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• Apr 18
  Audit Your Mood. Then Take Action. Here’s How.

  Are you running on autopilot, or actually paying attention to how you feel? Most people know something’s off before they can name it. Joe breaks down why self-awareness alone won’t move the needle, and why the only way out of a funk, a spiral, or a stretch of low performance is to stop waiting and start doing. Even one small thing. Key Takeaways: - Mood follows action (credit: Rich Roll). Recognizing the problem is step one, but action is what actually changes how you feel. - Feeling anxious? Often it means you’re underprepared. - The Short List Hack: write down three to-dos. Knock one out right now, not tomorrow. - Small moves count. The mechanism matters less than simply starting. For: Anyone who knows what’s wrong but can’t seem to get out of their own way. Topics: Mental health, anxiety, motivation, habits, self-awareness, mindset, entrepreneurship, productivity
• Apr 11
  Beware the Skip Rate for Your Whole Business. Why Attention Without Purpose Is Just Noise.

  Most marketing strategies aren’t failing because of budget or tactics. They’re failing because nobody asked why. Joe has seen too many organizations spending real money on content calendars, vanity metrics, useless KPIs, and social media strategies that will never move the needle. He’s done pulling punches. In this episode, Joe breaks down why the way most businesses and nonprofits think about communication is outdated, and what it actually looks like to build a strategy that connects effectively with audiences and delivers outcomes beyond activity. Key Takeaways: Why a “bad” skip rate on social content is a symptom, not the problem - How to use the ”five whys” to find out if your strategy is actually worth executing - How proving effectiveness with organic content is a litmus test for better paid performance - What a failed skydiving stunt on live TV reveals about purposeful disruption - Why the most effective communication is often the least scalable — and why that’s the point For: Entrepreneurs, marketers, nonprofit leaders, and anyone who’s ever spent money on a strategy and wondered why nothing moved. Topics: Social media strategy, marketing ROI, content strategy, nonprofit marketing, brand communication, purposeful disruption, storytelling, entrepreneurship
• Apr 7
  No One Remembers Your Pitch. Here's How Great Presenters Win Rooms.

  Most people give presentations the wrong way — leading with credentials, cramming slides full of text, and talking about themselves when the audience only cares about one thing: what’s in it for me. The result? Tuned-out rooms, forgotten pitches, and missed opportunities that could have changed everything. Joe has given hundreds of presentations, from weekly all-staff meetings to major keynotes, and he’s sat on the other side of the table just as many times. In this episode, he breaks down exactly why most presenters lose their audience before they even get started, and the storytelling framework that makes people take notes, take action, and remember you long after you’ve left the room. What you’ll learn: - Why leading with your team, your resume, or your credentials is the fastest way to lose a room — and what to do instead - How asking questions unlocks connection and reverse engineers the conversation - Why facts tell but stories sell, and how to build a presentation people actually remember and act on - The public speaking and slide design rules Joe swears by (including why bullets kill kittens) - How to read any audience and open with a story that creates instant connection even if it has nothing to do with your topic For: Entrepreneurs, sales professionals, founders, and anyone who needs to present ideas and get people to care. Topics: Presentations, public speaking tips, sales pitch, storytelling for business, how to win a room, entrepreneurship, personal development
• Mar 28
  AI Isn't Just Changing Your Job. It's Changing Who You Can Be.

  This is bigger than the Internet. It’s a new way of being in the world. (Part 3 in a mini-series on how to use AI now.) Most people think AI is a tool you learn, like Excel. It’s not. It’s something you have to learn to think with — and that changes everything. Joe and Dakota discuss why the people who get that now will be years ahead of everyone else, and why the ones who don’t are already behind. What you’ll learn: - Why AI isn’t a skill to acquire but a relationship to develop — and why that distinction matters more than most people realize - How curiosity has become the single most valuable career (and life) asset you can have right now - The question AI is forcing all of us to ask: if you didn’t need the money, what would you actually do with your time? - Why the barrier to building something — an app, a business, a life — is smaller than it has ever been - How Joe is using AI inside Go Brewing right now, from sales strategy to accounting to employee training and engagement For: Anyone who wants to stop reacting to the future and start building it. Topics: artificial intelligence, future of work, entrepreneurship, personal development, career strategy, AI tools, mindset, productivity
• Mar 21
  The biggest competitive advantage right now isn't money or talent.

