What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS)

Startups don’t fail because they make mistakes—they fail because they refuse (or delay) the crucial decision to pivot. This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we break down the concept of pivoting—when to do it, why it matters, and how to do it right. From famous pivots that shaped billion-dollar companies to practical tips for recognizing when it’s your turn, we'll uncover the true power of pivoting. 👉 What exactly is a pivot, and why is it misunderstood? 👉 Signals that it’s time to pivot (and when to keep pushing forward) 👉 Step-by-step: How to pivot effectively without losing momentum 👉 Lessons from legendary startup pivots (Slack, Netflix, Instagram)

Complexity isn't the enemy—it's the environment in which innovation truly flourishes. This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we dive into Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), exploring how startups, innovation teams, and leaders can understand and leverage complexity to foster resilience, creativity, and growth. 👉 What exactly are complex adaptive systems? 👉 Why traditional management and linear thinking fail in complex environments 👉 How lean startup and agile practices naturally align with complexity 👉 Real-world examples of thriving in complexity

Let's review the past year and strategize how to improve!

Do you know how much waste your business creates each day—time, money, effort? This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we're diving into the 8 Wastes of Lean—the hidden inefficiencies slowing you down, costing money, and frustrating your customers. From unnecessary meetings to idle inventory, we'll explore practical ways entrepreneurs and teams can spot and eliminate waste quickly. 🔥 In this episode: ✅ What are the 8 wastes (DOWNTIME) and why they matter ✅ Real-world examples of wasteful practices in startups and large organizations ✅ Quick-win strategies to eliminate common lean wastes ✅ How reducing waste leads directly to improved profits, happier customers, and empowered teams

Innovation isn’t just about ideas—it's about partnerships that bridge public missions and private-sector agility. Join us this week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS) for a special conversation with Mark Munsell, former Chief Data Officer at the Department of Defense. We'll explore how the public sector and private companies can successfully partner to drive innovation, navigate complex ecosystems, and deliver solutions at scale. 🔥 In this episode: ✅ How effective public-private partnerships actually form ✅ Key lessons from leading innovation and data initiatives at the DOD ✅ Overcoming common obstacles—bureaucracy, risk-aversion, and cultural differences ✅ Why data is the connective tissue that makes these partnerships succeed

Data isn’t just for tech experts or big corporations—it's crucial for every entrepreneur looking to grow sustainably and build credibility with stakeholders. This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we're facilitating an interactive conversation around embedding simple yet powerful data-driven practices into early-stage businesses. Inspired by our upcoming workshop, we'll dive into practical frameworks, easy-to-use tools, and storytelling methods to transform your raw numbers into compelling narratives that investors and stakeholders can’t resist. 🔥 Discussion highlights: ✅ Essential metrics founders must track ✅ Low-cost, accessible tools to measure and visualize your growth ✅ Turning your data into persuasive stories for investors ✅ Common data pitfalls (and how to avoid them) ✅ First actionable step: Creating a weekly metrics dashboard

You've got a great idea, but is it the right moment to launch? Understanding why now—why your idea matters today—is critical to your success. On this week’s What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), inspired by Paul Orlando's latest book, "Why Now?", we're breaking down how successful products leverage timing, context, and market shifts to succeed where others fail.

This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we’re unpacking the idea of customer value. Is it about having the lowest price? Is it cost savings or convenience? Emotional connection or brand love? Maybe it's all of these—or something else entirely. 🔥 In this episode: ✅ The multiple layers of value: economic, emotional, functional, and social ✅ Why value isn't always about price ✅ How to uncover what your customers really value ✅ Real-world examples of businesses that nailed—or misunderstood—customer value

How do you go from a problem to a tested prototype in just five days? That’s the magic of the Google Design Sprint, and this week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we break it down—step by step. Created at Google Ventures and made famous by Jake Knapp, the Design Sprint is a repeatable, high-speed problem-solving process that helps teams focus, align, and test solutions quickly—without wasting time or budget. 👉 What happens on each day of the sprint? 👉 Who should be in the room? 👉 What types of problems are best suited for this approach? 👉 How do you make sure your prototype test is actually useful?

This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we’re joined by David Bland, author of Testing Business Ideas, to talk about real-world experiments that reduce risk, uncover truth, and help you move fast without guessing.

What exactly is a startup assuming when they launch something new? And why is it so important to test those assumptions before scaling? This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we’re going back to the core principles of Lean Startup—where assumptions meet experiments, and learning beats guessing. This episode will cover: ✅ What assumptions really are (and why we ignore them at our own risk) ✅ Why “validated learning” beats traditional success metrics ✅ How to measure progress when you're still finding product-market fit ✅ What kind of managers and leaders actually support experimental teams

What does truly excellent customer service look like—and how do you make it consistent, even at scale? This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we take a magical ride through what a certain Orlando attraction can teach us about world-class service. From intentional design to frontline empowerment, we’ll explore the systems, mindsets, and habits that turn everyday experiences into delight.

What happens when you give first—without expecting anything in return? In a world obsessed with ROI and funnels, we’re flipping the script. This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we explore “The Giving Economy” and what it really means to give first in business—especially in consulting and innovation.

Every transformation—whether in agile, digital, AI, or cultural change—hits roadblocks. But what about the blockers no one talks about? The ones that silently derail your progress, frustrate your teams, and stall innovation before it even begins? This week on What Problem Are You Solving? (What PAYS), we’re tackling the hidden transformation blockers that organizations face over and over again. These aren’t the usual suspects like “lack of leadership buy-in” or “resistance to change” – we’re going deeper.

With the rise of AI-enabled development tools, just about anything you can think of is just a prompt away. But can too much of a good thing be bad for you? We'll discuss the impact of low and no-code tools for the entrepreneur's business model.

Learn from Jon how to run a conference from scratch using lean startup principles while he builds to budget and creates one of the best conferences his attendees have been to! Listen as he iterates in front of the customer to build only what's necessary and not waste time with things that aren't.

"If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." Innovate with intent. Play to Win. This episode shows how to be deliberate in your choices that will lead you toward a sound, testable strategy.

Validation is tough, but is chasing revenue the first thing you should be doing? How do you know that your first customers won't plateau? Join us this episode for a new way of measuring success.