Meet Josef | Co-founder KMG

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josef and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josef, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Starting Knauf Media Group was a calculated risk, but one we believed in. My wife came from a traditional PR and marketing background so she had firsthand experience with how expensive and inefficient that world can be for small businesses. I came from a completely different background. Telecom, trades, project management, where I faced actual physical risk climbing and working on cell towers and moved into management.
We took a risk combining those worlds. We built KMG and developed Amplify to give everyday business owners the kind of marketing support they’d never get from a traditional firm because we knew there was a better way.
It wasn’t just a financial risk, it was a creative and reputational one too. We were challenging the norms of a whole industry. But risk has always been part of my path, whether physical or monetary. What matters most is staying true to the mission, learning fast, and trusting the work.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career didn’t start with a degree or a roadmap; it started with a climb. Literally. I was invited to work on a telecom crew with no prior experience, and within a week, I was hundreds of feet up a cell tower in Saginaw, Michigan. No formal onboarding, just a willingness to work and learn fast. From that first climb, I worked my way up to technician, top hand, foreman, construction manager, and eventually, overseeing multi-million dollar projects for a major telecom company.
What sets me apart is that I’ve lived the work at every level. I’ve been the guy freezing in the wind on a tower at midnight, and I’ve been the one managing budgets, timelines, and deliverables from the office. That full-spectrum experience gives me an edge because I don’t make decisions from a spreadsheet. I make them from a place of real-world understanding, having done the job myself.
The path hasn’t been easy. I’ve dealt with toxic leadership, injuries, frostbite, underpayment, and even a stroke from overwork. There were years where I felt undervalued because I didn’t have a degree, where my input was overlooked, even though I knew the field better than the person in charge. But I kept showing up, kept learning, and built a reputation for doing the job right, no matter the conditions.
That mindset greatly carried into starting Knauf Media Group with my wife. We created KMG because we saw how small businesses were being overlooked and overcharged by traditional marketing agencies. With her agency background and my real-world operations experience, we knew we could offer something smarter, affordable, AI-powered tools that help real people grow their businesses without all the red tape.
What I want people to know about me and KMG is this: we’re not just another agency. We’re builders, partners, and problem solvers. People who know what it’s like to work long days, run lean, and figure it out. We built this for the ones who do the work because that’s who we are, and that’s who we’re here to serve.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite spots in Detroit would definitely be the La Casa cigar lounge. Such a nice cozy atmosphere and fantastic people. I would also recommend the London Chop House or Prime and Proper for a steak. I would visit the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts), a place I regularly bring friends and family, as well as the newly renovated Michigan Central Station. If looking for a hotel to stay at, I would recommend the Shinola Hotel, a place my wife and I absolutely enjoy for a quick weekend during a “staycation”.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s no way I’d be where I am without my wife. She’s not only my co-founder at Knauf Media Group, she’s the reason it exists. Her background in agency work, her vision for doing things differently, and her belief that we could build something better together lit the spark. She’s been my partner in every sense creatively, professionally, and personally.
I also want to shout out my grandfather (Pop) and my father (Bruce). My grandfather showed me what a real work ethic looks like, cutting firewood, fixing equipment, and doing whatever needed to be done without ever looking for recognition (even when it was picking rocks out of 30 acres of farm field). My dad gave me early exposure to responsibility through the family businesses, where I learned how to contribute, stay accountable, and keep moving forward even when things got tough.
The early crews I worked with in telecom deserve recognition, too. I came in with no formal training, just a willingness to learn, and they took the time to teach me. That shaped how I lead today. They taught me what it means to always look out for the person next to you in literal life and death situations.
And above all, I have to give credit to God. There have been too many moments in my life where things could have gone another way, times I was injured, burned out, or ready to quit. But every time, God made a way forward. My story isn’t just mine, it’s been guided, protected, and blessed in ways I can’t fully explain. I’m just trying to be a good steward of the opportunities I’ve been given.

Website: https://knaufmediagroup.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josefkknauf/

Image Credits
Photos provided courtesy of Knauf Media Group