The story of small and medium-sized firms that managed to make the leap and became large companies. how did they do it? The stories of its leaders and the advice of specialists.
It grows from small to large, There is no other way. No company is born billing millions of pesos, nor having a portfolio of important clients. It is a path that is traveled overcoming obstacles. To make it, it is necessary not only to wish it but to plan it, prioritize the professionalization of the company and be alert to opportunities, specialists stand out. “To think big, you just have to think, as simple as that", resume Miguel Logarzo Azúa, chairman de Vistage Argentina, an organization that brings together CEOs. In this way, expands his colleague Adriana Turdera, “planning the growth of a company allows identifying the guiding idea of the business making the necessary corrections to meet the established objectives”.
Apex América is a company from Córdoba specialized in Business Process Outsourcing services (BPO), what, today, operates in six Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, El Salvador and Honduras). Employ some 5.100 people and, on 2016, invoiced between u$s 73,6 millions and u$s 66,4 millions. For 2018, they project to exceed u$s 100 million and disembark in new countries. However, this was not always so.
in its beginnings, on 2005, its founders, Marcelo Cid and Humberto Sahade, bet that Apex would export its contact center services, focusing on the North American market. The decision was a success: for foreign companies, Argentina was an attractive market due to its low costs and the quality of human resources. So interesting was it that Sykes, an American company decided, on 2006, hire Apex services. after a while, they bought it. However, as Argentina was losing competitiveness, Sykes began his withdrawal. Cid and Sahade decided to buy back their firm, but understanding that the context had changed: if they wanted to survive, should focus on the domestic market. with this decision, They not only managed to lift the company from its relapse but also made it grow.
For Patricio Rios Carranza, CEO of Apex America, there were three key elements in that path. The first was having a dream, distinctive competence and its human resources. Regarding the dream, explains that it is nothing more than the vision of the company, the aspiration of what you want to be. “Any project that is born has as a condition to have a dream. From minute one, Apex dreamed of being a global firm that guaranteed the professional and personal development of its people and customer satisfaction”, highlights. Regarding the distinctive competence, namely, the differential with respect to competitors, Ríos Carranza assures that it is given by his work philosophy based on the values of flexibility, speed, austerity and innovation. "The greatest challenge for a company when it begins to grow and diversify is not to lose the entrepreneurial spirit and not fall into slowness and bureaucracy", Explain.
Another key item is people., According to Rios Carranza, the premise is that they are always a priority. “We are convinced that with happy people we will have satisfied customers and, with satisfied customers, we will have happy shareholders. This is not rhetoric, but we apply it through a program that we call Closeness with other people, which implies that each process we carry out is designed prioritizing the bond with collaborators, because they feel happy when their leader is near and, clearly, improves productivity”, dice. Apex Staff Turnover, dice, is in the country below 1,5%, a percentage that, in the words of Ríos Carranza, is the same nothing for the industry
Ríos Carranza joined the company in 2006, as General Manager, experienced the transfer of ownership and ended up leaving in 2009. But, when Apex became the property of the Cordovan partners, he also returned to become the CEO; today, knows the company and its history as his own. Therefore, says that the best advice you can give to another entrepreneur who dreams of moving from being an SME to becoming a global company is: “Never betray the ideals and their definitions. The dream, culture and people are non-negotiable. Strategy can change 100 times, but these pillars cannot change”, concludes.
Ally, change and not miss the train
The history of Naranja dates back to 1969 In cordoba, with the birth of Salto 96, a sports house founded by two friends who are Physical Education teachers: David Ruda and Gerardo Asrin. They sold sports equipment and clothing.. Year, to reach more customers and retain existing ones, the members began to offer sales in installments through a card that they delivered themselves. This system was extended to other businesses in the city, who saw a way to increase their sales. However, to consolidate its growth, both teachers understood that they needed help. Therefore, on 1995, decided to consolidate their growth and expansion, incorporating Banco Galicia as a financial partner.
This gave them the opportunity to replicate the system in all regions of the country and expand the offer of plans and benefits to holders of the Orange Card and, now, dry orange; that alliance was what made them take the big leap and stop being an SME. “It was a perfect alliance. My father and Ruda were two physical education teachers with limited capital to grow and they had the lucidity to look for a partner that would allow them to continue leading the operation, but that it not only give them capital but fundamentally knowledge of the financial market. At that moment, Banco Galicia just also sought to venture into this type of business. I think it was a very good synergy between two Argentine businessmen concerned and busy with the country and they found the ideal partner.. This alliance was very successful and already has 22 years", Alejandro Asrin recounts, current president of Orange. In your opinion, Banco Galicia was able to see the spread of Naranja, that was always the quality of the experience.
“Opportunity is key., like other aspects of life, the train stops at the station and you have to decide whether to get on or not, Knowing that it may not happen again”, opines Oscar Faranda, director of the Diploma in Senior Management for SMEs and Companies of the Buenos Aires Technological Institute (ITBA).
Ruda and Asrin Sr. just got on; by then, the company was only in some areas of Córdoba and a few other cities in the interior, and emitted about 120.000 summaries. Today, emit 2,9 millions. “The vision of the teachers was that with an alliance of this type they could provide the same financing service in other locations and grow organically throughout the country.; and they were not wrong”, assures Asrin.
