Michael D’Onofrio: Tested HQ’s Founding Story - From Side Hustle to Scaled Startup

In this episode of The Way To Value, we sit down with Michael D'Onofrio, founder of Tested HQ, to uncover how he scaled his startup from a one-man side hustle into a 12-person company working with Fortune 500s.

Michael shares his raw, behind-the-scenes experience of launching during the pandemic, hiring early team members, overcoming founder burnout, and the growing pains of managing people, processes, and purpose—all by design, not by chance.

👥 We also dive into:

-How to know when to leave your 9–5

-The importance of co-founders & team dynamics

-Hiring missteps and how assessments like DISC & Working Genius changed everything

-Building a strong culture while scaling fast

-Lessons learned from burnout and going “too wide, too fast”

🔧 If you're a founder, entrepreneur, or startup leader—this is a masterclass in scaling with intention.

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🌐 Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

🎧 Subscribe to By Design Podcast for more unfiltered leadership truth bombs

📘 Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/?bestFormat=true&k=finding%20significance%20marty%20osborn&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k1_1_12&crid=37ZRISVQPV8P3&sprefix=marty%20osborn

🧠 Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b2a2eb33/en

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalethrush/

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-osborn-78ba9b5/

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasrjoh

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