Unlock the secrets behind building stronger teams, improving customer experience, and identifying blind spots with Dave Molenda, founder of Positive Polarity and bestselling author of Growing on Purpose. In this episode of the Inventive Expert, host Devin Miller dives deep into team dynamics, hiring strategies, DISC profiles, customer experience training, and the hidden blind spots that keep leaders stuck. 🚀

Whether you’re scaling a startup, hiring your first employee, or looking to elevate your leadership IQ, Dave breaks down what truly drives high-performing teams—and what causes them to crash. From hiring missteps to customer experience breakthroughs, this episode delivers practical and actionable insights every entrepreneur needs. 💡

👉 Topics We Cover:
• The REAL motivators behind employees (hint: it's not always money!)
• Using DISC, StrengthsFinder, & Myers-Briggs to hire better
• How to fix blind spots you can’t see
• Why customer experience determines pricing power
• The danger of “square peg in a round hole” hires
• How to build a rock-star team even with a limited budget
• Why two-thirds of your customers will pay more for a great experience
• The link between team culture and customer satisfaction

Dave has spent decades helping leaders build healthier teams and deliver unforgettable customer experiences. His practical, Midwest-rooted approach makes this episode packed with straightforward strategies business owners can act on today. 🧭

📚 Guest Links:
• Positive Polarity: positivepolarity.com
• Book: Growing on Purpose
• Contact Dave: Dave@positivepolarity.com

If you're building a business or growing your team, this episode is an absolute must-watch.

👇 Watch now, learn fast, grow better!

#teamculture #customerexperience #leadershipdevelopment #inventiveexpert #startuppodcast

🍫 Guest: Dan Abel Jr, CEO of Bissingers
🎙️ Host: Devin Miller, Miller IP Law

Dan shares the evolution of Bissingers—from handcrafted heritage to digital transformation. Learn how he unified e-commerce and POS systems, reduced supply chain risk, and redefined packaging to balance beauty, cost, and efficiency.

💡 Topics:

• Designing packaging that reflects quality

• Integrating NetSuite + Shopify

• Avoiding single-supplier failure

• Scaling handmade excellence

Listen now and discover how legacy brands stay competitive in a digital-first economy.
👉 strategymeeting.com

I wouldn’t say there’s a major myth in the SaaS space, but rather a shift that many are falling behind on. A decade ago, it was all about subscriptions and annual recurring revenue—ARR was everything. But now, we’re seeing a rise in usage-based and transactional revenue models. It’s evolving into what we call the hybrid model. The key is adaptability—being able to adjust to changes in the industry as they unfold, or better yet, anticipate them before they do.

One of the biggest myths I often come across in healthcare innovation is the belief that you can "move fast and break things" and simply fix it later. While that approach might work in other areas of tech, it’s dangerous in healthcare—because breaking things here means real people can get hurt. We’re dealing with real-life situations, complex barriers, and the unpredictable nature of human health. Social determinants, for example, mean patients don’t always fit neatly into clinical models. We can’t just automate decisions based on a diagnosis—we have to use real-world data with care. There’s no reset button in healthcare, so speed cannot come at the cost of responsibility.

The biggest myth is that we are fragile. And honestly, we could go really deep into this, but we don’t even need to — the idea that we're delicate is just wrong. A lot of things stem from this belief. For example, I mentioned chiropractic work earlier. I have many friends who are chiropractors — people I trust, who do great work. But overall, there’s a big misconception: the idea that someone can "crack" you back into alignment, like fixing a car that's out of place. It's as if your back just shifted a little and now it needs to be popped back into the right spot. If that were really the case, it would mean our bodies are basically made of Play-Doh — and that’s just not true.

There are actually two key points I want to address. First, I get this question all the time—do recruiting agencies charge candidates? The answer is no, we don’t. We operate on a two-sided customer service model, ensuring a great experience for both candidates and the businesses that actually pay us.Second, a common myth is that all we do is pull resumes from a database and send them over. In reality, the value of our service comes from our proactive approach. We either actively seek out and engage with top talent for specific roles or leverage our long-term relationships with candidates we’ve worked with over time.

I recently started exploring AI, and there's some fascinating work happening in AI technology within healthcare. I won’t dive into all the details, but one debate I’ve noticed is whether AI will ever replace human therapists. People have strong opinions on this, and personally, I think the answer is yes.The reason I bring this up is that we need to keep innovating and adapting. Medicine has long been seen as a traditional field, resistant to change, but I believe we’re entering an era where that mindset needs to shift. Science isn’t always exact, and we must be willing to evolve. AI is just one example of how progress challenges the status quo, and we need to embrace that change. The real myth is thinking that the way things have always been done is always the best way forward.

One of the biggest myths people have is that you need a lot of money to start, or that your passion has to be constant. From my experience in the nonprofit world, I started with something simple. I knew I wouldn’t get many donations at first and that I’d have to personally reach out to people I cared about to convince them to support my cause. But balance is key. While I’m deeply passionate about my mission, I can’t let it consume my entire life. It’s important to find a balance between growing your passion and taking care of yourself—self-care and overall wellness matter just as much.