Although they kept the premises for a time, two years after the agreement with the bank they decided to sell Salto 96 to dedicate himself exclusively to the financial market. But, as far as vision and flexibility are concerned, today they work to promote the exploitation of non-financial businesses, like entertainment on demand, online tourism and other services, with an investment of $ 12.000 million this year.
That business that sold sportswear, first to friends of the teachers of their owners, became a company that has about 4,5 million customers and employs 3.200 collaborators. “I believe that one should never lose the values of the SME entrepreneur. Always be attentive to customers, take care of human capital and very detailed budgets”, advise.
one step to the side
If you want to bring the ship to a safe port, the captain must be able to be a good leader and, para Sandra Felsenstein, Director of Dinka, consultancy specialized in SMEs, the good leader is the one who accepts proposals from his collaborators and believes in teamwork.
For it, Federico Carassale, founder of the wholesale tourism operator Aero La Plata, has a road map to follow. He started the business in an office in the center of La Plata with five employees. Today, has two more offices, one in Tolosa and another in Capital, employs 130 people and invoice around u$s 130 millions. How do i do it? Was, according to its owner, the result of a path of professionalization that began in 2006. “The decision to surround myself with the best people was what allowed us to catapult ourselves as a successful company. I think my main virtue was having surrounded myself with people who were perhaps more for a Procter & Gamble; we put together a very powerful work team”, bill. PepsiCo Marketing Managers passed through Aero La Plata, a Peugeot manager and executives from large airlines. between laughs, Carassale acknowledges that he does not know how he seduced them, but he thinks that what they liked the most was the project and the work environment. “The main players I have are highly educated professionals who were dissatisfied in their jobs at big name corporations.; souls in pain”, describe.
Consistent with the decision to professionalize the company, on 2014, Carassale stepped aside for Luciano Grigera to become the new General Manager. knew that, if you wanted to take the big leap, I had to let do and give empowerment to the teams I had formed. "Now, from the direction, I am in charge of giving breath. I believe that the company must transcend its founder. I agree with those who say that the firm is born when it ceases to belong to its founder”, justifies. Grigera, tells the businessman, before being the CEO, was the financial manager in the agency and, before, a young talent from a financial study and the best average of his litter of the accountant career at the University of La Plata.
on that road, Carassale did ontological coaching, worked with financial consultants, human resources and sales. Additionally, sought to certify IRAM Standards and began the process to obtain System B certification.
As a result of that path, managed to support clients such as Avantrip and position themselves among the 10 major carriers in the country, according to the ranking of the International Air Transport Association (THERE IT IS, for its acronym in English). "However, in the background, one is always an SME. It is hard for me to consider that I am not, because also, you always continue to have the difficulties that small businesses have ”, warns.
Indelplas is a firm from Junín that manufactures home appliances. It was founded by Ricardo de la Fuente Villamil in 1978, when he had not yet completed 20 6 years, in a shed 8 x 9, with dirt floor. There he installed a press to mold cowgirl boards, the first product he made. "In Junin, away from raw materials, inexperienced and without the possibility of bringing in a veteran from another company as technical support, the theory said that you could not do well. But I was deeply convinced of what I wanted to do and at that age you have the opportunity to hit yourself, fall down and get up again a lot of times”, bill.
the market commands
Turdera maintains that growing up requires, among other things, “Active listening to the transformation of demand, thus obtaining competitive advantages over other players in the same market”. De la Fuente had his ears wide open: acknowledges that the one that gave him the opportunity to take the first big leap were the adapters with three flat inclined legs. “We developed them in ’86, when the electrical standards began to change in Argentina, we stopped using the round sockets and the electrometric ones began to come with flat inclined legs. A mistake of competitiveness and global insertion. But the market asked for it and we did it; we got to sell 200.000 per month", remember.
Indelplast invoice $ 200 million per year; not a big company yet, according to the Undersecretariat for Policy and Management of SMEs, but De la Fuente believes that for 2018, if it maintains its sustained growth of 40%, will reach the category of medium-sized company Tranche 2, the last step you need to become a great firm. “Our growth is sustained. Are 70 people in permanent plant. On 2015, we were 34. My explanation is that we do what others don't: to diversify, innovate, invest and seek to be competitive based on market opportunities”, highlights.
Among the challenges achieved, that the employer defines as "formidable", is to have inaugurated an administrative building with two floors of 500 m2, they built in seven months. “It went well for us because as a rule we invest the 90% of earnings, and there is a premise in the company that must be strictly adhered to, which is to improve people's quality of life. Every product we launch is done to make it the best on the market. This means a huge challenge for us in terms of price, in the product development process, we have to analyze well what would be the necessary components for us to be competitive. Indelplast is not a leading brand, so we have to manage to be cheaper than all the well-known brands; nobody is going to buy us just because we are good”, Explain.
From 2010, add, they are working on a deep process of technification, incorporating robotics and automation, thanks to alliances achieved with companies in Spain, Portugal and China. "The idea is to have increasingly efficient production processes and to be able to achieve the highest productivity per operator in this area", close.
