Richard Tait joins Adam and Ben in this episode. Richard, previously of Microsoft, Starbucks, and Co-Founder of game company Cranium, is today a Partner with Valor Siren Ventures (VSV).

Richard talks of his time at Microsoft, what he learned there, and his experiences in creating products. Hear the interesting story of how Richard created the game Cranium, a game that was introduced in Starbucks and eventually sold to Hasbro.

Learn about Richard’s practice of resilience and iterative design to accelerate product development. He shares stories of the many creative tactics used to come up with new ideas and then bring them to market in new and innovative ways. Be inspired by his willingness to put himself out there, respond to the resistance, and persevere in the face of friction.

This wisdom packed conversation delves into using friction as a force for innovation. Hear how Richard responds to constraint with creativity and reframes friction into opportunities.

Richard explains using empathy as an entrepreneurial necessity and shares a story of when he gave a job interview to Satya Nadella... known today as the CEO of Microsoft.

The show wraps with Richard answering Adam’s question of a customer experience that struck Richard as incredible. He gives two examples, including one that he has fully bought into as a consumer.