Build & Break Through

R. Hunter Harris

Most startups don't die from bad ideas. They die from the same handful of mistakes, made over and over, that nobody warned them about. Build and Break Through is Hunter Harris - fractional CPTO, advisor, and four-exit operator - in real conversations with the founders, builders, and operators who've lived it and are living it. The wins, the wrecks, and the hard-won lessons in between. Hunter's spent years watching the same questions sink good companies. This show takes the answers out of the boardroom and into yours - give-first, no fluff - so founders can ship, survive, scale, and succeed.

  1. 3d ago

    Joel Tosi: High Functioning Product Engineering Teams

    In this episode, Hunter Harris interviews Joel Tosi about high-functioning product teams, integration, customer feedback, and the importance of focusing on strategy over reaction. They explore how organizations can improve their product delivery and organizational culture. Chapters 00:00 Introduction of Joel Tosi and episode overview 00:33 Hunter introduces the topic of high-functioning product teams 01:39 The importance of customer observation and feedback 02:09 Real-world example of customer feedback improving product 02:36 High-functioning teams and intuitive problem solving 02:46 The role of integration and silos in organizations 03:16 Problems caused by organizational silos and lack of customer access 04:04 Using tools to trace user journeys and bugs 04:38 The importance of talking directly to users 06:21 Limitations of tools and the need for direct customer interaction 07:14 Customer experience during internet outages and upselling 08:08 Device diversity and the challenge of multi-platform support 09:21 Organizational culture and the separation of strategy and execution 10:13 The recurring lesson of strategy and execution over time 11:04 The impact of AI on speed and strategy 11:37 Opportunity cost of fast execution and wrong strategy 12:16 Market risks and the cost of building the wrong product 13:02 Feedback loops and learning from user data 13:35 The importance of evaluating success and ROI 14:20 Product surface area growth and organizational capacity 14:50 The complexity of multiple features and A/B testing 15:21 The pitfalls of process theater and fake metrics 16:09 Rebranding and superficial changes versus real product improvements 17:02 Technical debt versus product debt and feature flags 17:37 Managing feature flags and avoiding nested permutations 18:29 The risks of large batches and delayed feedback 19:20 The danger of building the wrong thing and sunk cost fallacy 20:29 Focusing on high-value customers and product prioritization 21:19 Customer-centric versus product-centric mindset 22:05 Being obsessed with customer needs and opinionation 23:01 The importance of clear product vision and niching 23:25 Avoiding cowardly sales tactics and over-customization 24:15 Opportunity cost of maintaining unnecessary features 25:01 Economic thinking and opportunity cost in product decisions 26:11 Small bets and iterative development 28:17 Embracing uncertainty and learning through small experiments 29:02 The value of continuous deployment and quick rollback 30:16 Risks of large changes and building the wrong thing 30:45 The cascade of technical and product debt 31:17 Upcoming book release and call for critical thinking 32:13 The importance of fun and joy in software engineering Host: R. Hunter Harris https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhunterharris/ Guest: Joel Tosi https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-tosi-531a3b/ https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Signals-Levers/Elisabeth-Hendrickson/9781966280293 https://www.dojoandco.com/ By Hunter Software Consulting https://huntersoftwareconsulting.com/

  2. Aug 9

    Alan Page: The Triangle of High-Performing Engineering Teams

    In this episode, Alan Page shares his insights on high-performing engineering teams, focusing on transparency, accountability, and psychological safety. Discover practical strategies to foster a culture of trust, effective communication, and continuous improvement. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and guest background 02:15 The importance of transparency in leadership 04:10 Modeling behavior and encouraging feedback 05:02 The origin of the triangle framework 05:50 Insights from leadership books and models 07:40 Pink’s Drive and the connection to team culture 09:22 Turning principles into actionable behaviors 10:20 Success stories and real-world examples 11:02 The role of transparency in team trust 12:01 Practicing transparency through regular meetings 13:04 Handling sensitive questions and building safety 14:43 The importance of leaders admitting mistakes 15:17 The value of regular one-on-ones and skip-levels 16:37 Involving team in hiring decisions 18:14 The significance of caring about team members 20:21 Navigating accountability extremes 21:17 Estimation and planning with probabilistic methods 23:38 Learning from missed deadlines and continuous improvement 26:02 Using red, yellow, green signals for project status 27:03 Closing remarks and resources Host: R. Hunter Harris https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhunterharris/ Guest: Alan Page https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-l-a-n/ https://angryweasel.substack.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ab-testing/id856528068 By Hunter Software Consulting https://huntersoftwareconsulting.com/

  3. Jul 26

    Monica Stewart: Sustainable Revenue & Social Media

    In this episode, Hunter Harris interviews Monica Stewart about building sustainable revenue systems, leveraging social media for B2B SaaS, and effective content strategies for founders. They explore practical tips for social media engagement, podcasting, and personal branding to grow your business. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Monica Stewart and her expertise 01:57 Monica explains her top of funnel flywheel system 04:10 The importance of building familiarity with your market 05:07 Teaching founders to build social media audiences 06:23 The role of social media in B2B SaaS marketing 07:45 Why LinkedIn remains the primary platform for B2B 09:01 TikTok and Instagram for B2B content 10:21 Distinguishing between sales and marketing channels 11:24 Building brand awareness through short-form video 13:21 Creating authentic and targeted content 15:02 Connection and commenting strategies on social media 16:23 Generating inbound leads and conversations 18:12 Podcasting as a content and business strategy 21:12 Balancing personal and company brand on social media 24:02 The psychology of content and parasocial relationships 27:00 Overcoming vulnerability and authenticity fears 30:17 Using content themes to attract the right audience 33:01 Avoiding inauthentic content and lessons without value 34:25 The importance of genuine self-expression in branding 37:01 The challenge of consistent personal branding 40:01 The power of storytelling and relatable content 41:00 Closing thoughts and Monica’s upcoming workshops Host: R. Hunter Harris https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhunterharris/ Guest: Monica Stewart https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-stewart/ https://msbconsultants.com/ By Hunter Software Consulting https://huntersoftwareconsulting.com/

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About

Most startups don't die from bad ideas. They die from the same handful of mistakes, made over and over, that nobody warned them about. Build and Break Through is Hunter Harris - fractional CPTO, advisor, and four-exit operator - in real conversations with the founders, builders, and operators who've lived it and are living it. The wins, the wrecks, and the hard-won lessons in between. Hunter's spent years watching the same questions sink good companies. This show takes the answers out of the boardroom and into yours - give-first, no fluff - so founders can ship, survive, scale, and succeed.