Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 15:42
I’m curious. From a parent perspective, I’m asking this selfishly, Vivian, like with your kids? How do you instill that hunger and drive in them? Because, you know, they’re not growing up in twin mattresses on the floor situation? So I’m curious, how do you approach that from a parenting perspective?
Vivian Gonzalez: 16:11
No. Having this career for 25 years and the pain and the hours and the grind does not compare to being a parent. I always say it’s the hardest job anyone will ever have. So what we try to do is really keep them grounded, which can be challenging and instill grit. It’s that grit, you know, you look at. You can go on to so many different TED talks.
There’s some amazing ones out there. Just around data related to analyzing students in high school and through college, and then into their professional lives that grew up with grit, having that tenacity and those that didn’t that simply just had perhaps a high IQ. Those with grit always beat out the IQ. And that’s what we’ve really worked to instill in our kids is, yes, you need to get the grades, but so does everyone else around you. So I lean into that Robert Frost poem of the Road Less Traveled.
It’s the grit that takes you through the road less traveled. And that’s what’s going to get you to where you want to go.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 17:40
Yeah. There’s a really good book by Angela Duckworth. It is called Grit. And I think she’s got a TED talk as well.
And I think you kind of hit on it with your sports journey. Like certain activities and things tend to build grit, right? Like someone’s in a sport, you have to push through some injuries sometimes. You have to deal with competitions. There’s a lot there.
I’m curious for you growing up and then through high school, like at that point, what did you want to be when you grew up at that point?
Vivian Gonzalez: 18:15
Didn’t know what I wanted to be. And I think a lot of kids are in that position today. You look at even the millennials that are competing for a spot and there aren’t as many spots for them. What are they going to do? And what do they want to be when they grow up?
What I did know was I was going to work and grind at whatever it was, because I wanted to have more. I wanted to be more. I’m a big believer in the book The Purpose Driven Life. And really, you may not always know what your purpose is, but if you have that mindset and everything you do, eventually that purpose comes to you. So I didn’t have a roadmap. I don’t know, frankly, that a lot of people have a roadmap in my industry that say, I’m going to grow up one day and I’m going to be a, you know, an executive recruiter they tend to fall into.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 19:19
I didn’t know if you’d be like, oh, I’m going to be an Olympian gymnast or something. I don’t know, maybe that’s what you wanted to do at that point in your life.
Vivian Gonzalez: 19:26
Well, you know, coming from immigrant parents, of course, they want to have a doctor and a lawyer in every, in every house. So my brother became a dentist. I actually did go to law school, but after a semester I was 19. I had finished college early, wrapped that up in about two, two and a half years because I wanted to get out there and I didn’t want to have to pay more tuition bills.
So I went to law school at 19. I lasted a semester and said, this is not for me. I like to talk too much and read less. And so it was just sitting down and really going through that analysis of what would I be happy doing for the long term? Not what’s going to make me the most money. Because when people do that, it doesn’t get them to where they think it’s going to go.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 20:22
I’m curious, Vivian, some of your favorite books we mentioned, Grit by Angela Duckworth. You mentioned Purpose Driven Life. Are there any other favorites? You know, business wise or life wise that you’d recommend?
Vivian Gonzalez: 20:38
I have read almost every single book Oprah Winfrey has put out. Fascinated with her mindset and really looking, if you look at where she came from, right, perfect example of someone that had to really build, didn’t have necessarily a plan of getting to where she has gotten to, but took every opportunity to say if there’s a mistake or if there was a pitfall in my life, how can I turn this into a learning moment and success? And I really envy that mindset. I think if people think that way, it will lead to a much more positive outlook.
Even when you have those days where you’re grinding it and you’re exhausted and you’re struggling. So I would highly recommend it. I think she’s put out about four different books. I’ve read them all.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 21:45
It’s funny you say that because I think I have over 600 books in my Audible, and I have not listened to one on Oprah, so.
Vivian Gonzalez: 21:52
Oh my God.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 21:52
As soon as this is over, I’m going to go get a few of these on my Audible, so I appreciate you sharing that.
Vivian Gonzalez: 21:59
It’s a must read.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 22:03
You know, I love to highlight a little bit more, a couple examples here just so I and people can understand you know how it works. Park Capital Search works. And there was a CFO. The CFO was afraid to make a move. Can you talk about how that worked?
Vivian Gonzalez: 22:25
Yes. So you know, what I love about what we do is we stay in touch with our CFOs, and anybody that really that we place, we stay in touch with them. We get to know them, their families. We see their growth. I had a great story. A VP of finance was ready, really. He felt like he had been stuck in that title for years. Very talented.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 22:54
How did he find you? Like, how did you connect?
Vivian Gonzalez: 22:58
How did I connect with him? He came, referred to me and so many.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 23:02
So he was saying, oh, I need to make a change. And he’s maybe telling someone I need to make a change. And then they’re like, oh, you got to talk to Vivian.
