Ep. 17: Paul Vacquier - Trust, Crucibles, and Kevin Hart
We talk a lot about founder market fit. It's a crucial component of founder selection because of the simple fact that founders who really understand their industries are very unlikely to build something that people don't want. There is no gap between the perceived reality of their market and the actual reality of their market. An awful lot of venture funding is burned bridging that gap. Alongside his co-founder, Glenn, Paul Vacquier has built Beagle Services, a new generation of plumbing company, in direct response to his experience in attempting to roll out IoT units in the market, and it's going rather well. He is a powerful combination of litigator, salesman, and leader, wrapped in a cloak of relentlessness that is required for his market. And his market is rewarding his approach at increasing scale. You'll see why. Please enjoy my conversation with Paul Vacquier.
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Full show notes and links to mentioned content below.
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Paul recounts his journey from litigation to launching Beagle Services, and discusses the importance of founder-market fit. He also highlights the challenges of innovating in regulated sectors, the strategic scaling of Beagle, and the value of applying lessons from his law career to navigate the complex water industry. Our highly esteemed guest concludes today’s remarkably informative and entertaining conversation by offering crucial advice on resilience as well as market insight for budding entrepreneurs in water technology.
0:00 Start
0:49 Introduction
1:56 Paul’s path into water
3:51 Lesson from the legal profession and some key advantages
8:34 His experience with Contract Cloud
11:23 His time at Flo
14:25 What led him to Beagle
16:32 Beagle’s work and its importance
21:04 Beagle’s status now and in the future
22:53 Its ‘virtuous circle’ with the market
26:14 Beagle’s contact with underwriters
27:44 Managing Beagle’s level of scaling
31:03 Retaining and ingraining values in the team members
33:26 The sustained position of Beagle's business over time
35:36 The role of data in its business
40:13 Governmental and utility action of water efficiency
43:51 The advantages of Paul’s personal shift over the years
46:10 The importance of maintaining trust
46:49 What frustrates Paul about the funding market
52:03 Paul’s most important advice for future water entrepreneurs
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