When to Pivot, Persevere, or Purge with Josh Barker

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/

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.