The Leadership Hack to Turn Discomfort Into Collaboration

Conflict is inevitable as teams grow—but how you handle it makes all the difference. Joe describes real-life examples of why ambiguity is the root of many workplace tensions, how to spot it early, and the fastest way to resolve issues before they spiral. From surprise three-way calls that cut through the noise to creating space for empathy, you’ll hear practical strategies for quickly turning conflict into collaboration.

Key Takeaways:

• Ambiguity is an early warning sign: conflict often comes from poor communication and can turn into "us" vs. "them."

• Speed wins: the quicker you address an issue, the less damage it causes.

• Being direct can be uncomfortable: and that tension can drive effective change.

• Encourage open dialogue: empower teams to solve problems without escalation.

How to unlock enterprise value, delegate effectively & adapt systems to match goals

We dive into the most persistent question every founder faces: "where should you really spend your time?" From making pizzas in the early days to building national marketing campaigns, Joe shares how he decides what drives enterprise value, how he makes delegation an effective priority, and how to balance what fuels you with what fuels the business.

5 Key Takeaways:

• Every “yes” is also a “no”: time is your scarcest resource. When you say yes to one thing you are saying no to something else. Choose wisely.
• Delegate early in the day to unlock team productivity: if you’re the bottleneck, everything slows down.
• Get in the weeds with curiosity: you don’t need to know it all, but you need to bring broad perspective to seemingly small decisions.
• Reevaluate goals often: what mattered last year may not matter today and so your processes may be outdated.
• Processes are hidden resources: multiply time and enterprise value.

Plus Joe makes a confession about being the Chief Optimist.

What We Learned When No One Wanted What We Loved (and how that saved us money!)

A/B testing online for customer preferences was a tried and true strategy for Joe as he built websites and digital marketing campaigns in the automotive space, but how could he apply those lessons for CPG retail in the "real world?" He shares a wake-up moment as a founder about confidence, bias, and the importance of testing ideas before scaling. From launching a canned water experiment that looked clever on paper—but creeped people out in real life—to uncovering what customers actually want, this conversation is packed with lessons for entrepreneurs who think their “gut” is enough.

5 Key Takeaways:

• Your confidence doesn’t equal customer preference: Watch, listen and learn from your customers especially in early stages of product development.

• How to test in the real world to prevent expensive mistakes: simple DIY experiments can yield valuable insights.

• If you're inside the bottle, you can't read the label: Good branding is important but being overly clever can backfire when customers don’t “get it.”

• Data beats opinions: whether from surveys, ads, or in-person experiments you don't need a lot of data to make better decisions and you've got no excuse for not collecting data.

• Tips to avoid paralysis by analysis: meet your customers where they are, test only what matters, and keep going.