235: What Founders Learn When They Never Work for Anyone Else | Juliana Sommer

Update: 2025-10-25

Description

In this dynamic episode of The Learn-It-All Podcast, Damon Lembi sits down with Juliana Sommer, founder and CEO of Priority Architectural Graphics, to talk about how bootstrapping, self-awareness, and vulnerability fuel long-term leadership success. Juliana shares her journey from making small electrical labels to building one of California’s leading architectural signage companies—all without changing jobs for three decades, right in the heart of San Francisco’s ever-evolving business culture. The conversation explores assertive leadership, overcoming imposter syndrome, using behavioral assessments for team effectiveness, lessons learned from recessions, and adapting to the rise of AI in traditional industries. Whether you’re a founder, a new manager, or craving more meaning in your career, this episode is filled with wisdom, actionable frameworks, and candid stories about what it really takes to lead well through thick and thin.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What “assertive leadership” really means—and why most people drift toward aggression or passivity
How vulnerability can be a superpower for leaders (and the difference it made in Juliana’s early years)
The power and pitfalls of “shape-shifting” in leadership—and how to avoid burning out your team
How behavioral assessments like DISC, Predictive Index, and Myers-Briggs boosted team self-awareness and performance
Practical strategies for surviving downturns—from COVID and the dot-com crash to the Great Recession
Why gratitude and self-reflection are essential antidotes to the “comparison trap” and imposter syndrome
How being AI-ready can make a traditional business future-proof (and what that looks like in signage and construction)

Timestamps:

00:00 – Three tracks of leadership: aggressive, passive, assertive

02:15 – 30 years bootstrapped: starting in 1995 and staying in one company

04:46 – Juliana’s family roots in construction and how Priority Architectural Graphics was born

08:25 – First experiences with Learnit and how upskilling changed Juliana’s trajectory

09:41 – Landing the first big state contract and overcoming imposter syndrome

12:42 – Leaning on family for support, vulnerability, and grounding

15:11 – Assertiveness as the “magic middle” of leadership (and how boundaries matter)

17:34 – Why passive leadership fails and how assertiveness sets direction

19:43 – Juliana’s evolution as a leader: moving from passive to assertive, and learning through experience

21:31 – Fast-tracking self-awareness: behavioral assessments for team and leadership

25:26 – The exhausting trap of “shape-shifting,” strengths, and the DISC framework

29:02 – Surviving downturns: lessons from COVID, dot-com, and the Great Recession

31:16 – Merging companies and finding opportunity in crisis

34:11 – Leading through stress: balancing internal panic and outward stability

37:04 – The critical role of trusted mentors and vulnerability in hard times

37:56 – Staying motivated: love for the work, team, and entrepreneurship after three decades

39:30 – Advice for finding work you love—patience, team dynamics, and impact

42:22 – “Don’t just point out the hole”: A framework for bringing problems and solutions to your boss

45:13 – How ambitious employees stand out: ownership, suggestions, and filling the gap

46:01 – The “what if” of Bay Area careers and lessons from staying the course

48:26 – Overcoming the comparison trap: gratitude as the anchor

50:15 – Preparing for AI: staying open, adapting, and bridging the digital divide

51:55 – What AI will change in project delivery, transparency, and client service

54:37 – Legacy: advancing women in AEC and evolving industry culture for the next generation

About Juliana Sommer

Juliana Sommer is the founder and CEO of Priority Architectural Graphics, a top architectural signage firm based in San Francisco. Raised in a family of entrepreneurs, Juliana bootstrapped her company—from engraving labels in a tiny room to leading large-scale projects at local landmarks like SFO Airport and multifamily housing developments. For 30 years, she’s steered her business through turbulent markets, tech disruptions, and industry transformation, all while advocating for greater inclusion of women in architecture, engineering, and construction.

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