Sean B Bisceglia: Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO

An Interview With Doug Noll

Never be the smartest person in the room. Find talent who expands you and brings new skills to the table. And you still think you’re the smartest person in the room, you have a problem.

As a part of our series called ‘Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO’ we had the pleasure of interviewing Sean B. Bisceglia.

As a highly experienced entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of success, Sean has spent the past 25 years empowering companies and their employees to reach their full potential and achieve exceptional growth. Throughout his career, he has founded three companies and served as CEO for five, effectively accelerating growth and executing a proven playbook across various industries, with a particular focus on B2B services for Fortune 500 companies requiring transformative impact. Additionally, he has been backed by 4 private equity funds in the last 20 years.

His entrepreneurial journey began with TFA Communications, which he grew into a $200 million revenue-generating business before selling it to Leo Burnett. Following this success, he acquired CPRi with William Blair Capital and drove a 200% growth in the business, eventually selling it to Aquent in 2005. He then founded Talent Drive, which quickly became the top-ranked resume aggregator nationally and later transformed into a privately labeled API product for large HR software companies.

In 2011, he co-founded Scout Exchange with John Chuang, growing it into the largest recruitment marketplace in the country. After a successful integration with Aquent in 2018, He became an Operating Partner at Sterling Partners on their education funds (Avathon Capital). Seeking hi next operating challenge, he became CEO of Curion in 2019, backed by Monroe Capital.
During his tenure at Curion, he transformed the product insights industry and led the company to remarkable success. In just three years, they grew revenue from $21 million to $60 million, achieving an average annual EBITDA growth rate of 80% year over year.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

My dad was also an entrepreneur, so I saw how his flexibility allowed him to prioritize what he cared about and establish a work/life balance, even before it was a topic of conversation. He’d always tell me, “You don’t make any money working for someone else.” I think his advice absolutely shaped my approach to business.

I’ve always loved to create value and bring ideas to life from nothing. When I was eight, I started my first business selling seashells on the boardwalk of Cape May. By highschool, I became a little more strategic and started a catering company. Then in college, I saw how many parents and students were separated by distance for major holidays and began selling care packages.

I was on this entrepreneurial track, but I still had no idea how that would translate to the working world. After graduation, I found a job in advertising sales and threw myself into understanding the ins and outs of the business. A few years later, some friends and I had the opportunity to buy the company, which is what launched me into leadership. It was a really exciting time, and we were able to build the business and sell to Leo Burnett. After that, other companies wanted to hire me to create value in their businesses. I acquired CPRi with William Blair Capital, and after driving 200% growth in the business, sold to Aquent in 2005. I then founded Talent Drive, which became the largest resume aggregator nationally. In 2011, I co-founded Scout Exchange and grew it into the largest recruitment marketplace in the country. After a successful acquisition with Aquent in 2018, I became an Operating Partner at Sterling Partners, then CEO at Curion. After 25 years and leading five different companies, I’m still passionate about turning diamonds in the rough into powerhouses through disruption.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

When I first started at Curion, we launched a massive hiring initiative to find talent who would help build a culture of disruption and innovation. One day, I was forwarded a LinkedIn post absolutely ripping apart the consumer insights industry. The post harped on how outdated the industry had become and doubted its future role in the field of food science. I knew immediately that we needed him, so I sent him a message effectively saying, “Okay, you think the industry is broken. So come help us fix it.” And it worked! We set up an interview, and I was blown away by his passion and ideas. He started at Curion a few weeks later as VP.

So many other stories like this helped us restructure our leadership, build the company from 99 to 463, and become a force of change within the consumer insights industry.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The funny thing about mistakes is they’re only mistakes in retrospect.

I like to say, “I’m never in doubt, but I’m often wrong.” As someone who is very passionate and enthusiastic about ideas, I inevitably have followed through on ideas I shouldn’t have, but I never feel like I’m making a mistake in the process.

Acting on an opportunity and realizing later it was a mistake is always better than not taking the chance at all. I don’t think taking a risk that doesn’t turn out in your favor is a mistake — if you can learn from it and make better decisions in the future.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I’ve made a lot of lifelong friendships over the course of my 25-years as a CEO. But when I think about the people I owe my career to, it’s the brilliant talent I’ve had the opportunity to recruit, coach, and shape into leaders whose skills surpass my own.

I talk a lot about the impact of hiring great people on business’ success. There’s also an enormous benefit to being surrounded by people who challenge you, open your mind to new ideas, and are point-blank smarter than you. Each member of your team who can offer experiences, skill-sets, and differing areas of expertise will help you create lasting change as a CEO. Without these people by my side, I wouldn’t have achieved a fraction of my success.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?

You have to hire and promote the people who will uplift and further your company culture. The unfortunate flip side of this is having to let people go who aren’t a cultural fit.

I brought on a close friend I’ve worked with for around 20 years as senior level management. After a few months, it became apparent he not only didn’t integrate well into the team, he had an oil and water effect on the culture we’d worked so hard to build. It was extremely difficult to set aside my personal relationship with him and have the conversation that would ultimately benefit the company. It was by far the hardest decision I’ve had to make over the course of my career, but it also turned out to be a really valuable learning experience as well.

Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

It’s the CEO’s job to create an environment of freedom and responsibility, empowering leaders to take risks and to extend this same agency to the people they manage. Freedom breeds creativity, and leadership can only exist by building up others.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?

