All the little things

Why is it we have “serial entrepreneurs“? The thought has entered my mind from time to time. Particularly when I think about the strengths of the team at Industria where I work.

I wonder what it is that makes our customers think, “I´ll take this to Industria, they’ll be able to help me sort through it”. We’ve had this discussion within the management team from time to time. Some have suggested that it’s the innovative spirit or willingness to do things differently that leads them to the decision. Myself, I think it’s a matter of entrepreneurial spirit.

Thinking about which element it is that the people on the management layer at Industria have in common? All of us have at one point or another founded a company or companies.

There is education in starting a company from scratch. What elements are there that make people choose to work on a bootstrap budget, with no job security and an opportunity cost higher than Mt. Everest.

For me, it’s just the longing to be able to say, “I was a part of the team that made this great product/service internationally successful”. And I think that I stand a better chance of recognition for my contribution in the smaller company.

The reason I wonder is because among the our customers there are two companies where Industria’s been involved from the very start. Myself, for example, starting at Industria my first project was to write a business plan for and manage the build-up of Nova, the first 3G operator in Iceland. I can actually say that I was the first person in Iceland to formally apply for, and receive a 3G spectrum license. Nova is now up and running and being led by a team of experts with a proven track record of customer acquisition.

When I joined Industria, the company was in the process of building an IPTV triple-play operator in Ireland called Magnet networks for its customer. Magnet is owned by Columbia Ventures Corporation a US based telecoms investment company.

Both of those companies have bought Zignal and use that as their main entertainment delivery platform.

We’ve also seen that the start-ups entering the telecommunication market need to be very agressive and focus entirely on customer acquisition and marketing efforts.

But in our own operation we’re also trying to maintain the entrepreneurial spirit and stay lean and fit. I wonder how long a company can really stay “small”. What’s the cut-off point. 100 employees? Turnover of $10 million, €30 million, have a product distributed internationally, to have received first, second or third round of funding?
I don’t know, I´m not sure you can define the tipping point, but I know this, it’s important to stay small, it’s best to be a small giant.