  This is what democratized tech solutions look like, for business and life. From a custom app that rewards his son’s treadmill miles with screen time to a personal news feed curated around his exact interests, to developing a bespoke headless commerce app for his business, Joe makes the case that anyone, not just entrepreneurs, can now design the technology experiences they’ve always wanted but never had.  Discussion Highlights: - How AI makes asking the right questions such a powerful habit - What headless commerce is and why it matters for businesses of any size - How APIs connect platforms like Shopify, Klaviyo, and Peloton into seamless custom experiences - How to stop paying for software that almost fits and instead build tools exactly fit your needs For: Business owners, entrepreneurs, parents, and anyone who has ever used a product and thought — I’d have built this differently. Topics: headless commerce, API integration, e-commerce personalization, AI tools, democratized technology, custom apps, small business software
• Mar 14
  I'm Custom-Building Software That Is TRANSFORMING My Business (No Coding Skills Necessary)

  How I’m Custom-Building Software Now without Any Coding Experience Most business leaders are using AI to draft emails and summarize documents. Joe is using it to build custom operating systems, automated CRM pipelines, and lead-scoring tools — without writing a single line of code. The biggest unlock isn’t knowing how to code. It’s knowing how to describe your problem. In this episode, Joe walks through real examples from his own businesses — including how he automated a multi-step wholesale retailer approval process that used to take an hour — and shares how he helped a nonprofit CEO realize AI could transform their weekend voicemail backlog into an automated, real-time response system. Key Takeaways: - The reason most people aren’t unlocking AI’s real power isn’t a tech problem — it’s an imagination problem. - Describing your problem to AI and asking it to recommend a solution will get you further than knowing the answer yourself. - Vague prompts get vague results — the more business context you give AI, the more useful and specific its output becomes. - AI doesn’t just tell you what to do, it can actually build the tool that does it — CRMs, lead scorers, anomaly detectors, and more. - A process that once took an hour across three systems can be fully automated in a single conversation. For: Business owners, entrepreneurs, and operators across any industry who know AI can do more for their business but don’t know where to start. Topics: AI for business, business automation, no-code tools, AI prompting, CRM, lead scoring, ChatGPT for business, AI productivity, nonprofit technology, operational efficiency
• Mar 7
  If I'd Known Where He'd Been, I Couldn't Have Helped Him Get Where He Wanted to Go

  Why Big Goals Work and How Lived Experience Can’t Be Measured The goal was 5:35. The qualifying time for a double amputee to get into the Boston Marathon. It was an outrageous target and Joe had no idea. In this episode, recorded on the road while traveling to an Innovation Summit, Joe shares the Cedric King story that changed how he thinks about goal-setting, performance, and the surprising relationship between the two. What looks like a running story is really a lesson about what happens when you strip away past performance data and commit fully to what’s possible. Key Takeaways: - Why setting a goal with no baseline can unlock performance that history would have made impossible - How the experience of committing to a mission — without knowing the odds — is sometimes the only thing that produces the result you want - The difference between chasing a measurable outcome and being present to what’s actually in front of you - Why your previous PRs, past failures, and historical data can be the very thing capping your next breakthrough - What Cedric King’s Boston qualifier teaches entrepreneurs and leaders about the danger of ”realistic” goals - How lived experience creates a kind of value that metrics will never capture — and why that matters for how you lead, build, and grow For: Entrepreneurs, business leaders, coaches, athletes, and anyone who has ever let past results talk them out of a goal worth chasing. Topics: Goal setting, outrageous goals, performance vs. experience, Boston Marathon, Cedric King, guide running, double amputee athlete, business mindset, leadership, ignoring past performance, what’s possible
• Feb 28
  Why are you letting “them” steal your joy?

