Today we’d like to introduce you to Henning Schwinum.
Hi Henning, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Back around 2019, I was looking for fractional sales leadership gigs. No agency existed, though, specialized in matching CROs, CSOs, or VPs of Sales with companies needing that exact firepower. Traditional recruiters started from scratch every time, scribbling job descriptions with a pencil. It felt slow, like a shotgun blast when you need a rifle shot.
So, I pivoted. As a former sales leader with 25 years in corporate and startups, building, transforming, and running sales teams, I knew the pain points. Companies outgrow their sales teams but can’t afford or don’t need full-time execs yet. Revenue stalls, teams scatter. I teamed up with another ex-sales leaders, both battle-tested. We built Vendux, named after the Latin “venditio” for sales and “dux” for leader. Our simple mission: deliver sales leadership capital.
We flipped the script. Instead of hunting executives, we built a roster of vetted pros first. Over time, it grew huge, now surpassing 1,100 ready-to-deploy sales leaders across all industries. Then came PerfectMatch™, our algorithm using deep semantic and AI-powered search and role-relevant data for the perfect fit. Velocity, precision, flexibility. No more dating-app mismatches; this is 100% success territory.
Vendux isn’t just an agency. It’s the matchmaker for commercial leadership, fractional or full-time. Five years in, with over 1,100 leaders, we’re proving that fractional works. Founders get cash flow, structure, growth without the full hire risk.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Early days at Vendux tested us hard. Off-the-shelf matching tech failed twice, so we built PerfectMatch™ software from scratch ourselves. Slow roster growth from zero to 400 took persistence, like pacing a marathon. Financial squeezes hit as we bootstrapped, facing market skepticism on fractional sales leaders. I pushed past my discomfort with videos, podcasts, and networking, building the team step by step. Resilience won: setbacks taught us to focus solely on sales leadership. Now over 1,100 strong. Incremental wins beat quick fixes every time.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Vendux is THE matchmaker for fractional, interim, and full-time sales leadership. We connect growth-stage companies with proven CROs, CSOs, VPs of Sales who step in fast to build repeatable processes, drive revenue, and scale teams. Think every industry, product type, sales scenario from our network of 1,100 unique, vetted leaders.
We specialize exclusively in sales leadership. No CFOs, COOs, or CTOs. That’s our focus, backed by my 25 years as a sales practitioner. We’re known for the PerfectMatch™, our proprietary system built after two failed off-the-shelf tries. It uses deep semantic search for near-100% success, delivering one or two perfect fits every time. Way better than dating apps at 0.00004%.
What sets us apart? We start with the roster, not a blank job spec. Human expertise plus tech means precision, speed, no trial-and-error in recruiting. We have the largest community of Fractional Sales Leaders in North America, now with Vendux Connect™ for quick expert calls.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best? The entrepreneurial energy. It’s got that gritty startup vibe, with events like 1 Million Cups firing up founders weekly. Chiefs fever. Being there during their Super Bowl runs felt electric, like the city’s winning mindset rubbed off on us. BBQ’s solid too
Pricing:
- Fractional execs run $120-$300/hour, depending on expertise and scope. But let’s do the dollar-per-hour math on a $300k OTE VP of Sales full-time hire. Base: $144/hour. Add 15 vacation days, 8 sick, 8 holidays. Benefits. 30% productivity losses (training, meetings, multitasking, water cooler). Recruiting fee: $280-$300/hour. Fractionals skip all that overhead. No benefits, no ramp-up, right-sized time, immediate impact. Often better value, like a rifle shot vs. shotgun. Run your numbers? Contact me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vendux.org
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vendux-sales-leadership-capital/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgC307ZRb-sNsnrMOoR2RAA
