GO with Joe Chura
2015 Chicago Marathon. Mile 13. I’m flying—feeling like I could run forever. Heart surgery, back surgery, barely able to stand a decade before, and here I am crushing it. Then I see the sign: NOT ALMOST THERE. Everything changed. Heavy legs. Cramping. Mental breakdown. I barely finished what started as my best race ever. That sign broke me, but it also built me. Southside Chicago kid who studied for 15 seconds between building cars on the assembly line. Graduated in 5 years. Built companies. Sold two. 800 employees. Young father at 20 who figured it out as I went. I’ve spent 50+ episodes of Not Almost There interviewing experts, and now my cohost and I are diving deeper into the conversations that matter most. We dig into what it really takes—in business, branding, health, life. No fluff. Real talk about building something that matters while the clock’s ticking. Whether you’re running your first mile or your hundredth company, we’re here to help you go the distance. Because almost there isn’t good enough.
Episodes
The CPG Strategy that Took Go Brewing from Online to Costco
Joe breaks down his strategic approach to building a CPG brand across multiple sales channels. Learn why the order matters—from your own Shopify storefront to Amazon to retail shelves—and how to build a compelling "data story" that opens doors with retailers. Discover the pros and cons of each platform, from FBA vs FBM on Amazon to native shopping on TikTok Shop and ChatGP...
Readiness is a myth. When most people wait, entrepreneurs just start. Is this reckless, or a competitive advantage?
Joe reflects on several pivotal moments when he wasn't ready, but still pushed forward and built the fastest growing brewery in the country. From building a product with no previous experience to developing brand perception and advertising campaigns that are about more than awareness to launching in-store with one of ...
THC drinks: 1 year till prohibition?
A provision in the legislation that ended the federal government shutdown will close the loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for hemp-derived THC and CBD products to become a $30 billion industry. This could destroy businesses like Easy Man, one of the very first non-alcoholic beers that is micro-dosed with THC and CBD, and Craftsmith, a contract beverage manufacturer that serves this gr...
Signaling the opposite of what we were known for increased our overall sales, but why?
Would you rather be 1 of 5 businesses in your category, or 1 of 10,000? The answer surprised Joe and revealed a way to hack deep-seated customer psychology that transformed a key segment of his start-up business and expanded our total addressable market. Not only did the change drive sales and enable the business to scale, but it reduced staff an...
Candid Career Advice that Every Business Student Should Hear Right Now
College debt has grown by 43% in the last decade, but another investment metric that young people in the early stages of their careers need to consider is time. How are you spending it to get the education you need to reach your goals? With the fast-paced changes coming from the AI revolution how you get skills, whether in the classroom or through on-the-job e...
An Unbelievable Story of Defying Expectations That Is a Lesson for All Entrepreneurs
When a 61-year-old Australian potato farmer showed up to run a 540-mile ultra-marathon in rain boots, everyone laughed. Joe unpacks the unlikely legend of Cliff Young and what his story reveals about innovation, disruption, and the power of not knowing the “right” way to do things. From herding sheep to building startups, this conversation unlocks ...
A Story About Sales, Service, Generosity and Being Open to the Unfamiliar
Joe shares how a small gesture from a customer early in his career—a box of CDs—shifted his entire mindset about success, leadership, and service. This story traces how a simple act of generosity helped shape the principles behind Go Brewing and the belief that helping others get what they want is the real key to getting ahead.
5 Takeaways:
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Accept the u...
Pulling a trailer, running a marathon, starting a business: how doing the thing exposes fear for what it really is.
Joe reflects on how fear shows up in both everyday challenges and defining moments—from business risks to personal tests of endurance and everyday fitness routines. He shares how discomfort and uncertainty are often part of the process of learning, not signals to stop. From anecdotes about nearly crashing a trailer wh...
Will your business show-up in AI search? Here's the test...
AI is rewriting the rules of search — and business owners can’t afford to ignore it. Joe had a private meeting with execs from OpenAI (ChatGPT) and cuts through the noise to share how businesses need to adapt. From optimizing websites for AI engines to creating content that actually goes from discoverability to relevancy, we break down the shift from Google to ChatGPT, Cla...
