18
de Març
de
2016 - 03:15
Being local and at the same time global does not have to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. They can be complementary, and usually one thing leads to the other. We are living in a time when being an entrepreneur does not mean you have to be crazy, and finding companies that were set up during the crisis and that have overcome the recession to create a successful business in Catalonia and begin the process of expanding internationally is not difficult. In fact, such is the case that we spoke to five of them: Kantox, Wuaki.tv, Privalia, HolaLuz and Marfeel.
They are five companies that have exchanged Catalan for English, Japanese, German and any other language the client demands. They have exchanged their emerging projects for the ferocious competition with large companies. They have also given up on 'the challenge of becoming local champions' to focus their efforts on the 'big challenge of becoming global'. It represents promotion to another league that may not be easy, but that is far from impossible.
The fact is that all five companies show that Catalan talent has the potential to earn a place on the international market. There is no secret formula, but there is one key element: "To be born as a global company." The co-founder and COO of Marfeel, Juan Margenat, during the 4YFN, insists that his company knows no borders and that the team contains professionals from 27 different countries –"a clear help in the process of going international"- and thus providing the first item on the list of distinguishing traits of these successful companies.
Innovation and disruption of DNA
"We were born in Barcelona in 2008, aware of the risks in the sector, but we saw that there were not many people doing this in the world and so we made the leap," says the founder and CEO of Wuaki.tv, Jacinto Roca, who thus explains the importance of overcoming one's fears. It is a situation similar to that of Kantox, according to its CEO, Philippe Gelis, who relates how they found the courage to launch "an innovative management solution that was cheaper than that of the banks," a difficult competitor to overcome and one they hope, in the future, to have as main clients in their role as technology suppliers.
The case of Privalia is possibly the most mature of them all. It has operated in the e-commerce sector for the past 10 years and it could be said that they were the first to move their Catalan operation to the digital world, and a little later, the global market. In fact, almost 27% of its revenue comes from international markets, points out its co-founder, Lucas Carné. Now that the challenge of revolutionising a sector in transformation like retail has been achieved, they now want to establish mobile devices as the main channel for obtaining more clients.
However, the label of innovator is not earned only with ideas, a good team is also required. That is Margenat's view, and he sees the ideal team as a "team with energy and objectives." At the same time, for an employee to feel involved in a project requires an equivalent exchange: "Everyone can pursue a career with us, we need them to grow with us. The people work to have a good time; and only if they do enjoy themselves and you give them the tasks they do best, will you see results." It is a point that Roca takes advantage of to make it clear that business schools "do not teach how to lead or manage people," and that this is a lesson that he has learnt in the past five years.
Having the funds to grow
Being a champion, whether local or global, requires money and finding funding is not easy anywhere. That is why Carné points to having a "business in an emerging segment and with the potential for scalability" as the first key factor needed to convince investors. "Especially if you are looking for a local investor," he adds, which means "transmitting passion and confidence in the project."
But none of that can be successful if, beforehand, you have not shown that you have the ambition to become global and have influence on a local level. The director general of Privalia advocates taking things step-by-step: "Investors are looking for small leaders that have become established in the local market and that are strong enough to grow internationally." However, all of that requires an extra effort and turning the search for money into "a second job," he insists, so that there is a partner or co-founder alongside who is focused on business strategy.
Speaking languages, "something that in Spain does not seem obvious," says Carné, being proactive and having a credible and powerful team are other requirements that the CEOs point to as qualities to turn companies international.
Dreams are not nonsense
HolaLuz is another of the Barcelona companies with global aspirations. Although it does not sell its energy outside Spain, it is about to start doing so, and its ambitions have already led it to thinking about HolaGas. "We want to show that alternative energy is a an attractive and viable market," argues the co-founder and CEO of the project, Carlota Pi. It is the same aim that Pi argued for five years ago when she was looking for investment, when she got an unexpected result: "The small and local investors only want to scale down your dream. One day you see that this has now become your vision and you realise that you no longer believe in what you did before."
The solution for her is not to stop thinking big and to look for travelling partners ready to defend the same aspirations as the founding team. "Perhaps we have a business plan that is gradually progressing, but following the path to where we want to get," she insists. And someone who does not hesitate to heed the call is the CEO of Wuaki.tv: "Think big, try to change the industry and find money wherever you can to achieve it."
