Breakfast with Champions": A Simple Way to Bridge the Gap Between Your Team and Your Market
One of the biggest challenges in any business—whether a startup or a large company—is the disconnect between the team and the market they serve.
It happens all the time. The product team builds features based on assumptions rather than real customer needs. The sales team pitches without truly understanding the industry’s pain points. The customer service team solves problems reactively instead of proactively.
I’ve faced this issue firsthand in multiple ventures, and I found a simple, low-cost, high-impact solution that completely changed the way my teams understood the market:
"Breakfast with Champions."
The Problem: Teams Don’t Always Understand Their Customers
Most companies believe they understand their customers. They have data, user personas, and feedback forms. But data alone doesn’t create a deep, intuitive understanding of what customers actually experience.
Sales teams may know the product but not what it feels like to use it in the real world.
Product teams make decisions based on guesses rather than lived experiences.
Customer service reacts to problems but doesn’t always anticipate them.
The reality is, nothing replaces hearing from real people in their own words. And yet, many companies operate at a distance from their users.
The Solution: "Breakfast with Champions"
To bridge this gap, I started hosting live, internal discussions with real industry leaders, customers, and experts—a format I called "Breakfast with Champions."
The idea was simple:
Hold a short, no-frills conversation (usually over breakfast) with someone who deeply understands our market.
Make it interactive, so the team can ask anything.
Do it regularly to keep learning fresh and insights flowing.
These weren’t polished presentations or corporate panels. They were raw, honest conversations designed to help my team “eat a champion for breakfast”—absorbing their knowledge and sharpening our thinking.
And the best part? No logistics. Everything happened online via a simple digital meeting link. No travel, no big event planning—just a calendar invite and an open conversation.
Why "Breakfast with Champions"?
The name wasn’t just symbolic. These sessions were literally held during breakfast, giving the team a chance to start the day with new insights and fresh perspectives. But beyond the timing, the deeper idea was:
✅ Fuel the team’s knowledge the way a good breakfast fuels the body.
✅ Bring in champions—leaders who have already mastered their space.
✅ Help the team absorb their expertise and grow stronger, faster.
How It Started: Learning from the Best
Before launching these internal sessions, I had already experimented with podcasting while running Innouvo.
I didn’t invest heavily in production, and podcasts weren’t even a mainstream trend yet. But by interviewing founders, investors, and innovators, I gained invaluable co-branding equity and deep industry knowledge.
That experience showed me the power of conversations with the right people. When I launched a SaaS company in self-storage compliance, I took the same approach—but this time, I brought the conversations inside the company to accelerate learning across the entire team.
The Impact: Why This Works So Well
Over time, these sessions led to massive improvements across every part of the business.
1. Stronger, More Credible Sales Conversations
Sales isn’t just about persuasion—it’s about understanding and trust. When the sales team had direct access to real customers and industry leaders, they:
Learned the exact language customers use, sounding like an expert.
Understood pain points at a granular level.
Developed insider knowledge that made them more credible and trustworthy.
Instead of sounding like salespeople, they started sounding like industry experts—which changed everything.
2. Smarter, More Customer-Centric Product Decisions
By bringing customers and operators into the discussion, the product team could:
Hear unfiltered feedback—what worked, what didn’t, and why.
Identify new feature opportunities based on real needs.
Spot gaps in our offering before they became real problems.
Instead of building based on guesses, we built based on reality.
3. Proactive, More Effective Customer Support
Customer service teams became more anticipatory rather than reactive. They:
Understood common industry challenges before customers even brought them up.
Learned how to solve problems before they escalated.
Built stronger, more empathetic customer relationships.
The result? Happier customers and lower churn.
4. A Stronger Brand & Industry Presence
One of the unexpected benefits of these sessions was the brand-building impact.
Every time we hosted a notable guest, we shared it:
A photo of the session on LinkedIn or in a company newsletter.
Key takeaways, showing our audience that we listen to our market.
A simple “thank you” message to the guest, strengthening relationships.
It wasn’t just learning—it was positioning our company as one that truly understands and respects its industry.
How to Get Started: A Simple Plan
This method requires almost no investment and is easy to implement.
Step 1: Identify Your First Champion
Ask yourself:
Has your team ever met a real user of your product?
Who in your industry would bring the most immediate value?
Who could reveal insights that challenge our assumptions?
The first guest should be someone who will have a real impact—not just someone easy to invite.
Step 2: Invite Them & Set the Tone
Keep it casual—explain that you’re interested in their day-to-day experience, challenges, and insights.
Make it candid—tell them you want honest feedback, not sugarcoated answers.
Ensure it’s interactive—your team should be able to ask whatever they need.
Step 3: Send a Calendar Invite with a Catchy Title
Make it exciting:
Title: Breakfast with Champions: [Guest Name] on the Reality of [Industry]
Agenda: Just a few bullet points, keeping it light.
Meeting Link: Keep it digital—no logistics, no event planning.
Step 4: Host the Session
Start with a short introduction (why you invited the guest).
Let them share their story and insights.
Open the floor for questions from the team.
Step 5: Reflect & Plan the Next Session
What did we learn?
How will we apply this?
Who should we invite next?
Step 6: Thank the Guest & Share the Experience
Send a thank-you message or a small gift.
Post a photo or key takeaway on social media.
Use it as a way to strengthen industry relationships.
Final Thought: Conversations Close the Gap
No matter how much research you do, nothing beats talking directly to the people who live and breathe your market every day.
"Breakfast with Champions" isn’t just a learning tool—it’s a way to align your team with reality, build better products, and make smarter decisions.
And the best part? Anyone can do it. No budget. No logistics. Just a simple conversation that could change everything.
