Convertible notes vs SAFEs: Which is better for founders?
• Angel investors vs venture capital: How to choose the right fit
• Why investors bet on founders, not just ideas
• The "data story" framework for first-time founders with no track record
• When to actually take investment (and when to avoid it)

Real talk on valuation, dilution, time horizons, and why proving yourself matters more than your pitch deck. Whether you're bootstrapping or ready to raise, this episode reveals what investors are really thinking when they evaluate your business.

For: Startup founders, entrepreneurs seeking funding, business owners considering investment, first-time founders

Topics: Raising capital, angel investors, venture capital, convertible notes, SAFEs, startup funding, founder equity, business valuation, investor pitch

Can ChatGPT count the Rs in "strawberry"? Joe Chura tests ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude AI with one simple question—and the results expose a dangerous pattern in how AI tools handle mistakes and how business leaders need to validate authority while integrating new technologies into their operations for essential gains in productivity.

If AI can confidently contradict even the Dictionary, how do we make decisions when the tools we trust are simultaneously brilliant and persuasive? The strawberry test raises an uncomfortable question: If AI confidently references sources while giving wrong information, how do you know when to trust it with financial models, spreadsheet calculations, or business decisions?

Though he built and sold two businesses for over $200 million, Joe shares how he still suffered from imposter syndrome and the Fortune 500 Boardroom moment that transformed his mindset about self-doubt, the value of experience and the actions he takes to keep learning (even from his interns).

Key Takeaways:

• Why imposter syndrome is just a story you tell yourself (not reality)
• How doing the work validates your knowledge
• The danger of overestimating others' expertise and underestimating your own
• How building blocks of experience connect backwards when you need them most
• The balance between healthy caution and crippling self-doubt

Why New Year's Resolutions Fail & How to Actually Achieve Your Goals

Tired of abandoning your New Year's resolutions by February? Discover why traditional goal-setting doesn't work and learn a proven framework that actually sticks.

In this episode, Joe breaks down:

• Why long resolution lists create guilt instead of progress
• The power of focusing on ONE big audacious goal instead of many small ones
• How to build sustainable habits naturally (without tracking everything)
• The accountability strategy that forces you to follow through
• Real examples: from fitness challenges to family goals to business launches

Learn why choosing a concrete outcome (like training for a race) beats vague intentions (like "get healthier") every time. Whether you want to lose weight, start a business, save for a dream vacation, or tackle a physical challenge, this approach transforms motivation into discipline.

Perfect for anyone who's struggled with New Year's goals, wants to build better habits in 2026, or needs a fresh perspective on personal development and goal achievement.

The CPG Strategy that Took Go Brewing from Online to Costco

Joe breaks down his strategic approach to building a CPG brand across multiple sales channels. Learn why the order matters—from your own Shopify storefront to Amazon to retail shelves—and how to build a compelling "data story" that opens doors with retailers. Discover the pros and cons of each platform, from FBA vs FBM on Amazon to native shopping on TikTok Shop and ChatGPT, and why getting product into customers' hands is its own kind of marketing.

For entrepreneurs, marketers and sales leaders seeking to build a powerful “data story,” improve repeat purchase rates, use cross-channel insights, and understand which platforms to prioritize first.

Readiness is a myth. When most people wait, entrepreneurs just start. Is this reckless, or a competitive advantage?

Joe reflects on several pivotal moments when he wasn't ready, but still pushed forward and built the fastest growing brewery in the country. From building a product with no previous experience to developing brand perception and advertising campaigns that are about more than awareness to launching in-store with one of the most esteemed retailers in the world (hint: think about what THEIR goals are), Joe shares lessons for entrepreneurs and business leaders that will help unlock growth potential by changing your mindset to prioritize momentum. Stop waiting and start going.

THC drinks: 1 year till prohibition?

A provision in the legislation that ended the federal government shutdown will close the loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for hemp-derived THC and CBD products to become a $30 billion industry. This could destroy businesses like Easy Man, one of the very first non-alcoholic beers that is micro-dosed with THC and CBD, and Craftsmith, a contract beverage manufacturer that serves this growing industry. But the threat of prohibition is actually an opportunity for regulation that would supercharge the industry.

Whether you're one of the tens of millions of Americans who use hemp-derived THC-CBD products, or a business operating in the space, this timely episode gives critical perspective to this sudden change from an industry insider, including:

• the health benefits of CBD
• the market differentiation between kinds of cannabis and hemp customers
• the motivations and needs of major businesses within the industry, including distributors who control how alcohol and THC/CBD beverages get to the market
• why alcohol sales are declining and the investor demands to offset those losses
• easy-to-understand benefits of government regulation
• why innovative entrepreneurs have an opportunity to drive change now

Signaling the opposite of what we were known for increased our overall sales, but why?

Would you rather be 1 of 5 businesses in your category, or 1 of 10,000? The answer surprised Joe and revealed a way to hack deep-seated customer psychology that transformed a key segment of his start-up business and expanded our total addressable market. Not only did the change drive sales and enable the business to scale, but it reduced staff anxiety, energized the customer experience, and established a partnership with a would-be competitor.

Key Questions and Take-Aways:

• Is your market differentiator too isolating? Your unique identity, may be too unique for the market you need to grow your business.
• What good is acting inclusive if you're signaling service to only a small customer base? Do more good by being relevant to more people.
• How can solving operational issues to scale your business also mature your brand's identity as the business grows? Treat customer awareness like an inventory resource.
• What happens when you see other businesses in your space like your customers do: not as competitors but as complements? (Hint: growth in new markets.)