I asked my boss and Rebrandly CEO Carla Bourque to share some of what has helped her become a scaleup CEO.
In my 20+ year career in tech, I have had the opportunity to work with strong, smart, and highly accomplished women who held roles ranging from CMO to COO and from VP of Sales to VP of Engineering, but until I joined Rebrandly in August of last year, I had never worked at a company where a woman had the top job of CEO.
FH: You have an accomplished career in tech that has led to your current position as CEO of Rebrandly – but you didn’t start as a CEO.
How did you get started in your career, and what is one piece of advice you would like to share with women who are getting into the workforce today?
CARLA BOURQUE: The advice I give women is the same that I share with men or anyone, really, who is looking to find their path forward which is before you set your sights on a role or a title:
- Do the personal work to understand who you are at your core
- Your intrinsic values and what you care about
- Then set goals that will support your learning and growth in that direction
- Essentially create and design the life – and the work – that fulfills you.
A little background
My career actually started when I was 14 working on a local family farm in New England. I could have chosen to work at MacDonald’s (not many other options back then!), but I knew I wanted to be outside and active so off to the fields I went. Farm work was physically challenging (and my friends thought I was crazy – always dirty) – but also incredibly satisfying.
At the end of each day, I could look back at the fields I had plowed, the crops I harvested, or the irrigation I had set up and know that my work had made an impact. I worked on that farm all throughout high school and college, supporting myself with the money I earned, picking up more responsibility and skills over the years:
- Leading teams
- Managing inventory and sales operations
- Interacting with vendors and customers
Farm work was an amazing experience that taught me much about resource management, forecasting & pricing, scaling for growth, and market dynamics. I draw on that experience often in my role as a CEO.
People often tell me that they want to be a CEO someday, and the first thing I always ask is, “Why”? Just as every individual and business is different, no two CEOs are alike and it’s really important to be honest about what motivates you and what your strengths and weaknesses are (an objective peer or self-audit is a great exercise to capture feedback) so that you can position yourself for success and create value – for yourself and others.
FH: Every business is looking for growth in a challenging market.
What are some opportunities you are seeing that businesses might be overlooking right now?
CARLA BOURQUE: Companies often prioritize external growth strategies, such as mergers and acquisitions, exploring new channels, geographic expansion, and forming new partnerships, potentially neglecting the value of internal optimization. By refining existing assets like:
- Product offerings
- Pricing strategies
- Packaging
- Team capabilities
- Systems
- Processes
businesses can uncover and generate significant value.
Drawing from agricultural experience, growth is influenced by multiple factors; each crop thrives under specific conditions, including soil quality, water availability, sunlight, pruning, compatibility with adjacent crops, and effective pest control. It’s crucial for businesses to evaluate and utilize all available levers to foster growth comprehensively.
When everyone is looking for (and expecting) growth, especially during challenging market conditions, smart growth investors and business leaders tend to focus on efficient growth vs. growth at all costs. While steady, efficient growth may not be as sexy or headline-grabbing as wild valuations and rocketship-promising IPOs, the past few years have shown that for companies:
- Without a large TAM
- Solid cash position
- Consistent growth and retention
- Scalable business model
the growth at-all-costs playbook can lead to disappointing outcomes.
FH: What is something you learned recently that changed your perspective?
CARLA BOURQUE: How to rock-climb!
As a beginner in rock climbing, I found the journey to be a comprehensive learning experience. Understanding the equipment, choosing a trustworthy belay partner, getting certified, and progressively tackling steeper routes, all contributed to this insight. I realized that rock climbing is akin to puzzle-solving, where preparation and perspective play crucial roles in reaching the top or necessitating a regroup after a slip.
As in life, with rock climbing, there is always a new route to explore, and sometimes, you need to drop to the ground (or reset) to get a clear view of where you’re headed.
FH: What is the most underrated leadership skill?
CARLA BOURQUE: Curiosity.
Effective leadership requires many skills including:
- Understanding
- Adaptability
- Empathy
- Strong decision-making
- Trust
- Accountability
In my experience, great leaders are the ones who also exhibit and cultivate curiosity. Leading a project, team or business requires a lot of discipline, skill, and coordination, and if the purpose or mission isn’t clear to everyone involved, things can go sideways quickly. Leaders also need to always think about the Why and ask questions that will reveal the essence of the individual, opportunity, challenge, or risk.
Lastly, curiosity requires intellectual and emotional humility, the self-awareness to know that you don’t know everything, and being vulnerable and open enough to say:
- “How could this XX work better?”
- “Why do certain initiatives fail so we can we do better next time?”
FH: What is on your Spotify playlist?
CARLA BOURQUE: So many playlists! I love music – all kinds – even better when heard live.
I just discovered Big Thief – bluegrassy and poetic – the lyrics of “Change” give me goosebumps.
My all-time #1 favorite is Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers.
Feather Hickox, Vice President of Global Marketing at Rebrandly.
Carla Bourque, CEO at Rebrandly as well as a board member, advisor, and investor.
