{"id":51721,"date":"2022-01-18T12:30:19","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T18:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/?p=51721"},"modified":"2025-12-27T20:09:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T20:09:31","slug":"business-lessons-jacqueline-cook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/business-lessons-jacqueline-cook\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Lessons From Award-Winning Executive Jacqueline Cook"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Intro&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On the day Vendasta\u2019s Jacqueline Cook received a career-defining call that she had been selected as one of Canada\u2019s top young leaders, she had a difficult choice to make.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Should she clink champagne glasses after work with her tight-knit executive team? Or should she go home to her husband and children? She chose family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI felt this award is really my family\u2019s. When I got home, I ate cold chicken nuggets and french fries left on the stove. Everyone was ready to sleep, so I got to snuggle my little guys, give one a bottle, and tuck the other one into bed,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201c<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And that&#8217;s honestly the only way I would&#8217;ve celebrated: giving my boys and my husband a big squeeze, and thanking them for the time that it took to achieve this award.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cook\u2019s inimitable trait of humility and the fact she could &#8211; and was celebrated by colleagues &#8211; for choosing family above all else underscores she\u2019s at the forefront of a world where what defines leadership is rapidly changing. Enter an era where egalitarianism, empowerment, and sharing successes are the new normal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In being named an honouree in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/canadastop40under40.com\/honourees-2021.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Caldwell and PwC\u2019s coveted 2021 Top 40 Under 40 list,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Cook dispelled the myth that career and family are merely \u201ccompeting priorities\u201d and proven, especially to women, you can have it all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[et_pb_section global_module=\"112798 \"][\/et_pb_section]<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Cook\u2019s journey to success<\/b><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_51728\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51728\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-51728 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/Jackie_Cook_Profile-1024x679-1.webp\" alt=\"Jacqueline Cook\" width=\"1024\" height=\"679\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51728\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vendasta Chief Operating Officer Jacqueline Cook<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Throughout her life, Cook always had an adventurous and entrepreneurial streak about her.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She played competitive sports, studied commerce at the University of Saskatchewan (where she dropped out briefly to travel the world as a youth ambassador), and ran her own businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She joined Vendasta in 2014 and played an instrumental role in shaping the technology company\u2019s business strategy. Currently, Cook is Chief Operating Officer and responsible for the development and execution of Vendasta\u2019s revenue and go-to-market strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cook also plays a key role in raising and allocating capital for Vendasta, and one of her biggest successes was working with a core team to secure a historic and oversubscribed C$120 million private placement in May 2021, days after her second son was born.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The raising was one of the largest in Western Canada and specifically a record for a company based in the province of Saskatchewan.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51724\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51724\" class=\"wp-image-51724 size-large\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Lex-1024x1024-1.webp\" alt=\"Jacqueline Cook and Lex\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51724\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Can\u2019t stop me, baby. Cook with her newborn, at an executive meeting<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial portrait_url=&#8221;\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Headshot.webp&#8221; quote_icon_color=&#8221;gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Testimonial #1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0%22:%91%22quote_icon_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You kind of have to be a little crazy and loony in your dreams and your visions or else they will never be a reality. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That&#8217;s not been done. It&#8217;s never been done in Saskatchewan. But if it wasn\u2019t for our insane competitive spirit and internal optimism, then great things won\u2019t be done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Raising capital&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><b>Raising capital not the be-all and end-all<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While raising capital is a lucid dream for most entrepreneurs, Cook\u2019s advice, paradoxically, is to not do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cA lot of tech companies look at raising money as the end. Raising money is a means to an end, it&#8217;s a means to a greater milestone of your career,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instead, start-ups should focus on boosting sales by creating a product people enjoy and want to pay for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cVenture capital should accelerate that, not replace that. And that\u2019s the thinking a lot of tech companies are missing,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cEveryone wants to be the next success story and follow in the footsteps of the Atlassians, AirBnBs, and DoorDashes of the world. Yes, there is a lot of money sitting around but that doesn\u2019t have value until you put it to work and create value with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In her mentoring initiatives, Cook often reminds aspiring founders to try and solve \u201creal problems\u201d rather than create technology first and then figure out if it\u2019s useful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial portrait_url=&#8221;\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Headshot.webp&#8221; quote_icon_color=&#8221;gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Testimonial #2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0%22:%91%22quote_icon_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Get to know the problem space deeply rather than the solution space. Become an expert. People pay for you to solve a problem, they don\u2019t necessarily pay you for a product. Raise money from your customers by obsessing about their problems more than anyone has the patience and drive to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;NSM&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><b>Check metrics: The ultimate guardrails for growth businesses<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another important business lesson from Cook is that founders, executives, and investors shouldn\u2019t be hoodwinked by \u201cnorth star metrics\u201d (NSM).