"Business should focus in visualizing the future constantly and having the speed and ability to transform the model quickly."
Jose Carlos “Charlie” as he is called since he was a kid, has been an athlete since he was 6 years old, he was a National Youth Team Member of Baseball in Guatemala for 8 years as a short stop and second baseman. After the death of his father at 14 years old, he decides to be a soccer player, being selected U17 for the Guatemalan Soccer team as a center forward, and then pre-selected Futsal for Guatemala as 4th goalkeeper. For the past 8 years, he has been an extreme athlete as an Ultra Mountain Marathoner (50 miles to 100 miles) leading Guatemala to the first Ultra Trail World Championship in Spain in 2018, finishing as #138 in the World.
In addition, he has been a corporate executive for 14 years in 3 large companies in LATAM (www.disagro.com and www.cbc.co), which have allowed him to demand himself at the highest professional level internationally, mainly in Corporate Finance, managing more than $ 14 Billion dollars in his career, and developing new business models and new market entrances, organically (from sratch) as inorganic (M & A). His last corporate role was as VP Investment Banking for Central America, Panama and RD for Ernst and Young.
In 2011, Charlie suffered from depression and burn out, where he decided to reinvent himself through sports. As a result, in 2015 Charlie decides to leave this black hole “through sports and become the best ultra mountain marathoner in the world, achieving #138 in the world and the 5 best Latin American to compete in the Ultra Trail World Tour 2018. This is where the conceptual development of Vertikal Sports Performance begins, a training center in Guatemala, which in a comprehensive, individualized and holistic way seeks to help athletes reinvent themselves through high-tech sports. Launching in 2020 the first private sports training center with international standards in Guatemala, and the only one in Central America, Panama and the Caribbean.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: Jose Carlos “Charlie” as he is called since he was a kid, has been an athlete since he was 6 years old, he was a National Youth Team Member of Baseball in Guatemala for 8 years as a short stop and second baseman. After the death of his father at 14 years old, he decides to be a soccer player, being selected U17 for the Guatemalan Soccer team as a center forward, and then pre-selected Futsal for Guatemala as 4th goalkeeper. For the past 8 years, he has been an extreme athlete as an Ultra Mountain Marathoner (50 miles to 100 miles) leading Guatemala to the first Ultra Trail World Championship in Spain in 2018, finishing as #138 in the World.
In addition, he has been a corporate executive for 14 years in 3 large companies in LATAM (www.disagro.com www.cbc.co and www.ey.com), which have allowed him to demand himself at the highest professional level internationally, mainly in Corporate Finance, managing more than $ 14 Billion dollars in his career, and developing new business models and new market entrances, organically (from scratch) as inorganic (M & A). His last corporate role was as VP Investment Banking for Central America, Panama and RD for Ernst and Young.
In 2011, Charlie suffered from depression and burn out, where he decided to reinvent himself through sports. As a result, in 2015 Charlie decides to leave this black hole “through sports and become the best ultra mountain marathoner in the world, achieving #138 in the world and the 5 best Latin American to compete in the Ultra Trail World Tour 2018. This is where the conceptual development of Vertikal Sports Performance begins, a training center in Guatemala, which in a comprehensive, individualized and holistic way seeks to help athletes reinvent themselves through high-tech sports. Launching in 2020 the first private sports training center with international standards in Guatemala, and the only one in Central America, Panama and the Caribbean.
Today Charlie Sarmiento and his team at Vertikal, decide to enter the American market through a new concept called Vertikal X, The Nasdaq of Athletes, where athletes in the United States, and around the world, will be able to fund their sports careers with a training index, algorithm that is built through assesments with state-of-the-art technology. This index is quoted on a private stock market on a recurring basis, allowing the athlete to issue tokens using blockchain as a means to give visibility and accountability to investors, brands, recruiters, agents, sports franchises, that in effect the athlete is training and performing. The market in the United States is 6 times larger than in LATAM and that is why we decided US is the wey to start, and Texas is one of the main states with the highest number of athletes both at the High School level as College and even PRO, to impact the lives of many of them. Today only 2.5% of HS and College athletes get sports scholarships
We are convinced that with the support of our new partner International Accelerator, we will make a revolution in the sports industry globally, so that there are more young athletes to become professional athletes and are able to monetize their training. This is the first phase of Vertikal X, where it will later incorporate into the algorithm two additional index related to NIL and athletic results in sports events. Today Austin TX is considered the world’s technological hub and Vertikal X is presenting an opportunity to impact the world of sports.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: I have learned that all is about adaptability and transformation, like when I run 100 miles Ultra Trail, you need to know how you adapt your body and mind through the different stages of the race, climate, terrain, food intake, and specific obstacles you encounter in the path. We need to be open to transform ourselves internally and therefore our businesses, professional careers or any other aspect of our lives.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: Business should focus in visualizing the future constantly and having the speed and ability to transform the model quickly.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: Sports, Fitness industry changed dramatically, training centers where close by government dispositions, We literally launched our facilities during Covid in September 2020, thinking that we where going to be “open” and “covid Free” in January 2021. But it was not that way.
We kept fighting in 2021 and developing another strategies to impact the athlete performance through our innovative concept in Guatemala. and we decide to transform our business into a sports tech company with our primary market in USA, which is 7 times bigger than LATAM and more than 20 times bigger than Guatemala, and develop a platform to help those young athletes to fund their sports careers through training and support their parents financially to pay its higher education through us.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: I wished to know precisely the dates when Covid was ending…but nobody knew it. So I learned that I have to face this challenge with a lot of faith and courage, and keep my mind healthy through sports to innovate myself and businesses.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: It will continue growing, however humans need to still have physical interaction more than ever so it will be very interesting the market dynamics.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: 10
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: I believe that is about being transparent and honest with the situations, looking for solutions together.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: For me is about entering a US market, and serve a lot of athletes to train harder and fund their sports careers and higher education based on their training performance. helping them to stop having more than 3 jobs to pay tuition fees and still chasing their dreams in sports.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: Human behavior under adversity and un controlling conditions.Creativity and faith in our selves to overcome any obstacle.
Blockchain, web 3 and crypto. I believed that this is a mechanism that if humans used them correctly we can create big impact on society positively.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: I believe is about comfort of our inner selves. When we do not challenge ourselves and do greater things among us, we tend to complain and respoansabilize others. Is not about the bosses, It is about USSES.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: Anticipation, the capability and speed to anticipate market dynamics and consumer behaviors.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Jose Carlos Sarmiento: For me Success is the fulfillment and gratitud in your inner self, in every decision you make on a daily basis, being genuine and living life intensively serving with responsibility anyone you are aware may need your help based on your experiences.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Jose Carlos Sarmiento for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Jose Carlos Sarmiento or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
