When Momentum Never Arrived

When Momentum Never Arrived

From Decision State with Joe Steele by Joe Steele

June 9, 2026 · 29 min · Episode 63

About this episode

Kevin Shtofman discusses the unexpected challenges faced after a promising partnership agreement.

A partnership with a major company looked like an obvious win. The reach was there. The brand was there. The market opportunity was there. What wasn't obvious was the amount of education, alignment, and execution required after the agreement was signed. What looked like a growth engine became a slow-moving operational challenge that continued to absorb time, attention, and momentum long after the excitement of the deal. In this episode, Kevin Shtofman shares what happened when a partnership that made perfect sense on paper took far longer to gain traction than anyone expected, how leadership kept extending the timeline, and why some risks are difficult to name while you're still inside them. Guest: Kevin Shtofman, COO of REBA and former Global Head of Corporate Development at Cherre. Connect with Kevin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinshtofman/ If you recognized something in this episode — joesteele.com . Follow Decision State on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Partnership That Looked Like A Sure Thing 02:21 The Revenue Bet Behind The Deal 05:08 Why Partnerships Mattered So Much 08:47 From Corporate Development To COO 11:49 The New Pace Of Work…

People in this episode

Host: Joe Steele

Guest: Kevin Shtofman

Topics covered

  • partnership challenges
  • business growth
  • leadership
  • corporate development
  • operational challenges

Keywords

  • partnership
  • business development
  • leadership
  • operational challenges
  • growth engine

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: REBA, Cherre, LinkedIn

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