Establish an Advisory Board. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always had a strong advisory board, but I include it here as a strong recommendation to any future CEO. As a CEO, you may think you have all the answers, but it won’t be long until you discover that you do not. It’s not just about having access to more information but also different perspectives and viewpoints you may have overlooked. The thought of being a CEO and not having an advisory board is incomprehensible to me.
Asa part of our series called ‘Five Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became A CEO’ we had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Perez, CEO of YARDZ.
Jason Perez is the Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of YARDZ. As CEO, Perez manages the overall strategic direction of the company as it expands in scope and size. Before establishing YARDZ, Perez founded the Veritas Group, a consulting and management firm that had great success in the mission critical world. Before that he was Manager of Southeast Region Construction for Syska Hennessy Group.
Perez has sat on the boards of several non-profit entities and is presently an Ambassador for the Marine Raider Foundation.
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?
From an early age, I dreamed of becoming a Marine and pursued that path through college, intending to serve as an intelligence officer. But when I was medically disqualified, my plans took a sharp turn. My father looked at me and said, “I guess you’re going to work in construction like the rest of us.”
Though I joined a century-old engineering and construction firm with great reluctance, I rose through the ranks quickly. Within two years, I was running the company’s largest and highest-profile project. Despite a desire to go out on my own, the company persuaded me to open a regional office in Atlanta. But after a couple of years, I finally gave in to the urge and decided to forge my own path.
With encouragement and a promise of support from my mentor and advisor, Dan Hughes, I launched a consulting firm focused on project and construction management for mission-critical facilities, including biotech, data centers, healthcare, and defense. After seven years, and following the birth of my second child, I realized that constant international travel wasn’t sustainable. Despite having a beautiful home in Georgia, we were living in a San Diego apartment, and I knew it was time for a change.
After a soft exit from my firm, a neighbor approached me with an idea to start a rental equipment brokerage to address the fragmentation and inefficiencies in the construction rental space. I initially offered to advise, but when it became clear that my neighbor wasn’t going to get the project off the ground, I started researching the idea myself. To my surprise, no one had yet built the kind of platform the industry truly needed, so I decided to build it.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
My most interesting story was one about pure survival. Soon after we started YARDZ, we had an opportunity to develop a proposal for a Fortune 500 company that would have taken us from virtually no revenue to well over $1 million. We worked on the deal for a year, then agreed on a price as well as all the changes they suggested. Finally, we signed the agreement.
Then we waited…and waited…and waited some more. We waited almost three months, during which time we tried diligently to get their signatures. Ultimately they told us, through email, that they thought it was an excellent product — so great, in fact, that they were going to try to build a similar product themselves.
Because we had signed the agreement and assumed the deal was done, we had hired six new employees to handle what would have been a huge influx of work. Despite the setback, we told everyone that we were going to make it work, even without that account. But in the end, we were forced to let everyone go except for me and two other team members.
At that moment, we had two choices: shut everything down or keep moving forward because we had a product that had attracted one of the largest contractors in the entire country. Since I’m still here, you know how it turned out.
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?
Soon after I started YARDZ, there was a big event being hosted nationally with over 100 investors on a Zoom call, and I was invited to present a pitch about my company. Even though we weren’t necessarily looking for early investment, I figured it was a good chance to practice my pitch for the future.
I had sought the advice of someone who was very knowledgeable about the pitch process. He advised me to make significant changes and also put copious notes on a whiteboard to rely on during the presentation. It really didn’t feel natural, but I did it exactly the way he suggested. The problem is, I was stuttering, blanking out, and missing important points; it was an absolute disaster.
After I was done, I got out of my seat and, thinking I had muted my camera, I yelled to my partner Josh, “That was the worst pitch ever!” Sure enough, the gentleman pitching after me said, “Hey, Jason, your mic and video are still on.” So there I was in front of 100 investors yelling at the top of my lungs about how bad my presentation was.
Not surprisingly, no one called us or showed any interest. That experience taught me a simple but powerful lesson: I will not change who I am for an audience — authenticity is critical.
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 had a large stable of mentors without whom I could not have survived this journey. Dan Hughes, whom I mentioned earlier, was a mentor to me. He’s been my advisor since day one. Of course, there were my grandparents, my father, my mother, my wife — all the different people who believed in what I could be. That belief gave me confidence and allowed me to take steps that I probably would never have taken.
In fact, my naivete was a benefit in so many instances, because it allowed me to take positions or accept projects thinking that I could handle them, only to find out later just how difficult the position or project really was.
There were other people, like Randy Cudworth and Tim Cannon, who were the first general contractors for whom I worked. They also believed in me and mentored me. But once those people kind of built the foundation, Dan took over, standing by my side helping to build the blocks of my career path.
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?
About a year before losing the Fortune 500 deal I talked about, had to let my first cofounder go. We had to part ways and render his shares; it was a very difficult thing to do, but everybody knew it had to happen. It was not only a true test of leadership, but it was also a test of who I was as an entrepreneur; I was going to find out whether my instincts and my judgment were correct. Since I’m still in my CEO seat, I suppose it all worked out, but there was no way to know at the time.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. 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?
