Joe DeLoss

With years of experience achieving record employee retention, creating extraordinary customer experiences, and growing revenue for his own successful business and for others, Joe DeLoss shares the foundations of his people-first, purpose-driven approach.

Joe believes in a better way of doing business for everyone involved. He spent nearly twenty years founding, growing, and selling successful businesses, all with a deep orientation to impact and sustainability. His approach has enabled Joe’s ventures to achieve record employee retention, scale quickly, and deliver extraordinary customer experiences, all while offering meaningful employment to those most companies have deemed unemployable.

The key to his success is a people-first approach. Joe’s dedication to understanding and supporting his team (many of whom have been impacted by incarceration, homelessness, and addiction) are what keep his employees stable, happy, and delighting customers. 

His most recent venture was Hot Chicken Takeover, a Midwest fast-casual restaurant chain, where he served raving fans Nashville-style fried chicken, created hundreds of jobs, and retained employees at a rate three times better than his industry peers.

Since exiting Hot Chicken Takeover, Joe’s set out to create the next impactful hospitality brand while investing in and advising leaders on how to grow their businesses through a people-first culture, do good in their communities, and avoid burnout in today’s modern global economy. Additionally, Joe serves as an Advisor at Harvard Business School’s Rock Center for Entrepreneurship between days on his farm and on the trail at ultramarathons. 

Joe’s proven success and relatable story have been featured by The Today Show, Forbes, Harvard Business School, Politico, The Rachael Ray Show and many others. As a keynote speaker at many of the largest corporate and association events in the country, Joe has inspired tens of thousands of business leaders.