Vivian Gonzalez: 23:09
Yes, that’s exactly how it happens. And truly, it happens very often in that way. And to us, that is why it’s so important that we deliver and we deliver in a unique way that people will remember us. So this particular scenario, this VP of finance, was talking to a friend and said, hey, you need to talk to Vivian. She’s the person to talk to.
So. he picked up the phone, called me, said so-and-so had suggested I need to talk to you. I remember that person. We had a great conversation over the phone and he shared. He said, you know, I’ve been stuck in this spot as a VP of finance. I don’t know how to break out. I’ve, in essence, been doing the CFO responsibilities without the title. And I’m ready.
What do I do? And so, you know, I like to share different directions for people because it really needs to be based on one, their personal life, are their kids young? Are their kids out of school? When they’re in college and you’ve got the freedom, you can take on a role that requires a lot of travel, why not?
In his scenario, his kids were in middle school at the time, and he has two kids, and his wife wanted to see him every night. So I had said to him, you need to look at private equity. We can get you there.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 24:52
Why private equity? Talk about why you were saying that.
Vivian Gonzalez: 24:56
For him in particular, he had seen a lot of things. Meaning he had seen companies go through transactions, go through sales. He had been a part of heavy M&A due diligence projects. He had sat in the accounting seat. He had sat in the finance seat.
He had been a part of rebuilds, but he didn’t know how to put all that experience together, package it and position himself. And frankly, there are a lot of really successful people out there that don’t know or don’t like talking about themselves. Me included.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 25:37
I’m forcing you with this.
Vivian Gonzalez: 25:38
Yeah I know. And so, you know, anyhow, I had said to him, I happen to have a key well-known brand. It was an e-commerce retail brand. I can say it was part of Margaritaville in one way, shape or form. Private equity backed.
The CEO needs a right hand, but they don’t want this very big wig CFO that just wants to delegate. They want someone that’s humble enough to say, I’m going to build something, and I and I know how to do it. And he got the job. He got the job, and he beat out quite a few other CFOs. You know, we were retained on the search, of course, and some of these other CFOs had already gone through multiple private equity transactions.
But he was the right fit. He had great chemistry with the CEO. He was willing to grind it. He was willing to build. And that was about ten years ago. So today he’s on his second private equity backed CFO role. I ran into him recently and he said, I’ll never forget you. We’re positioning for an exit and it’s going to be a seven figure exit for me. Thank you. Thank you for giving me the nudge.
So those you know, I get goosebumps because those are the stories that really make my job exciting and fun.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 27:09
Is that common, Vivian, like for an executive, do they a lot of times get equity or is this dependent on the scenario? Is there a common practice?
Vivian Gonzalez: 27:22
You know, sometimes it’s almost like nails on a chalkboard for me, because there are so many times that I’ll talk to a C-suite, whether it’s a CEO, CFO, and they’ll tell me it was my first time working in private equity, and I didn’t know I negotiated my own package and I don’t have any equity. And that’s where the value comes in from. A candidate perspective is not being afraid to say, I need someone that will represent me and will look out for my most equitable, best interests. And still aligning with what the business needs. So not always do they get equity.
But if you’re going to work to build and double a company’s revenue in three years and take it from 100 to $200 million company, or, you know, 500 million to 7, 5800 million, which is really what the expectations tend to be. You’re going to be working some really heavy hours. I always equate it to sitting in the president’s seat of the United States, you look at when the president starts to when his the end of his term is. They’ve got a lot more gray hair.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 28:53
I think there was some before and after for Obama. And he looked like 40 years older or something in the picture.
Vivian Gonzalez: 29:00
They always have a few more gray hairs, and that is truly what it is to sit in the C-suite and work with private equity. You’re going to end up with quite a few more gray hairs at the end of it, and you should be compensated for it.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 29:12
Or no hair.
Vivian Gonzalez: 29:13
Or no hair. You know, you never know.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 29:18
What are some of the big mistakes people make? You mentioned maybe people are negotiating their own package. They don’t get equity or don’t even ask for it. What are some other mistakes that you see?
Vivian Gonzalez: 29:29
A key mistake I see on both sides, on the client, from a founder perspective and not speaking for the PE sponsors, but there are frankly some PE sponsors out there. They’re smaller cap. They’re new. They don’t know.
One of the biggest mistakes that are made aren’t true tactical initiatives that are communicated during the interview process. So from a candidate perspective, they’re accepting a role and they don’t know what the expectations are. They’re just going off of conversation. From the founders perspective or PE sponsor, it’s so important to be honest with that C-suite that you’re getting ready to hire. You’re going to put a lot of dollars in front of them. Not to mention, you know, the optics within the company.
So you want to make sure that you’re really being thoughtful in how you’re expressing what the expectation is going to be.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 30:39
Frankly, I think that goes across every industry, right?