Being an executive isn’t just a job title, it’s a way of life. An executive is responsible for maintaining the long-term vision of the company while implementing a focused strategy in the day-to-day operation. That means translating big-picture goals into tangible action for directors and managers, who then carry that message to their teams.
But communication is never perfect; ideas and intent inevitably lose strength as they move through layers of the organization. That’s why executives must continually reinforce the message, ensuring it maintains its clarity, purpose, and urgency. Imagine passing a handful of sand from person to person. With every handoff, a small amount of sand slips through the cracks. The executive’s role is to deliver that sand — the vision, the energy, and the mission — knowing some will be lost along the way. The goal is to ensure enough makes it to the end to build something meaningful.
While not all leaders are executives, all executives must be leaders. They need the ability to inspire others, align them toward a common goal, and guide the organization, even when the weight of that responsibility is difficult for others to fully comprehend.
In addition, the CEO is ultimately responsible for executing strategies and tactics that contribute to the company’s total success. A leader is likely only responsible for part of that success, based on the group they lead and its goals.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?
There are two myths about being a CEO or executive that I find especially vexing. They’ve been around for what seems like forever, and it seems they can never be fully dispelled.
- “As the CEO, you have all the answers (or you’re supposed to).” Leadership is not about certainty; it’s about navigating ambiguity. Many people assume that a CEO operates with total clarity. Instead, you often make decisions with incomplete information and high stakes. The best leaders don’t pretend to know everything; they know how to listen, process input from many viewpoints, and make informed decisions under pressure. It takes humility to say, “I don’t know, let’s figure it out.”
- “Once you reach the executive level, you’ve made it.” Many people perceive that once the mountaintop has been reached, the climb is over. The truth is that the climb is far from over; it just becomes a different kind of climb. The challenges don’t stop, they evolve. You’re constantly learning, adapting, and stretching yourself in new ways. If anything, the best leaders see their role not as a destination but as a continuous process of growth.
What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?
One of the most striking differences is realizing that you can’t just delegate problems and expect them to disappear. Sure, you can say, “Joe, handle this,” or “Mary, take care of that,” but that doesn’t mean the issue is off your plate. Delegation doesn’t absolve you of responsibility; it still requires follow-through on your part. If the problem isn’t resolved properly, it impacts both you and the company, and ultimately, it comes back to your desk.
As CEO, it’s your job to understand how these issues arise, whether they’re isolated or signs of a deeper, systemic problem; that awareness is critical. And when it involves customers, things move fast, so staying ahead of potential issues becomes even more important.
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?
Not everyone is cut out to be an executive, which is not a bad thing.
Executive roles demand a blend of vision, resilience, and accountability that goes beyond technical expertise or ambition. Successful executives thrive under pressure, make decisions with partial information, and stay focused on long-term goals while managing short-term crises. They have a high tolerance for ambiguity, a willingness to take ownership of both success and failure, and the emotional intelligence to lead diverse teams through change. Above all, they understand leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room; it’s about cultivating the right environment for others to succeed.
Conversely, those who prefer predictability, struggle with conflict, or shy away from tough conversations may find executive roles draining rather than fulfilling. Being an executive means making unpopular decisions, managing relentless demands, and quite often putting the needs of the organization above personal comfort. If someone finds it difficult not to take every individual setback personally or craves constant affirmation, the role can feel isolating. That doesn’t diminish their value, as organizations need strong contributors at every level. But it does suggest that executive leadership might not be the best fit.
What advice would you give to other business leaders to help create a fantastic work culture? Can you share a story or an example?
I have a “one size fits all” piece of advice for everyone: surround yourself with good people. I always had an advisory board in my last company; I have one in this company; and I will have one in any other company I create in the future. I rely on a group of individuals who are vested in me and who I am, both professionally and personally, and understand what I want to build.
We discuss things like financial matters, hiring practices, and sale strategies. But we’re also talking about company culture and the decisions that we’re making around that culture. People talk a lot about how to create a healthy and productive work culture, but very few people can execute their vision. They want to have a supportive culture. They want to drive excellence and collaboration. But they have no way of putting these concepts into practice. They have no commitment to it, and they have no accountability to it.
That’s why an advisory board is so vital. These people have built it before and done it before, though each one of them likely took a different route. Each member is going to provide a unique perspective; between them all, you’ll be able to fashion a culture to match your style and your vision. Our executive team is part of those advisory boards, so when we leave a meeting, all our executives are equally accountable for creating and maintaining the company culture that we all share.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
We’re not just onboarding and servicing customers. We’re not focused on selling software and then saying, “We loaded your data, now go get it.” We’re trying to figure out how we can make our customers’ lives better.
That’s why we’re focused on the problems that they have and solving those problems. We want to know what our customers are spending most of their day doing, then help them reduce the amount of time they’re spending on those tasks.
How does that make their lives better? Hopefully, by giving them more time to spend on other important job-related tasks or to focus more attention on “big picture” corporate goals. Even to be able to leave work on time and be with their families.
I don’t typically talk about this, but at all my companies, we’ve contributed to organizations and opportunities that impact people’s lives. At my consulting company\ we committed to giving away 10% of our total profit to reputable charities. At certain times, it’s harder to do, but it’s a commitment that we’ve promised to honor because we know it makes a difference in people’s lives. At YARDZ we keep the same mindset both corporately and culturally.