In this episode, Giovanni Zangani joins Alex Rawlings to share insights from operating in Vietnam’s emerging private equity landscape. As Managing Partner at Maestro Equity Partners, Giovanni discusses the firm’s hands-on approach to investing in consumer and F&B businesses, the challenges of deal execution in emerging markets, and why local understanding is critical to success.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro to Giovanni & Maestro Equity
Vietnam-focused, growth equity firm backing brick-and-mortar and F&B businesses with tickets of $5–20M.

01:25 – Key Mistakes in Emerging Markets
Investors often misjudge deals by relying on personal experiences or Western legal frameworks without cultural alignment.

03:16 – Who Makes These Errors?
Regional and international funds rushing due diligence or avoiding deeper market engagement.

04:41 – Why Vietnam?
Giovanni's move from the US to Vietnam, spotting talent gaps, and seizing untapped opportunities.

07:30 – Mature vs. Emerging Market Investing
Faster growth, lower costs, and higher returns—but requires entrepreneurial execution.

09:23 – PE in Vietnam is a Different Game
You must own every part of the process—legal, operational, strategic—and be hands-on daily.

11:17 – Due Diligence = Partnership Building
Guide founders through compliance and process; the relationship starts before the investment closes.

14:40 – Post-Investment Involvement
Maintaining founder focus and execution requires credibility, patience, and close collaboration.

16:35 – Lean but Deep Team
A 10-person team making fewer, more impactful investments with long-term vision.

17:59 – Vietnam’s Outlook
More consolidation, founder maturity, and market sophistication ahead—making it ripe for growth and future competition.

20:19 – Giovanni’s Recommendations
🎧 All-In Podcast
📘 The Game – Alex Hormozi
📘 The 5 Types of Wealth

21:40 – Connect with Giovanni
📧 giovanni@maestroequity.com

🔗 Giovanni Zangani on LinkedIn

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

In this episode, Sam and Taavo from CEO Advantage return to dive into the 5X CEO Assessment—a diagnostic tool developed from two years of research into top-performing private equity-backed CEOs who delivered 5x+ MOIC.

The conversation explores how the 5X model—comprised of Strategic Clarity, Scalable Talent, Relentless Focus, Disciplined Execution, and Energized Culture—is used not just as a conceptual framework, but as a practical tool to evaluate and upgrade leadership team performance.

🔑 Key Discussion Points

▶ 5X Model Overview

• Built from studying CEOs with 5x+ returns
• Five components: Strategic Clarity, Scalable Talent, Relentless Focus, Disciplined Execution, Energized Culture

▶ How the Assessment Works

• Each component includes 10–12 statements to rate by importance and performance
• Includes open-ended responses for actionable feedback
• Results are color-coded (Red-Yellow-Green) for fast clarity and prioritization
• Used with leadership teams and optionally with boards or PE partners

▶ Strategic Clarity

• Aligning the CEO, leadership, and board on the value creation plan
• Communicating strategy throughout the organization—down to the receptionist
• The role of repetition in embedding strategy (11x rule)

▶ Energized Culture

• Holding people accountable for behavior, not just results
• Measuring employee engagement and culture with data (e.g. eNPS)
• Example: CEOs who stack-rank team collaboration to highlight friction and teamwork

▶ Scalable Talent

• Focus on A-players in critical value-driving roles, not just execs
• Using 9-box performance vs. potential models, shared with boards
• CEOs with strong HR leaders outperform—talent as a strategic function

▶ Relentless Focus

• Simplifying execution to “do now, do next, don’t do”
• Avoiding shiny object syndrome and internal distraction
• Ensuring alignment on key initiatives and managing PE firm inputs

▶ Disciplined Execution

• Tracking both leading and lagging KPIs tied to the value creation plan
• Establishing a management cadence and operating system
• Example: AI-driven measurement of customer conversations to boost growth
• Tying metrics directly into compensation and incentive systems

▶ How PE Firms Use the Tool

• As part of diligence or onboarding of new CEOs
• To drive annual CEO performance reviews
• To create a shared language between CEOs and sponsors on team performance

📘 Resources Mentioned

• Book: The 5X CEO – Available on Amazon and Audible
• The Private Equity Playbook series by Adam Coffey
• Move by Sandy Ogg (Talent to Value)
• Works by Patrick Lencioni on leadership and clarity

🌐 Learn more about the 5X model and CEO Advantage at www.AdvantageCEO.com

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/

🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

In this episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Tim Schulte, Value Creation Partner at Council Capital, a Nashville-based private equity firm investing in healthcare businesses across tech-enabled services, outsourced services, and provider platforms.

Tim brings a unique blend of consulting, operational, and investing experience. He shares how Council Capital drives value creation through collaboration, leadership development, and a structured yet flexible approach to talent and operations.

🔑 Key Highlights:

00:00 – Introduction
Tim’s background: consulting → startup growth → private equity. At Council for 6+ years, focused on scaling healthcare companies.

01:15 – Common Mistake in PE
Reinventing the wheel. Tim advocates for leveraging shared knowledge and collaboration across portfolio companies instead of starting from scratch.

02:12 – Three PE Value Creation Models
Tim outlines three styles:

1. Collaborative but shallow
2. Substantive but rigid
3. Collaborative and substantive – Council Capital’s approach

03:37 – Collaboration in Practice
Council’s CEO Council is made up of 30+ senior leaders who are both advisors and investors. Their involvement creates mentorship and alignment without top-down pressure.

05:02 – Council’s Value Creation Team
A large internal team supports portfolio companies with tailored toolkits (not rigid playbooks) across growth, ops, and talent.

06:11 – Hiring Top Executives
Talent is central to value creation. Council uses:

• Topgrading
• Aptitude & personality assessments
• In-depth referencing
• Case studies
  ...to ensure fit and long-term success.

09:05 – Role of Assessments
Assessments aren’t used to screen candidates out, but to guide interview questions and identify fit. Council tracks data across hundreds of hires to correlate traits with performance.

12:27 – Broader Talent Support
Beyond the C-suite, Council helps portfolio teams:

• Implement HR tech
• Refine hiring processes
• Improve onboarding
• Structure incentive plans

14:38 – First 100 Days for CEOs
New CEOs are expected to:

1. Align on strategy
2. Build out the right team
3. Ensure reliable data systems to track performance

16:58 – Recommended Resources
Tim recommends:

• Acquired – for business case studies
• Founders – for leadership traits & human stories

17:52 – Connect with Tim Schulte
Best via LinkedIn or at Council Capital

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/
🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.