The Jo Show · 31 December 2025
Episode 7: Values, virtue signalling, and why most founders misdiagnose the problem (with Paul Zelizer)
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing the “right” thing in business… but the market isn’t rewarding you for it, this episode will land.
In Episode 7 of The Jo Show, I’m joined by Paul Zelizer — host of the Awarepreneurs podcast and coach to 30,000+ purpose-driven entrepreneurs — and we get brutally practical about what actually works when you’re building a values-led business in a world that feels… heavier.
This isn’t a pep talk. It’s a blueprint.
🎧 Watch Episode 7 here: https://youtu.be/9lpVnSWeGwo
The big idea: if you want to sell, stop selling your values
Paul drops a line that should be tattooed on every “purpose” brand’s homepage:
“To sell sustainability, don’t talk about sustainability.”
In other words:
People don’t buy your virtue. They buy a product that solves something real.
Your values matter — but they have to show up in the proof, not the pitch.
If you’ve ever wondered why your “ethical / sustainable / community-minded” messaging gets likes but not sales… this is why.
Values vs virtue signalling (and how to stay credible)
One of my favourite parts of the conversation is when we tease out the difference between:
- Values: the standards you actually operate by, even when nobody’s watching
- Virtue signalling: the vibe of “look at me” without the substance underneath
Paul’s take is simple: trust is earned slowly, especially when your claims involve impact. You can’t “widget” your way into credibility.
If your brand makes bigger promises than the average product (helping people, improving outcomes, changing systems), you need to build trust like it’s your job — because it is.
The reason most businesses stall: founders fall in love with the solution
Paul’s mentor gave him a principle that explains so much of what goes wrong in marketing:
Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.
When a business is stuck — low traction, weak conversions, constant “tweaks” — it’s often not because the founder isn’t working hard.
It’s because they’re trying to push a solution that’s not tightly connected to a clearly understood problem.
So instead of adding features, adding posts, adding spend… Paul recommends backing up and getting brutally honest about:
- What problem are we actually solving?
- For who?
- How do we know they care enough to pay?
The practical tool Paul uses to get founders moving fast
Paul shares how he helps early-stage founders avoid analysis paralysis:
- Use a Lean Canvas (a one-page business map) to get direction
- Do enough research to be dangerous
- Then launch and let the market teach you
Because if you spend months perfecting the plan, you often end up building off old assumptions anyway.
He also mentions a Business Model Canvas for more established businesses doing pivots or adjustments.
The theme: don’t overcomplicate it. Get clear. Get moving. Get feedback.
The underestimated growth strategy: community
This part is gold, especially if you’re tired.
Paul says it plainly: it’s hard to do this alone.
The founders who last are the ones who find (or build) a community of people who:
- share what’s working
- share mistakes honestly
- normalise the hard parts
- keep you moving when motivation drops
If your business feels like pushing a dead car uphill right now, this is your sign to stop isolating.
What “success” looks like when profit isn’t the only measure
I asked Paul how he defines success privately — not the public metrics, not the social posts.
His answer was sharp:
A successful business is one where the internal experience matches the external story.
If you claim one thing publicly but life inside the business feels completely different, people eventually sense it. Staff sense it. Customers sense it. You can’t fake alignment forever.
And yes — profit matters. But Paul makes the case that values-led businesses done properly can be more profitable and more liveable.
That’s the sweet spot.
The question Paul wants every founder to sit with
Near the end, Paul gives one question I think every business owner needs to hear (especially going into a new year or a new season of building):
Why are you doing this?
Because it’s your business. If you’re not genuinely connected to the problem you’re solving, it gets very hard to keep going when things get messy.
But if the problem is real, clear, and meaningful — resilience goes way up.
Watch Episode 7
If you’re building something that’s meant to matter (and you still want it to sell), watch this one.
🎧 Episode 7 with Paul Zelizer: https://youtu.be/9lpVnSWeGwo
If you want the “best bits,” jump to:
- 27:57 Values vs virtue signalling
- 20:37 Fall in love with the problem
- 06:25 What customers care about now