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NSMs have become increasingly popular among companies, especially in technology. They usually denote an indicator of revenue, customer value, and measurement of progress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As an example, Airbnb\u2019s NSM is \u201cnumber of nights booked\u201d as it correlates to profitability and usage of its short-term rental platform by hosts and guests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But NSMs can be misleading. As an example, if Airbnb ran a promotion offering homes for $1 a night, then usage would surge but revenue would decline, though it might feel delightful for a CEO to say &#8211; and investors to hear &#8211; that the number of nights booked jumped when in reality profit margins sunk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s why Cook advocates NSMs should be linked to \u201ccheck metrics\u201d which act as guardrails to ensure key <a href=\"\/blog\/5-ways-to-accomplish-your-goals-as-an-entrepreneur-heather-monahan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">business goals are achieved <\/a>\u00a0in a sustainable way\u00a0and to prevent strategies designed to game them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAre customers buying a million units of a $1 item compared to one unit of a $1 million item? Those are check metrics of one another &#8211; one captures quantity, generally, and one captures value,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cFor us, we measure the total value<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">of the products and services being purchased through the Vendasta platform and marketplace, measured by Gross Merchandise Volume, and our check metric is the total transactions, which is the factor of the number of small businesses and the products and services they purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe first captures value, the second captures volume and if more local businesses are buying products and services, then agencies and vendors are proving their value and our whole ecosystem is growing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[adrotate banner=&#8221;194&#8243;]<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Sport, travel&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><b>Sport, travel, and Barack Obama<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For someone who\u2019s not even hit age 40, Cook has racked up a stellar list of professional achievements. She\u2019s also volunteered for non-profits that aim to reduce bullying and improve the wellbeing of inner-city kids.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cook is also the founding board member of Co.Labs, a technology accelerator that she and her husband devote significant amounts of personal time to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, what can young professionals and business students do to follow in her footsteps? For a start, pick up a sport and go travel (when it\u2019s safe to do so of course).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She attributes much of her career success to soccer and exploring the world, describing herself as \u201cnot a model student\u201d and someone who didn\u2019t get \u201cstraight As\u201d while studying at university.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51729\" style=\"width: 458px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51729\" class=\"wp-image-51729 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Soccer.webp\" alt=\"Jackie Cook University of Saskatchewan Huskies\" width=\"448\" height=\"604\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51729\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cook playing soccer for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThere are so many human, mathematical, and physical elements that I learned through sports that I apply to business,\u201d Cook says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAnd I think the greatest entrepreneurs are those who find something within themselves to pick themselves back up again, time and time again. And I think that&#8217;s part of what sports teaches you as well, to get back up on your feet.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cook dropped out of her second year of university to travel the world and represented Canada as an ambassador for several organizations promoting youth entrepreneurship and leadership initiatives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial portrait_url=&#8221;\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Headshot.webp&#8221; quote_icon_color=&#8221;gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Testimonial #3&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0%22:%91%22quote_icon_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are so many human, mathematical, and physical elements that I learned through sports that I apply to business. And<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I think the greatest entrepreneurs are those who find something within themselves to pick themselves back up again, time and time again. I think that&#8217;s part of what sports teaches you as well, to get back up on your feet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Obama&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From Asia to Europe, she\u2019s covered six continents and even got to meet the former leader of the free world while still in her 20s.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51727\" style=\"width: 724px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51727\" class=\"wp-image-51727 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Youth_Summit.webp\" alt=\"Jackie Cook Youth Ambassador Summit\" width=\"714\" height=\"477\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51727\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\n<p>In the front row: Cook (in the white jacket) with other ambassadors at a youth summit. In the back row: from left to right: Former U.S. President Barack Obama, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of her most eye-opening experiences was living in Switzerland during the global financial crisis in 2008, which gave her a newfound appreciation for macroeconomics and how financially interconnected the world is.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWhen you&#8217;re in one geography, you really only have one perspective and there are so many unknowns, but when you see it through the eyes of different people and different cultures, you understand the world is a whole lot bigger than you ever anticipated,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><div id=\"attachment_51733\" style=\"width: 716px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51733\" class=\"wp-image-51733 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_G8.webp\" alt=\"Jacqueline Cook at G8 Canada\" width=\"706\" height=\"461\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51733\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/p>\n<p>Cook representing Canada at the G8 Summit in Muskoka, Ontario, in 2010<\/p><\/div>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Regrets&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regrets and missed opportunities<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As good as the journey has been, Cook has some regrets and a strong message for students undertaking post-secondary education.