How to Survive a Work Crisis: Insights from Acorns' Former VP of Growth
Keeping your cool (and your job) when the stakes are high
Hey 👋 I’m Andrew Capland and welcome to Delivering Value - the newsletter and podcast where I have candid conversation with senior SaaS Leaders about the toughest moments that almost derailed their careers - and instead became part of their success story. You get to learn from their mistakes - without the pain.
"People are going to ask, who’s getting fired over this"
That’s what a senior legal officer told Anthony Scarpaci after one of the scariest moments in his career. For Anthony, the answer seemed obvious: he was probably the one getting fired.
But instead of letting the mistake define him, Anthony owned it, tackled it head-on, and turned a career crisis into an opportunity to grow as a leader.
In this post, we’ll share Anthony’s story, how he handled a high-stakes mistake, and the lessons he learned that any leader can apply when things go sideways.
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Meet Anthony Scarpaci
Anthony’s resume is stacked. He’s the former growth leader at Acorns, NerdWallet, Blue Apron, and Betterment. And today, runs his own growth consultancy, called TUNOMATIC, where he helps consumer SMB’s scale.
But what stands out about Anthony isn’t just the impressive names on his resume. It’s his ability to navigate tough moments and come out stronger on the other side.
One of those moments came early in his career, at a time when he was managing print advertising at Dish Network.
Responsible for Running Millions of Direct Mail Ads
At the time, Dish Network’s business model relied heavily on direct response marketing: basically they sent millions of mailers each month to acquire and retain customers through promotional offers.
As a marketing channel manager, Anthony was responsible for the campaigns that reached millions of households every month.
These campaigns were designed to drive measurable results. And even though they involved sending (non-digital) fliers in the mail, the tracking and measurement was pretty sophisticated. The mailers included unique tracking codes to monitor calls and subscriptions, giving Anthony’s work a direct and quantifiable impact on revenue.
The Mistake That Could Have Ended It All
Dish had recently changed the prices for the special offers Anthony promoted.
Anthony obviously knew about the change, but it wasn’t something Dish did often. So when he rolled out his latest campaign creative, he didn’t think to double-check the prices. That wasn’t part of his usual QA process.
As a result, millions of mailers were printed, sent, and in the hands of customers before anyone noticed that every price listed was wrong.
The Fallout
By the time the mistake was discovered, it was too late. The ads had been distributed. Customers were already calling in, expecting to pay the incorrect (and lower) prices.
Anthony’s stomach dropped. He knew how big of a deal this was.
To make matters worse, the entire executive team, including his CMO and CEO, were out of the office and completely unreachable, on a cruise for an annual meeting. The responsibility to handle the situation fell squarely on Anthony’s shoulders.
He could feel the tension in the office, as many of his colleagues and peers started to realize what happened.
Then came the call from a senior legal officer.
“This is one of those things where people are going to be asking who’s getting fired over this,” they said.
Anthony was certain it would be him.
What Happens Next
Instead of spiraling, Anthony shifted into action mode.
If I’m going down, I’m going down doing everything I can to fix this, he told himself.
Here’s how he tackled the crisis:
Reduce the blast radius.
Anthony immediately called the agency managing the campaign to stop further distribution of the ads. He worked to pull the remaining materials before they reached customers.Create a contingency plan.
Next, he alerted the sales team about the issue and worked with them to honor the lower prices for customers who had already seen the incorrect ads. This ensured the company wouldn’t face further backlash or compliance issues.Own the problem.
Then, Anthony wrote a detailed email to the executive team explaining the mistake, the steps he was taking to fix it, and what the company could learn to prevent similar errors in the future.Keep his cool.
Despite the high-pressure situation, Anthony remained calm and focused. He didn’t shift blame to anyone else, something he believes earned him trust and respect from his colleagues.
Owning It - Not Hiding
When the executive team returned from their off-site, Anthony braced for impact - fully expecting to be fired.
Instead, they recognized and appreciated his transparency, accountability, and ability to manage the crisis under pressure.
One executive even made a comment about his maturity in taking full ownership of the situation without pointing fingers, a rare quality in a high-stress environment.
The experience could have cost his job. Instead, it became a turning point in Anthony’s career.
Not only did it solidify his reputation as someone who could lead in tough moments, but it also built lasting trust with senior leadership.
For Anthony, the lesson was clear: crises are inevitable, but taking ownership, staying composed, and focusing on solutions can transform a moment of failure into a defining leadership opportunity.
Three Key Lessons From Anthony’s Experience:
Looking back, Anthony sees this experience as a turning point. It taught him lessons that have shaped how he approaches leadership and mistakes. If you’re facing a mistake or crisis at work, here’s how to handle it like Anthony:
Accountability is everything.
Owning your mistakes, rather than deflecting blame, is critical to building trust. Leaders who take responsibility inspire confidence and set a powerful example for their teams.Proactive communication matters.
Transparency in a crisis is key. Keeping stakeholders informed about what’s happening and what steps are being taken to fix it shows maturity and leadership.Mistakes are learning opportunities.
Mistakes are inevitable, but they’re also valuable. Anthony used this experience to improve processes and refine his approach to leadership.
Why This Story Matters
Research from the Center for Creative Leadership shows that nearly 90% of leaders face a career-defining failure within their first decade.
The difference between success and failure often comes down to how you respond.
Want to Hear About 3 Other Challenging Moments in Anthony’s Journey?
Watch our entire conversation on YouTube 📺
Or, listen on Spotify 🎧
Your Turn
What’s the toughest mistake you’ve ever had to own at work? How did you handle it?
Share your story in the comments or reach out, I’d love to hear how you navigated your own leadership challenges.
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