Exude Passion: Interview with Joe Altieri, CEO of FlexScreen

I recently went one on one with Joe Altieri. Joe is the CEO and inventor of FlexScreen, the world's first and only flexible window screen, recently featured on Shark Tank.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. ​How did you get here? ​What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Joe: The adults in my life struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and as a result, I learned independence very early. My father and grandfather owned businesses, and I spent a lot of time observing and learning from their successes and failures. I like to refer to myself as a "serial entrepreneur." By the age of 12, I was finding ways to work and earn money. At 15, I was selling flowers curbside and doing so much business that the local flower shop owner made an impromptu visit to my stand to see what was going on. I've always had a strong work ethic and a real drive and determination to make things better and seek solutions.

Adam: How did you come up with your business idea? What advice do you have for others on how to come up with great ideas? 

Joe: Necessity truly is the mother of invention. I started my business out of pure frustration! As a professional in the window industry for 20+ years, I dealt with constant, unrelenting customer complaints about their window screens. The failure rate of old-style aluminum window screens is ridiculously high, causing customer satisfaction to be very low. The technology behind regular window screens hasn't changed in nearly 100 years. I wanted solutions, and I didn't see any coming from the industry, so I decided to take to my garage and work on something new myself. The initial goal was simply to make a durable window screen that people wouldn't hate.

The way I see it, you don't have to work hard at finding great ideas. They will present themselves in the form of challenges. You just need to recognize them and respond.

Adam: How did you know your business idea was worth pursuing? What advice do you have on how to best test a business idea? 

Joe: When I emerged from my garage (after hundreds of failed attempts) with a working prototype and showed it around to some higher-ups in the window industry, I knew by their reactions that I had something worth pursuing.

Feedback from people who sell, manufacture, use - or would like to use - similar products or services is crucial when testing a business idea. Get as much insight as you can. I already had all of the feedback I needed from customers who hated their window screens. I knew exactly what they didn't like. But I didn’t have much business experience, so I sought advice from a respected, successful local businessman who also happened to be a good friend. His invaluable advice and expertise was and is a huge contributing factor to the success of my business.

Adam: What are the key steps you have taken to grow your business? What advice do you have for others on how to take their businesses to the next level? 

Joe: Two words: Digital Marketing. I can't emphasize enough how important this is in today's world. We're a window screen company. People don't associate our business category with killer social media or viral ads. But that's exactly what we strive for every day, and very often, we achieve it. Our content is fresh and unexpected. Shark Tank producers found us as a result of our social media and reached out about appearing on the show. There is no way to quantify that ROI.

Adam: What are your best sales and marketing tips? 

Joe: Decide what the "vibe" of your brand will be, and then be fearless in promoting that narrative. Much of the content we produce has nothing to do with sales but everything to do with who we are as a company. People don't want to be sold on your product or service nearly as much as they want to be sold on you. So, above all, be genuine and be authentic. (And it will go a long way to lighten up and have fun with your brand too!)

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Joe: Great leaders know first how to be great followers. They aren't afraid of failure. (They are risk-aware, not risk-averse.) They recognize that the health of the organization relies on the health of their teams.

There are countless resources available to people who want to take their leadership to the next level, and I am a fan of books, seminars, classes, etc. But I believe the most effective ways to grow your leadership influence is to exude passion, be authentic, and seek to build others up in your organization.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

Joe: Don't micromanage. Hire people that you have enough confidence in to make their own decisions, then stand by them even if those decisions fail. Don't let your teams ever doubt how they're doing - good or bad. Be vulnerable, present, and passionate. Understand that your success depends on the people you surround yourself with, so you need to care about them as much or more as you care about your business. Investing in others over yourself is a fundamental leadership quality.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Joe: Be passionate. Be tenacious. Be unoffendable.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Joe: My grandfather, who was a huge influence in my life, used to always say; “Remember – this won’t last.” It was a constant reminder that in good times or in bad – tomorrow is always another day, and no one knows what that day will bring. So hold your successes and failures loosely, because they don’t define you.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Joe: I talk a lot about passion because it is so integral to a fulfilled, impactful life. Passion is the fulcrum that everything else pivots on. If your life feels “out of synch,” examine this first.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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