Episode Overview
What happens when you leave a stable job, sell your house to fund a startup, and watch it fail just as your fourth child arrives? Joshua Berry, co-founder and Managing Director of Econic and author of "Dare to Be Naive: How to Find Your True Self in a Noisy World," joins Jeet on Business Unmasked to talk about what that failure taught him about success, and how it led him to build a Certified B Corporation that helps leaders through the "messy middle" of transformation. He also shares how he has helped companies like John Deere and Procter & Gamble innovate in heavily regulated industries, why the qualities business calls "naive" (trusting people, thinking long term, serving every stakeholder) are often what build lasting companies, and why choosing employee ownership made a whole set of other decisions easier. In this episode: • Living in 15 houses before age 15 and becoming a facilitator of change • Selling his house for a startup, and what he did when it failed • Inside the "messy middle" of a real company transformation • Why being naive can be a business advantage • Innovating at John Deere and P&G: sub-brands and side experiments • Employee ownership and the decisions it made easier • His advice to his younger self: slow down Guest: Joshua Berry Host: Jeet Would you trust your team or clean house? Share your take in the comments and subscribe to Business Unmasked for more conversations with founders, investors, and business leaders. #BusinessUnmasked #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #StartupFailure #Innovation #EmployeeOwnership #BCorp
"This episode dives deep into the real strategies behind building something meaningful — no fluff, just actionable insights from someone who's been in the trenches."
Key Takeaways for Founders
1. Focus on the fundamentals. The strategies discussed in this episode aren't shortcuts — they're the foundational principles that separate successful founders from everyone else.
2. Distribution matters as much as product. Building something great isn't enough. How you get it into people's hands determines whether your company thrives or dies.
3. Non-obvious backgrounds create unique advantages. The most interesting founders often come from unexpected places — and that's exactly what gives them their edge.
4. Speed compounds. Moving fast isn't about being reckless — it's about learning faster than your competition.