And both companies are thinking big. In the case of Wuaki, it is aiming to become a large company in the sector with its own productions. As for HolaLuz, the idea is "being your energy provider and offering devices connected at home to manage the costs." "When we know that you are saving and efficient, we will know that we have achieved what we wanted," Pi concludes.
They are five companies that have exchanged Catalan for English, Japanese, German and any other language the client demands. They have exchanged their emerging projects for the ferocious competition with large companies. They have also given up on 'the challenge of becoming local champions' to focus their efforts on the 'big challenge of becoming global'. It represents promotion to another league that may not be easy, but that is far from impossible.
The fact is that all five companies show that Catalan talent has the potential to earn a place on the international market. There is no secret formula, but there is one key element: "To be born as a global company." The co-founder and COO of Marfeel, Juan Margenat, during the 4YFN, insists that his company knows no borders and that the team contains professionals from 27 different countries –"a clear help in the process of going international"- and thus providing the first item on the list of distinguishing traits of these successful companies.
Innovation and disruption of DNA
"We were born in Barcelona in 2008, aware of the risks in the sector, but we saw that there were not many people doing this in the world and so we made the leap," says the founder and CEO of Wuaki.tv, Jacinto Roca, who thus explains the importance of overcoming one's fears. It is a situation similar to that of Kantox, according to its CEO, Philippe Gelis, who relates how they found the courage to launch "an innovative management solution that was cheaper than that of the banks," a difficult competitor to overcome and one they hope, in the future, to have as main clients in their role as technology suppliers.
The case of Privalia is possibly the most mature of them all. It has operated in the e-commerce sector for the past 10 years and it could be said that they were the first to move their Catalan operation to the digital world, and a little later, the global market. In fact, almost 27% of its revenue comes from international markets, points out its co-founder, Lucas Carné. Now that the challenge of revolutionising a sector in transformation like retail has been achieved, they now want to establish mobile devices as the main channel for obtaining more clients.
However, the label of innovator is not earned only with ideas, a good team is also required. That is Margenat's view, and he sees the ideal team as a "team with energy and objectives." At the same time, for an employee to feel involved in a project requires an equivalent exchange: "Everyone can pursue a career with us, we need them to grow with us. The people work to have a good time; and only if they do enjoy themselves and you give them the tasks they do best, will you see results." It is a point that Roca takes advantage of to make it clear that business schools "do not teach how to lead or manage people," and that this is a lesson that he has learnt in the past five years.
Having the funds to grow
Being a champion, whether local or global, requires money and finding funding is not easy anywhere. That is why Carné points to having a "business in an emerging segment and with the potential for scalability" as the first key factor needed to convince investors. "Especially if you are looking for a local investor," he adds, which means "transmitting passion and confidence in the project."
 |
| The CEOs explain how their businesses became global in a 4YFN conference. Dan Taylor/Heisenberg Media |
But none of that can be successful if, beforehand, you have not shown that you have the ambition to become global and have influence on a local level. The director general of Privalia advocates taking things step-by-step: "Investors are looking for small leaders that have become established in the local market and that are strong enough to grow internationally." However, all of that requires an extra effort and turning the search for money into "a second job," he insists, so that there is a partner or co-founder alongside who is focused on business strategy.
Speaking languages, "something that in Spain does not seem obvious," says Carné, being proactive and having a credible and powerful team are other requirements that the CEOs point to as qualities to turn companies international.
Dreams are not nonsense
HolaLuz is another of the Barcelona companies with global aspirations. Although it does not sell its energy outside Spain, it is about to start doing so, and its ambitions have already led it to thinking about HolaGas. "We want to show that alternative energy is a an attractive and viable market," argues the co-founder and CEO of the project, Carlota Pi. It is the same aim that Pi argued for five years ago when she was looking for investment, when she got an unexpected result: "The small and local investors only want to scale down your dream. One day you see that this has now become your vision and you realise that you no longer believe in what you did before."
The solution for her is not to stop thinking big and to look for travelling partners ready to defend the same aspirations as the founding team. "Perhaps we have a business plan that is gradually progressing, but following the path to where we want to get," she insists. And someone who does not hesitate to heed the call is the CEO of Wuaki.tv: "Think big, try to change the industry and find money wherever you can to achieve it."
And both companies are thinking big. In the case of Wuaki, it is aiming to become a large company in the sector with its own productions. As for HolaLuz, the idea is "being your energy provider and offering devices connected at home to manage the costs." "When we know that you are saving and efficient, we will know that we have achieved what we wanted," Pi concludes.