In this episode of The Way To Value, we sit down with Michael D'Onofrio, founder of Tested HQ, to uncover how he scaled his startup from a one-man side hustle into a 12-person company working with Fortune 500s.

Michael shares his raw, behind-the-scenes experience of launching during the pandemic, hiring early team members, overcoming founder burnout, and the growing pains of managing people, processes, and purpose—all by design, not by chance.

👥 We also dive into:

-How to know when to leave your 9–5

-The importance of co-founders & team dynamics

-Hiring missteps and how assessments like DISC & Working Genius changed everything

-Building a strong culture while scaling fast

-Lessons learned from burnout and going “too wide, too fast”

🔧 If you're a founder, entrepreneur, or startup leader—this is a masterclass in scaling with intention.

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🌐 Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us

🎧 Subscribe to By Design Podcast for more unfiltered leadership truth bombs

📘 Finding Significance by Marty Osborne – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTQD79BH/?bestFormat=true&k=finding%20significance%20marty%20osborn&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k1_1_12&crid=37ZRISVQPV8P3&sprefix=marty%20osborn

🧠 Take the DISC Assessment – https://profiles.innermetrix.com/VO/b2a2eb33/en

Website: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/

Dale's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalethrush/

Marty's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marty-osborn-78ba9b5/

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasrjoh

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