Built to Last
Candid conversations with entrepreneurs on life and business.
Join us as we uncover the habits, mindsets, and strategies that help organizations and people thrive for the long haul.
Built to Last
Building A Business Without Losing Yourself | Joshua Counsil
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In this episode of Built to Last, Joshua Counsil, co-founder of Good Robot Brewing, joins Levi and Colby for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, identity, business partnerships, and building a company without losing yourself along the way.
Joshua shares his path from engineering to opening a brewery with his university friends, growing Good Robot through major change, and discovering a new creative outlet through keynote speaking. The conversation also explores founder identity, working with different partners, defining clear roles, listening to customers, building an authentic brand, and learning when to say no as a business grows.
Resources:
Good Robot Brewing Company: https://goodrobotbrewing.ca/
Iron House Pro: https://www.ironhousepro.com/
Connect on linkedin:
Joshua - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuacounsil/
Colby - https://www.linkedin.com/in/colby-jardine/
Levi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/levilawrence/
00:00 – Introduction: Business, Identity and the Person Behind It
• Levi introduces the conversation and its focus on building both sustainable companies and sustainable lives.
01:22 – From Engineering to Good Robot Brewing
• Joshua shares his unconventional path from wanting to design Disney rides to opening a Halifax brewery.
04:15 – Keynote Speaking and Finding a Personal Outlet
• Why speaking became a creative pursuit separate from Joshua’s responsibilities at Good Robot.
11:31 – Building an Identity Beyond the Business
• The danger of tying your entire identity to one company, career or achievement.
20:51 – Why Entrepreneurs Need Feedback, Validation and Hope
• Joshua explains why shorter feedback loops can help founders endure the uncertainty of building a business.
28:33 – Reframing Memories and Acting Through Discomfort
• Mood-congruent memories, authenticity and moving according to your values even when uncomfortable feelings remain.
33:31 – The Disney Interview That Changed Joshua’s Path
• Joshua tells the story of the unusual answers that likely cost him a job at Disney.
38:10 – Managing a Three-Founder Partnership
• How self-awareness and different strengths shape the relationship between Good Robot’s three founders.
44:01 – Clear Roles and Creating Order From Chaos
• Why directors, defined responsibilities and an organizational structure helped the company mature.
48:49 – Why Founders Need Outside Challenge
• Good Robot’s original brand identity and the advisors who challenged the founders’ assumptions.
55:28 – Building a Diverse Advisory Board
• Joshua explains why a useful board needs both industry knowledge and genuinely different perspectives.
59:44 – How Customer Feedback Saved Diablo Beer
• A simple change in messaging helped turn a struggling product into Good Robot’s leading seller.
1:02:41 – One Brand or Two? Good Robot and Beverage Manufacturing
• Joshua reconsiders whether Good Robot’s consumer brand and co-packing operation should remain separate.
1:12:14 – Escaping Founder Bubbles and Listening to Customers
• Why entrepreneurs can misread the market when they rely on their own circles instead of real customer behaviour.
1:20:41 – Start Small, Learn Fast and Avoid Premature Scale
• The advantages of farmers markets, direct feedback and gradual expansion for new consumer brands.
1:25:42 – Saying No and Accepting You’re Not for Everyone
• Why turning down large opportunities can demonstrate maturity, focus and strategic discipline.
1:29:29 – Authentic Speaking and Stronger Personal Brands
• Joshua discusses negative feedback, polarizing audiences and showing up as yourself on stage.
1:35:17 – Bringing More Personality Into B2B Marketing
• LinkedIn, comedy and the opportunity to make professional content more creative and human.
1:41:03 – Where to Find Joshua and Closing
• Joshua shares where listeners can meet him and the upcoming events where he plans to speak.
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