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though she came back to finish her degree, she feels she didn\u2019t make the most out of her time at university in social and extracurricular contexts, lamenting that she didn\u2019t have more of what she calls \u201caccidental collisions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAn accidental collision about opening yourself up to something that&#8217;s outside of your norm, so meeting people that are outside of your sphere of influence and going places that you wouldn&#8217;t always,\u201d Cook says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial portrait_url=&#8221;\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Headshot.webp&#8221; quote_icon_color=&#8221;gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Testimonial #4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0%22:%91%22quote_icon_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your time in university &#8211; you blink and it&#8217;s over. So get out of your comfort zone in as many dimensions as you possibly can because there\u2019s so much of the world that you don\u2019t know, and this is the time to explore and play with that before you jump into the next 30 years of your career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Outlook&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A bright future for local businesses and agencies<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While she\u2019s proud and thankful for her accomplishments, Cook\u2019s attention is squarely on the future, which she believes is bright for local businesses and the digital agencies who serve them. And Vendasta\u2019s sole goal is to <a href=\"\/blog\/josh-singh-winning-agency-culture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fuel their success<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The pandemic remains an ongoing issue, but underlying demand is at a global level is strong and unemployment is falling, which puts SMBs in a good position to benefit when consumers eventually return to shops, restaurants, and salons in droves as health restrictions ease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, the reality is the way people are buying things and interacting with local businesses is changing, and Cook says agencies need to play a leadership role in helping SMBs adapt to evolving and increasingly digital purchasing habits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial portrait_url=&#8221;\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/JC_Headshot.webp&#8221; quote_icon_color=&#8221;gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Testimonial #5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;gcid-body-color&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93,%22gcid-4d1145a8-cc00-4b2e-bcda-a7d698acdbe0%22:%91%22quote_icon_color%22%93}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Local businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and we want to work with agencies to help business owners adapt to digital ways of doing business and win. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Being the best in the world at understanding their problems is where agency owners will succeed. They should know deeply what their customers\u2019 problems are, and then match the appropriate technology to what that business needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Business Lessons FAQs&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>Business Lessons FAQs<\/h2>\n<h3>1. What leadership lesson stands out most from Jacqueline Cook\u2019s story?<\/h3>\n<p>One of the strongest lessons is that leadership is not about choosing work over life. Jacqueline Cook shows that prioritizing family and personal values can coexist with high performance and executive success.<\/p>\n<h3>2. How does Jacqueline Cook redefine modern leadership?<\/h3>\n<p>She represents a shift toward leadership rooted in humility, shared success, and empowerment. At Vendasta, this people-first approach reflects how strong cultures drive sustainable growth.<\/p>\n<h3>3. What advice does Jacqueline Cook give about raising venture capital?<\/h3>\n<p>She emphasizes that raising capital is not the goal, but a tool. Founders should focus on building products customers love and are willing to pay for before seeking external funding.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Why does Jacqueline Cook caution against relying only on north star metrics?<\/h3>\n<p>North star metrics can hide real problems if viewed in isolation. She advocates pairing them with check metrics to balance growth, profitability, and long-term business health.<\/p>\n<h3>5. What are \u201ccheck metrics\u201d and why do they matter?<\/h3>\n<p>Check metrics act as guardrails. They ensure growth metrics are not being gamed and that increases in usage, revenue, or volume are actually creating sustainable value.<\/p>\n<h3>6. How did sports influence Jacqueline Cook\u2019s leadership style?<\/h3>\n<p>Competitive sports taught resilience, teamwork, and discipline. These traits carry into how she approaches decision-making, setbacks, and leadership under pressure.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Why does Jacqueline Cook value global experiences early in a career?<\/h3>\n<p>Travel exposed her to diverse perspectives and global systems. That broader worldview helps leaders understand complexity, adaptability, and interconnected markets.<\/p>\n<h3>8. What regret does Jacqueline Cook share about her university years?<\/h3>\n<p>She wishes she had embraced more \u201caccidental collisions,\u201d meeting people outside her normal circles. Those unexpected connections often shape future opportunities.<\/p>\n<h3>9. How does Jacqueline Cook view the future of agencies and local businesses?<\/h3>\n<p>She believes the future is strong for agencies that help SMBs adapt to digital-first buying behavior. Vendasta plays a role by enabling agencies to lead that transition.<\/p>\n<h3>10. What can young professionals learn from Jacqueline Cook\u2019s journey?<\/h3>\n<p>Success does not require a straight path or perfect grades. Curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to learn continuously matter more than checking traditional boxes.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meet Jackie Cook. She\u2019s traveled six continents, met Barack Obama, raised over $100 million, and won a prestigious leadership award for young executives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":122882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1841],"tags":[1842,1740,57,907,1783,238,560,1831],"class_list":["post-51721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-voices-of-vendasta","tag-business-lessons","tag-careers","tag-digital-marketing","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-executive","tag-leadership","tag-strategy","tag-success-story"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.4 (Yoast SEO v26.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Business Lessons From Executive Jacqueline Cook | Vendasta<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Key business lessons from Jacqueline Cook. Insights on scaling SaaS, leadership, and building a culture of innovation at Vendasta.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/business-lessons-jacqueline-cook\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Business Lessons From Award-Winning Executive Jacqueline Cook\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Key business lessons from Jacqueline Cook. 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