Vivian Gonzalez: 30:42
Right? Really for any company. But it’s funny how many times people forget. They get caught up in the dating romance of the process. They’ll get excited about someone. There’s great chemistry, but once they get in the spot, can they really deliver at the level that the sponsor is asking? And that’s you know, that’s a big component of the CEO. You’ve got to make sure your C-suite is capable.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 31:18
There was another situation that involved a public company. Can you talk about that?
Vivian Gonzalez: 31:24
So that one’s a very recent one, large public company, also extremely well known brand globally. Majority owner is a private equity sponsor. Uniquely private equity sponsor came recommended by a board member to me and they called me up and said, hey, you know, such and such a board member says, I need to work with you. You’re the person we’ve worked with the Srecs in the past, and half the time it doesn’t work. So we want to see what’s all the excitement about here?
We have been in a six month transformational project with this public company and rebuilding their C-suite, and they happen to need a head of global tax. It was a really cool and exciting scenario and that they wanted an up and comer. They wanted an up and comer because one, you know, from a competitive perspective, they knew they wouldn’t be able to compete with dollars, and two, they wanted someone that was really going to have that grit, the grit we’ve been talking about. So I had met a KPMG leader two years before that. We had lunch.
I knew we had a networking partner in common. We just met for lunch and I said to her, I know you’re early in your career, but one day I’m going to place you. I just know it. And she laughed because she was quite early in her career and she knew, you know, the level of roles that we place. And so I just called her out of the blue and said, I know you’re happy at KPMG. You’re on a great track. I have an opportunity that you’re not going to be able to say no to. And she went through the process, met with the CEO, the CFO, the whole team. This is a, I think she’s probably 32, pretty early in her career. And now she is sitting in the head of global tax for a public company.
That to me gives me goosebumps. It’s just one of those scenarios where that candidate would never have that type of opportunity so early in her career. And here you’ve got a company that’s looking for something unique and they don’t know where to find it. And I just so happen to have had lunch with an up and comer, highly talented, big for two years back. All I had to do was pick up the phone.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 34:16
Sometimes part of your job is just having to be an expert spotting talent. I mean, you’re spotting it along the way. I’m curious, what are the characteristics that you look for? You mentioned obviously grit. What are the things that if you look back at some of the talent you spotted again, someone early on in their career. Maybe it’s not obvious to most, but you’ve seen so many, you know, candidates. What are you looking for? Grit. What else? What else do you see?
Vivian Gonzalez: 34:45
So a big piece of it is humbleness. Humbleness and and really in any job it’s so important feeling the gratitude behind being able to sit in that seat. I think really feeds a fire in somebody’s belly. And that’s really sort of the combo that I look for is the humbleness and the fire. Always ends up with success. So I think doing this for 25 years has seen it happen many times where, you know, I’ve spoken to someone or someone has come referred and said, I know I’m too early in my career, you can’t help me. But can you give me advice? And today there is a CFO.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 35:37
What advice do you give them?
Vivian Gonzalez: 35:38
I had a Pulte. Pulte homes. We had a. He’s now the youngest president. Divisional president. And at the time, he was probably a senior accountant. This was 15 years ago. You could just tell. You could tell how he presented himself. He was newly married. He didn’t have any kids. He was just trying to find his way and he was grinding it out. But he was so humble about it and was willing to lean in and leaned in anytime he could. Put in the time. And now he’s where he is, and is very well respected and will continue to grow within Pulte.
The advice I give him is make your own way. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Come up with a plan that works for you, works for your family, goals, and your life. And don’t be afraid to flex. Don’t be afraid to flex. Don’t be so rigid. Be open, but lean in.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 37:03
You know, Vivian. Thank you. I really appreciate you sharing your journey, your stories. My last question is just you mentioned success. I like to talk about how you define and think about the success cycle, which is kind of a mission putting out in the world, you know, in highlighting different, you know, leaders and thoughts.
What does the success cycle mean to you?
Vivian Gonzalez: 37:28
So the success cycle came from really my story and the many stories that we’ve been a part of and helping build organizations, talking to young up and comers. You know, this isn’t our parents generation where you had leadership that was in their role 30, 40 years that were willing to take the time to mentor. Now businesses are built off of bottom line and people move, twist and turn really quick. And so we wanted to build a mission led brand that really would allow current successful C-suite and up and comers to hear people’s stories similar.
Where did they come from? How did they get to where they are? Can they have a successful family life and a business career? How do you do that? Are there moments where you’re afraid and when were those? And to make it very relatable to people so that if they don’t have access to a mentor, this is a mission led brand that we’re saying, here are some mentors, listen to their stories and take what you want from that. And put it into your own daily life or planning.
Dr. Jeremy Weisz: 38:57
I love it. I want to encourage people to check out ParkCapitalSearch.com to learn more. And Vivian, thanks so much. Thanks everyone.
Vivian Gonzalez: 39:06
It was a pleasure. Thank you.