  How to align information with action, not distraction. Comparison is the thief of joy — and it might be the thing quietly killing your momentum. Joe breaks down why watching competitors, obsessively consuming industry content, and chasing every ”squirrel” in your feed can keep you from reaching your own destination. To get where you’re going, you have to know why and how you want to get there. Key Takeaways: - Why having a vision (not a perfect plan) is the non-negotiable first step in business and health - How time-bound goals — races, speaking engagements, launch dates — create the pressure that produces real action - The social media algorithm trap: why consuming content in your own category can deflate you and pull you off course, and a simple but powerful hack to escape the trap - Why looking outside your industry for inspiration beats studying your competitors - The difference between distraction and inspiration: how to audit your emotional response to what you consume For: Entrepreneurs, business owners, brand builders, athletes, and anyone prone to measuring their progress against others instead of their own goals. Topics: Comparison trap, staying focused, goal setting, time-bound goals, social media distraction, entrepreneur mindset, business strategy, building a brand, joy and motivation, competition vs. vision
• Feb 21
  How to Reinvent Yourself When Your Own Success Is Holding You Back

  How to Reinvent Yourself When Your Own Success Is Holding You Back What happens when the life or business you’ve built becomes the very thing preventing you from growing? In this episode, Joe digs into the hard truth that the things (the co-workers, the business structure, the story about who you are and what you do) that got you to where you are today, may not be what gets you to where you ultimately want to go. From the factory floor to entrepreneurship, from personal bouts of injury and depression, Joe reflects on what he’s learned about radical transformation, and the courage it takes to “burn it down” and build something better, including a story about his friend Ben Mollin who inspired the creation of one of Go Brewing’s first beers. Whether you’re an entrepreneur navigating a critical growth stage, a professional feeling stuck in a career that no longer fits, or someone searching for a personal reset, this conversation will challenge the way you think about success, happiness, and starting over. What you’ll learn in this episode: - Why the team and structure that helped you grow your business may be the very thing holding it back,  and how to navigate that transition - How changing your environment, whether physically or mentally, is often the first and most powerful step toward personal reinvention - The story of Ben Mollin, a reality TV personality turned ultra-marathoner, and what his radical life reset can teach you about happiness and letting go of success that no longer serves you - Why hitting rock bottom (economic insecurity, injury, depression) can become the unexpected foundation for your greatest reinvention - How to recognize when you’re being held back by complacency and what it looks like to truly start over Topics Discussed: Business scaling and team building, fundraising challenges, personal reinvention, changing your environment, overcoming adversity, entrepreneurship, mental health and happiness, minimalism, ultra-running and fitness as transformation, craft beer and brand evolution. See also Joe’s interview with Ben Mollin: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3CkJJtggnWzg5jH7Dbnwrx?si=75cbc65d480a4761 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burn-it-down-with-ben-mollin-of-the-ben-mollin/id1547273354?i=1000535916616 An event with Ben Mollin at Go Brewing on March 7 & 8: https://gobrewing.com/pages/burn-it-down-x-ben-mollin
• Feb 14
  Why I Became Someone Else to Overcome My Biggest Fear

  The Alter-Ego Trick To Beat Performance Anxiety Anxiety can be debilitating whether it manifests as a stutter, a bad attitude or feeling stuck. In this episode, Joe shares how he went from a kid with a stutter to a keynote speaker using a powerful mental technique: creating an alter ego. Learn the persona method Joe used to overcome his anxiety, how he taught his daughter to use it for sports performance, and why preparation and repetition are the real keys to building confidence. This episode delivers actionable techniques for turning fear into your greatest advantage. Key Takeaways: - How to create an alter ego or persona to shield yourself from criticism and self-doubt - Why modeling charismatic leaders (like Alan Mulally) can transform your confidence - The power of gradual exposure: speaking to 5 people before scaling to 500 - How preparation and ”doing the work” eliminates anxiety better than any other method - Teaching the alter ego technique to others (real example with Joe’s daughter ”Brooklyn”) - Why adversity and struggle in childhood can become your greatest competitive advantage - The importance of iteration and postmortem analysis in any creative or business endeavor Key Topics: Public speaking anxiety, overcoming stuttering, alter ego technique, performance anxiety, building confidence, imposter syndrome, parenting advice for athletes, deliberate practice, entrepreneurship mindset, turning adversity into strength
• Feb 10
  Naming Your New Business is Fun. And VERY Risky.

