Traction First - A Corporate Innovator's Guide to Unlocking Market Traction

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/

Creators and Guests

Host
Chris Tromp
Chris Tromp is the COO of City Innovations, where he helps ventures go from idea to product-market fit with a “sell first, build later” approach. With over 25 years in digital strategy, marketing, and operations, he specializes in building the right product faster and with less waste.
Host
Josh Barker
Josh Barker is the CEO of City Innovations, a venture studio helping businesses turn ideas into revenue fast. He specializes in a “traction first” approach, guiding startups and corporations to their first paying customers and scalable growth.

What is Traction First - A Corporate Innovator's Guide to Unlocking Market Traction?

Josh Barker, CEO of City Innovations, a Venture Studio, shares insights from his years in the innovation industry.