Pivoting isn’t failure—it’s progress.

In this episode of the City Innovations Podcast, Chris Tromp (COO, City Innovations) talks with Josh Barker (CEO & Founder, City Innovations) about the emotional and strategic realities of changing course, calling it quits, or pivoting. They unpack why failure is a critical part of learning and how focusing on traction first leads to breakthroughs.

They discuss:

• Why pivots don’t equal failure
• The role of failure as learning
• When to pivot, persevere, or purge
• The dangers of false summits and the feature myth
• Why traction metrics matter more than vanity metrics

⏱️ Chapters:
(00:00) Welcome and Intro: Chris Tromp and Josh Barker
(01:22) Why Founders Struggle with Pivoting
(05:34) Failure as Learning and Progress
(09:18) Celebrating Learnings, Not Just Wins
(14:10) When to Pivot vs. Persevere vs. Purge
(19:27) False Summits, Burnout, and the Feature Myth
(25:40) Small Pivots vs. Big Pivots: What Works
(31:05) Communicating Pivots to Your Team
(37:11) Red Flags: When It’s Really Time to Pivot
(43:20) Startup Stories: Pivoting with Clients
(49:18) Final Thoughts: Traction First and Avoiding Vanity Metrics

Want to learn more?
Check out our site.

https://www.tractionfirstbook.com/

In this episode, Josh Barker, CEO of City Innovations, dives deeper into the principles behind his book Traction First. Hear how rapid pivots, lightweight experiments, and a “sell first, build later” approach helped transform costly startup mistakes into powerful lessons.

Josh reveals how founders can shorten learning cycles, avoid over-engineering, and find product-market fit faster—without burning through time, money, or energy.

🎧 A must-listen for innovators, entrepreneurs, and corporate changemakers looking to de-risk their ideas and gain real market traction.

Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction and Recap of Part 1
(02:14) The Power of Rapid Pivots
(06:40) Learning Without Over-Engineering
(11:05) Pre-Selling and Validating Demand
(15:38) Shrinking Experiment Timelines
(19:50) Overcoming Burnout and Finding Momentum
(23:12) From Mistakes to Market Traction
(27:05) Advice for Founders and Innovators
(30:44) Closing Thoughts

Want to learn more?
Check out our site.

https://www.tractionfirstbook.com/

Josh Barker, CEO of City Innovations, shares raw and hard-earned lessons from his Silicon Valley startup journey that inspired his upcoming book, Traction First. Hear how a $500K mistake taught him to “sell first, build later,” why chasing product-market fit is like riding a bike downhill, and the critical difference between solving an “aspirin problem” vs. a “vitamin problem.”

From multiple pivots to discovering rapid learning cycles and leveraging no-tech solutions, Josh reveals how founders can avoid years of struggle, validate their ideas fast, and build startups that actually gain traction.

🎧 Essential listening for founders, innovators, and anyone ready to de-risk their next big idea.

(00:00) Lessons from Silicon Valley
(04:45) The $500K Startup Mistake
(10:28) Finding Product-Market Fit
(15:50) Rapid Learning & No-Tech Validation
(20:14) Pivoting to Success
(28:33) The Myth of Silicon Valley
(35:47) Hustle Culture vs. Strategic Thinking
(41:05) Writing Traction First
(49:22) Key Takeaways for Founders

Want to learn more?
Check out our site.

https://www.tractionfirstbook.com/