Influential Leadership with Craig Shiesley, CEO of Yasso
Stairway to CEO
· with Craig Shiesley
· March 22, 2022
· 77 min
Summary
Craig Shiesley, CEO of Yasso, shares critical insights on influential leadership and scaling a CPG brand. Learn how fostering strategic debate, aligning on core objectives, and recognizing founder transition signals can drive exponential growth. This episode is a roadmap for ecommerce operators aiming to build high-performing teams and achieve significant market share.
Key takeaways
Implement a 'debate the how, agree to the what' framework to foster innovation while maintaining team alignment on core objectives.
Founders should proactively identify signals for CEO transition, ensuring a smooth handover and continued growth for their company.
Emphasize strong brand management principles, as honed at companies like SC Johnson, to build a resilient and rapidly growing CPG brand.
Leverage first-mover advantage, as Yasso did with frozen Greek yogurt bars, to establish market dominance and drive high retail sales.
Cultivate influential leadership by clearly articulating vision and empowering teams, leading to over $150 million in retail sales for Yasso.
Craig Shiesley joins the show today to talk about his journey to becoming CEO of Yasso. Founded in 2009 by kindergarten best friends, Amanda and Drew, Yasso was the first to market frozen greek yogurt bars. Under Craig's leadership as CEO over the past two years, Yasso has become the second-fastest-growing snack brand with over $150 million in retail sales. In this episode, Craig shares with us his career journey from growing up in New York as the second youngest of five to becoming the first in his family to leave his hometown and attend an ivy league university, to landing a job in brand management at SC Johnson, to meeting the founders of Yasso in 2017 to explore a board role opportunity. He talks with us about the key to being influential, why it's important for your team to debate the how, but agree to the what, and some signals founders should look for if they're considering a shift away from the CEO seat.