What makes a great leader different from a great manager? Joe confesses why one-on-ones drain him, what he learned in the Boardroom of a publicly-traded company about persistence, and how changing environments can unlock hidden potential -- especially with support from good managers.
Key Takeaways:
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CEOs and entrepreneurs need to know the difference between leadership and management (and then prioritize their roles accordingly...
Joe dives into the art (and risk) of hiring ahead of where your business is today. From bringing in talent before the role exists to structuring equity and vesting agreements, we explore how the right people can accelerate growth—or hold you back. Learn how to balance vision with reality when building your team.
5 Key Takeaways:
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Hire forward, not backward: Bringing in talent for where you’re headed—not just what you can affor...
The Leadership Hack to Turn Discomfort Into Collaboration
Conflict is inevitable as teams grow—but how you handle it makes all the difference. Joe describes real-life examples of why ambiguity is the root of many workplace tensions, how to spot it early, and the fastest way to resolve issues before they spiral. From surprise three-way calls that cut through the noise to creating space for empathy, you’ll hear practical strategies f...
How to unlock enterprise value, delegate effectively & adapt systems to match goals
We dive into the most persistent question every founder faces: "where should you really spend your time?" From making pizzas in the early days to building national marketing campaigns, Joe shares how he decides what drives enterprise value, how he makes delegation an effective priority, and how to balance what fuels you with what fuels the busin...
What We Learned When No One Wanted What We Loved (and how that saved us money!)
A/B testing online for customer preferences was a tried and true strategy for Joe as he built websites and digital marketing campaigns in the automotive space, but how could he apply those lessons for CPG retail in the "real world?" He shares a wake-up moment as a founder about confidence, bias, and the importance of testing ideas before scaling. From l...
Tips to Approach Diet & Fitness: Test, Track & Take Action Now
Joe gets candid about his journey from neglecting fitness while grinding to grow his business to losing 45 pounds, running marathons, and sustaining healthier habits to be a better business leader, father, and husband. The connection between entrepreneurship and personal health is often overlooked so we break down the myths of “perfect routines,” why waiting unt...
Rule of Thirds for Startups: Big Wins, Paper Cuts & When to Call a Spiritual Healer
In an Ask-Me-Anything episode Joe shares intimate stories from behind the scenes of starting and running his businesses including the surreal moment of getting a $200+ Million offer and when the only solution was to call a spiritual healer to cleanse the business.
Key Take-Aways For Entrepreneurs:
- Measuring growth in thirds to find the righ...
Hijacking Super Bowl Commercials. Brand vs. Performance Marketing. Social Proofs Ads vs. Demographic Targeting.
Feeling stuck on how to start marketing on Facebook, Instagram or Google? Joe cuts through the noise to share a simple and proven, early-stage business strategy. Learn how to build buzz, drive sales, and make every dollar work harder—without falling into the common traps that drain budgets. From hijacking big brand momen...
Build Email Flows that Unlock Value, Drive Sales & Create Relationships
The most undervalued resource of your business is your ability to contact customers directly so why would you spend money to drive people to your website or store if you can't stay in touch with them? In this episode Joe explains why you shouldn't spend money on ads until you build a system to earn customers' contact information and then send emails (or tex...
In this episode, Joe explains what many startups fail to do before they spend their first dollar on ads. From crafting a clear value proposition to optimizing your website for the buyer's journey, you'll learn how to build a brand experience that converts. Using real examples—like the launch of Easy Man, a hemp-derived THC beverage—we explore the importance of testing, simple UX, lead capture, and focusing on one customer persona. ...
In this episode, we dismantle the myth that market research requires big budgets or third-party consultants. Instead, Joe breaks down a founder-tested approach to validating ideas using nothing more than a spreadsheet, common sense, and hard-earned insight.
We walk through:
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Why you don’t need fancy market research to validate your idea—just your brain and Google.
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How to use pricing data and margin math to identify viable pr...
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