329 | Navigating the first 90 days as a CEO with Eric Carrasquilla | CEO of Vendavo

In this episode of the Scale Up Valley podcast, Mike Dias interviews Eric Carrasquilla, CEO of Vendavo. They discuss Eric's journey from product management to CEO, the value proposition of Vendavo as a commercial operating system, and key insights from Eric's first 90 days in the role. Eric emphasizes the importance of clarity, speed, and culture in leadership, and introduces the V2MOM framework as a tool for organizational alignment. The conversation also touches on building the right team and fostering a culture that supports growth and success.

Takeaways

Vendavo helps companies unlock profitable growth. Speed in decision-making is essential for success. Culture is set by the CEO and is vital for the organization. Growth mindset is necessary in a scale-up environment. Simplifying goals helps in achieving clarity and focus. Building the right team is critical for achieving goals.

Sound Bites

"I'm a recovering product guy." "Speed is about decisiveness." "Culture is a you thing." "You should watch what I do." "It's about who you need to become." "It's a very selfish thing." "You gotta earn it every day." "We are in the rentals business." "A little bit of empathy goes a long way."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Vendavo and Eric Carrasquilla 02:31 Understanding Vendavo's Value Proposition 10:35 Key Insights from Eric's First 90 Days as CEO 16:10 The V2MOM Framework and Its Importance 20:29 Building the Right Team and Culture 21:40 Building a People-Centric Culture 24:03 The Commercial Operating System 25:34 Partner-Led SaaS Strategy 26:32 Customer Success as a Priority 28:11 Strategic Cross-Functional Initiatives 30:35 Leadership Development and Clarity 32:52 Balancing Discipline and Detachment 35:26 The Importance of Resilience 37:27 Building High-Performing Teams 39:57 Navigating the CEO Journey