Would you be your own customer? That’s the uncomfortable but necessary question we tackle in this episode of the Who Cares? podcast with Jeff Jackel and Jay O’Brien. In a business landscape obsessed with optimizing for profits, processes, and performance, too many companies forget the one thing that actually moves the needle: how people feel.
What starts as a fun story about Jay rediscovering his long-lost hardcore band Azalea — now going viral on YouTube decades later — quickly spirals into a no-holds-barred discussion on why so many businesses are unintentionally bad at creating customer loyalty.
From restaurant mishaps to store credit-only return policies, and from logo-plastered swag to the weird world of early check-in fees, Jeff and Jay unpack real-life examples of how companies prioritize internal logic over customer empathy. Spoiler: it's hurting your brand more than you think.
This isn’t about getting the job done. It’s about being exceptional — not in the flashiest ways, but in the most human ones. Exceptional businesses ask:
Would I be thrilled to work with me?
Would I refer myself with no incentive?
Would I wear my own T-shirt if I didn’t own the company?
If you can’t say yes with full confidence, there’s your clue: it’s time for a self-audit.
What you’ll take away from this episode:
- Why being “net zero” after a mistake isn’t enough to win trust
- The problem with making returns hard — and why it drives customers away
- How a ruined steak can become your best customer experience moment
- Why forcing reviews before the service is done makes people cringe
- How “business hat” decisions often fail the “consumer hat” test
- The ROI of simply being easy to work with
- And why putting your logo on cheap swag is usually about you, not them
This is one of our most important conversations yet — especially if you’re building a business, leading a brand, or simply trying to do right by your customers.
If the experience you offer wouldn’t excite you, it probably won’t excite anyone else either.
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