
The Long View
Episode 7: What Elite Athletics Didn't Teach Joey Cheek About Startups
Joey Cheek is the EVP of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, where he runs the city's startup accelerators and incubators after a decade building technology for Fortune 100 companies. He's also a three-time Olympic speed skating medalist, winning gold and silver in Turin and bronze in Salt Lake City. Joey talks about how his background in athletics shaped, and initially hurt, how he approached building his own startups. In this episode we discuss: Why his Olympic training almost sank his first startup The fear that actually drives most athletes, and most founders Why "bias for action" beats perfectionism every time Rebuilding Greensboro into an unlikely aerospace and manufacturing hub Whether the world has too many startups or not nearly enough His bullish case for a cheaper, more deflationary future Enjoy! Timestamps: 01:55 Introduction and Personal Updates 02:15 Joey's Olympic Background and Current Role 04:49 Greensboro's Economic Transformation 07:54 Building Startups in Greensboro 10:52 Lessons from Olympic Training for Startups 13:55 The Challenges of Perfectionism in Entrepreneurship 16:45 The Reality Behind Success Stories 19:10 Training and Structure in Athletics vs. Startups 22:02 The Differences Between Individual and Team Sports in Entrepreneurship 23:59 The Importance of Feedback in Entrepreneurship 25:09 Bias for Action: The Key to Entrepreneurial Success 26:27 Nature vs. Nurture in Entrepreneurial Traits 27:11 The Startup Landscape: Quantity vs. Quality 29:51 The Role of Venture Capitalists in Startup Success 32:31 The Timing of Entrepreneurship: When to Start 34:41 Debunking Common Founder Advice 40:05 Future Trends: Bullish and Bearish Predictions Follow Joey on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-cheek-60333726/