  How to get the trademark you want and need. Ready to launch and name your new business? Don’t file anything until you listen to this. Veteran entrepreneur Joe Chura shares the complete process for choosing a business name that won’t get you sued—from Google searches and domain availability to USPTO trademark filing and protecting your brand equity. Key Takeaways: - Why Google and GoDaddy aren’t enough—the free USPTO search that could save your business - How to find available business names using NameBoy and trademark class searches - The phonetic trademark rule that almost cost Go Brewing everything - When to hire a trademark attorney (and when you might not need to) - Domain names, social handles, and the ”confusion test” explained - Real story: navigating trademark challenges and calculated risk-taking Whether you’re launching a startup, side hustle, or scaling a brand, learn the step-by-step checklist for securing your business name legally—before you invest in logos, websites, and packaging. Topics: how to trademark a business name, naming your business, USPTO trademark search, business name availability, domain name strategy, trademark attorney, startup legal tips
• Jan 24
  How to Get Investors to Say Yes to Your Business (Even as a First-Time Founder)

  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
• Jan 17
  Is AI Gaslighting Me or Is Its Over-Confidence a Risk to My Business?

  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?
• Jan 10
  Got Imposter Syndrome? How to Reframe Your Self-Doubt

  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
• Jan 2
  Have Fewer (but Bigger) Goals for the New Year

  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 2025, or needs a fresh perspective on personal development and goal achievement.
• Dec 12
  How and Why to Build a Data Story to Scale Your Sales Channels

  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.
• Nov 24
  When Costco Said Yes, We Weren't Ready. From Zero Experience to National Retail.

  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.
• Nov 15
  Congress just set an end date for hemp-THC businesses like mine. Here's why that's a good thing.

  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
• Nov 8
  How Our Business of Inclusion Accidentally Excluded Most Potential Customers

  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.)
• Nov 1
  Why Do CEOs and Entrepreneurs See MBAs Differently?

  Candid Career Advice that Every Business Student Should Hear Right Now College debt has grown by 43% in the last decade, but another investment metric that young people in the early stages of their careers need to consider is time. How are you spending it to get the education you need to reach your goals? With the fast-paced changes coming from the AI revolution how you get skills, whether in the classroom or through on-the-job experience can make a huge difference to your future marketability as an employee who can bring value to a business. Joe shares his perspective as an entrepreneur, as a C-suite executive in a publicly-traded company and most importantly as someone who has been hiring recent MBAs. Key Questions and Discussion: - What has higher ROI: skills or degrees? - Is specialization enough if AI is coming for your job? - What does it actually mean to follow your passion? - What’s the real value of an MBA ... to your employer? - What’s the no bullshit difference between a CEO and an entrepreneur?
• Oct 25
  When Not Knowing The "Rules" Becomes Your Superpower

