Takeaways from the Direct Entrepreneur podcast with Nina Vaca, CEO, The Pinnacle Group

Growing up as the daughter of hardworking immigrants, Nina Vaca, CEO of the Pinnacle Group, had a front-row seat to their entrepreneurship.

Vaca founded Pinnacle Group in her living room when she was twenty-five. The IT staffing and workforce company, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, has a footprint in four continents and ten countries, more than 4,000 contractors in the US and Canada, and 200 team members at its global headquarters in Dallas, Texas.

“Leadership requires courage,” she says. “The courage to know what you’re good at and double down on it; the courage to get out there, start a company, and lead people.”

What It Takes to Succeed as an Entrepreneur:

Take care of yourself. “If you are going to have people around you and, in your charge, and you’re serving them and making them your best, they deserve for you to be at your best.”

Know who you are and what you’re good at. “Think about how much you can accomplish if you’re honest with yourself, if you know what your skills are.” Positivity is Vaca’s natural strength.

A learning mindset is essential. “A business can only grow to the potential of the leader or leadership team,” she says. Human potential is the competitive differentiator.

Know that nothing big is accomplished on your own. Surround yourself with people who complement you and people who will challenge you. 

Develop incredible trust. Vaca defines that as the ability to paint a vision bigger than yourself and create trust by role-modeling. “Putting yourself last and your people first is the responsibility of the leader in creating that environment.” 

To hear the full conversation between DSA President Joe Mariano and Pinnacle CEO Nina Vaca, log in to The Direct Entrepreneur series here.