Being a CEO isn’t about power or prestige — it boils down to the constant prioritization of the company over yourself. You have to check your ego at the door every morning, want to be proven wrong, learn from leaders who are smarter than you, and develop extraordinarily thick skin. People don’t realize how lonely the position can be. There aren’t other CEOs in the company you can speak with and relate to. When you’re faced with decisions, it can feel isolating and overwhelming. Having leadership you can trust when you’re in those positions is the only way to survive.

What would you say the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

When I started my last role as CEO, I expected we’d need to retool, retrain, and reinspire the around 100 employees already employed there. I also anticipated we’d likely see a lot of turnover to effectively shift the culture. But even after increasing the size of the company by about 5x and implementing drastic cultural changes, we retained about 90% of the original talent. Everyone was really eager to become part of the new Curion we were building, which I think speaks a lot to the natural cultural realignment that needed to happen.

Do you think everyone is cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

I think leadership is something you’re either born with, or you’re not. Some people are born with the ability to paint or write, and some aren’t. It’s possible to improve your skills through strategy, but you also have to have a foundational instinct that can’t be taught. Sales and leadership are the same way. CEOs are natural born risk-takers who thrive in uncertainty and don’t become paralyzed by the unknown.

Creativity and emotional intelligence are also non-negotiables. If you’re the kind of person who prefers to crunch numbers and color inside the lines, this is not a job for you. A CEO needs imagination to envision what’s possible for your company, then the resourcefulness to make it happen. And in order to be an effective leader, you have to be able to read people and relate to them on a personal level. Top talent isn’t going to want to work for someone they wouldn’t grab dinner with.

What advice would you give to other business leaders to help create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?

Creating a company culture is a marathon, not a sprint. I’d challenge business leaders to get really granular about defining their culture, rather than thinking of one idea and running with it. You need to be intentional about considering every aspect of your organization — employees’ wants and needs, clients’ backgrounds, and the direction your company needs to be successful both presently and in the future.

Collaborating with employees to shape your company culture is an opportunity to get a little deeper with people and understand what makes them tick. I’d suggest using exercise with words and surveys to define attributes of members of the group, then narrow down the language by seeing which descriptors elicit a positive and visceral response. When you’ve found the common denominators, use these words to create a phrase that unites your team under a common purpose.

Defining your culture is the easy part. To ensure it actually translates into everyday life, name a few trusted employees to serve as members of a culture task force. They can make it their own, finding creative and fun ways to weave in motivation and remind people what it is they’re all trying to accomplish.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Leading a company really is an individual sport. So, I created the playbook I wish I’d been able to read at the beginning of my career. There are concrete themes I’ve observed at all five of the companies I’ve led, and lessons I’ve learned the hard way more times I can count. It’s been really rewarding to document my experiences in hopes that they’ll help another leader feel less alone and to move forward with confidence.

Fantastic. Here is the primary question of our interview. What are your “Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO” and why?

1. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Being a CEO is incredibly lonely. Find people who have your back and tell you the truth, even when it hurts.
2. Never be the smartest person in the room. Find talent who expands you and brings new skills to the table. And you still think you’re the smartest person in the room, you have a problem.
3. Build client relationships and learn why they work with you. You have something that’s working. Find out how you can replicate and build on it.
4. Be open-minded. You hired people who will challenge you and introduce new ideas. So listen to them!
5. Be passionate. Because it’s contagious! Inspire those around you by showing how much you care about what you’re doing.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’d raise money to exterminate the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. With the advancements of technology and science over the last few years, there has to be a way to remove a trash island twice the size of Texas.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Never in doubt, often wrong.” It speaks to the importance of taking risks even if the outcome isn’t what you expected. Having the humility to admit you’re wrong creates a kind of freedom I believe is the foundation for success.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them

I’d love to have lunch with Claire Foy from The Crown. She was fantastic in the show — the acting was so impressive. Her humanization of the Queen required a lot of creativity and emotional intelligence, and it was really fun to watch unfold.

I’d also love to sit down with Ben Page, the CEO of IPSOS. His mastery of consumer trends and citizen behavior alongside his executive experience would make for a very interesting conversation, I think.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About the Interviewer: Douglas E. Noll, JD, MA was born nearly blind, crippled with club feet, partially deaf, and left-handed. He overcame all of these obstacles to become a successful civil trial lawyer. In 2000, he abandoned his law practice to become a peacemaker. His calling is to serve humanity, and he executes his calling at many levels. He is an award-winning author, teacher, and trainer. He is a highly experienced mediator. Doug’s work carries him from international work to helping people resolve deep interpersonal and ideological conflicts. Doug teaches his innovative de-escalation skill that calms any angry person in 90 seconds or less. With Laurel Kaufer, Doug founded Prison of Peace in 2009. The Prison of Peace project trains life and long terms incarcerated people to be powerful peacemakers and mediators. He has been deeply moved by inmates who have learned and applied deep, empathic listening skills, leadership skills, and problem-solving skills to reduce violence in their prison communities. Their dedication to learning, improving, and serving their communities motivates him to expand the principles of Prison of Peace so that every human wanting to learn the skills of peace may do so. Doug’s awards include California Lawyer Magazine Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year, Purpose Prize Fellow, International Academy of Mediators Syd Leezak Award of Excellence, National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals Neutral of the Year. His four books have won a number of awards and commendations. Doug’s podcast, Listen With Leaders, is now accepting guests. Click on this link to learn more and apply.