  The Unbelievable Story of Cliff Young Is a Lesson for All Entrepreneurs When a 61-year-old Australian potato farmer named Cliff Young showed up to run a 540-mile ultra-marathon in rain boots, everyone laughed. Joe unpacks the unlikely legend of Cliff Young and what his story reveals about innovation, disruption, and the power of not knowing the “right” way to do things. From herding sheep to building startups, this conversation traces how not knowing the rules can become your biggest advantage. 5 Key Takeaways: - Ignorance can be an advantage. Maybe you see the norms and then break them, but what if you never see them at all? - Everyone does it the same way until... someone does it differently, and better. And that changes everything. - Disruption is about context. The biggest innovations often come from those who see how the world is changing. - Results beat credentials.  Cliff’s steady “shuffle” outlasted the pros. A start-up beats a publicly-traded company. - Belief is fuel. Whether it’s a marathon or a new venture, conviction can carry you farther than credentials. And having a chip on your shoulder doesn’t hurt. With references to Uber, Airbnb, Go Brewing, Easy Man and Dealer Inspire.
• Oct 18
  How Accepting a Gift I Didn't Know I Needed Changed My Life

  A Story About Sales, Service, Generosity and Being Open to the Unfamiliar Joe shares how a small gesture from a customer early in his career—a box of CDs—shifted his entire mindset about success, leadership, and service. This story traces how a simple act of generosity helped shape the principles behind Go Brewing and the belief that helping others get what they want is the real key to getting ahead. 5 Takeaways: 1. Accept the unexpected. The smallest gifts can hold the biggest lessons—if you’re open to them. 2. Succeed by helping others. Success follows from making others’ lives better. 3. Connection beats persuasion. Great sales—and relationships—start with relatability. 4. Ask boldly. Sometimes all it takes is the courage to simply ask for what you want. 5. Pay it forward. When generosity shapes your actions, opportunity has a way of finding you again and again. Shout-outs to Zig Ziglar, Ford and Alex Banayan.
• Oct 11
  But what are you REALLY afraid of? What happens when you go towards what scares you.

  Pulling a trailer, running a marathon, starting a business: how doing the thing exposes fear for what it really is. Joe reflects on how fear shows up in both everyday challenges and defining moments—from business risks to personal tests of endurance and everyday fitness routines. He shares how discomfort and uncertainty are often part of the process of learning, not signals to stop. From anecdotes about nearly crashing a trailer while driving on the highway, to feeling like an imposter amongst marathon runners, to intimate observations as a parent watching his kids struggle, Joe shares hard-won stories and subtle realizations about how his relationship to fear guides his actions and motivates his ”Go Mindset.” 5 Key Takeaways 1. Action is the antidote to fear. You can’t think your way past it—you have to do the thing. 2. Don’t give fear a voice. The more you speak your doubts, the more they echo back. 3. Experience teaches what theory can’t. No book or video replaces what you learn by trying. 4. Curiosity beats perfection. Wondering “what if I could?” gets you moving faster than waiting until everything’s right. 5. Fear fades with familiarity. What once felt impossible becomes manageable once you’ve faced it—even if the trailer falls off twice.
• Oct 4
  I Met with OpenAI. Here's What Business Leaders Need To Know Now (and what I'm skeptical about)

  Will your business show-up in AI search? Here’s the test... AI is rewriting the rules of search — and business owners can’t afford to ignore it. Joe had a private meeting with execs from OpenAI (ChatGPT) and cuts through the noise to share how businesses need to adapt. From optimizing websites for AI engines to creating content that actually goes from discoverability to relevancy, we break down the shift from Google to ChatGPT, Claude, and beyond — and why it matters for your business right now. 5 Key Takeaways: - AI will be the new search engine — queries are increasingly starting in ChatGPT or Claude, not Google, and the difference in user experience should inform your business strategy. - Your website is (still) your foundation — clear, structured, modern sites rank better with AI-driven engines, so don’t get cute with content. - Platforms matter — Shopify is building AI integrations; outdated systems could leave you invisible. (And this isn’t just an e-commerce concern.) - Content wins — original, relevant writing will still drive organic traffic but will also create engagement WITHIN AI. (Hint: quality over quantity, but quantity too.) - Pro tip: Publishing directly within AI platforms like Claude is a current hack to boost visibility (and that’s the low-friction way toward quantity). Plus Joe leverages his expertise in SEO and digital marketing to assess the fast-moving impacts of AI search and offer actionable tactics to test go-to-market strategies right now.

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