Building organisations has always been more interesting to me than building software.

I’ve founded four organisations.

Each one taught me something different.

None of them looked alike.

All of them shaped the way I think about technology, leadership and growth.

============================================================ Globe Testing

+–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+ | Founder & CEO | | 2009 → 2021 | +–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+

Globe Testing was the company I always wanted to build.

Not because of its size.

Because of the way it worked.

From the beginning we believed that quality engineering deserved its own company.

Not another generic consultancy.

A specialist.

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Building systems, not departments

One of the best decisions we made had very little to do with software testing.

We designed the company itself.

Very early on we implemented:

• ISO 9001 • ISO 20000

Not as certifications to hang on the wall.

As operating systems.

Every important process was documented, measured and continuously improved.

That discipline allowed the company to scale without becoming chaotic.

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Everything in an ERP system

Almost from day one, the company ran an ERP, even when we had only a handfull of employees.

Not partially.

Completely.

CRM.

Recruitment.

Timesheets.

Projects.

Sales.

Accounting.

Invoicing.

Operations.

Management reporting.

Everything.

This created something extremely valuable.

A single source of truth.

Combined with ISO processes, it meant that a company with more than one hundred professionals could operate with an exceptionally lean back-office team.

Technology wasn’t supporting the business.

Technology was the business infrastructure.

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A different sales model

We never believed traditional salespeople were the best ambassadors for a highly specialised consultancy.

Growth came from expertise.

Partners.

Senior consultants.

Technical credibility.

Relationships.

People bought our knowledge before they bought our services.

Looking back, that decision probably shaped our culture more than anything else.

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Why we sold

People often assume companies are sold because they stop growing.

That wasn’t our case.

The business was healthy.

The opportunities were exciting.

The problem was different.

As the company grew, my partner and I spent less time doing what we loved.

And more time:

Hiring. Recruiting. Retention. Management. Administration. Necessary work. Important work.

But not the work that made us start Globe.

Consulting is ultimately a people business.

When talent becomes your biggest constraint, your calendar slowly stops belonging to you.

Joining Izertis allowed Globe to continue growing.

It also gave us the opportunity to start thinking again.

============================================================ Testhouse Consultores S.A.

+–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+ | Managing Director | | 2005 → 2009 | +–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+

If Globe Testing was my company,

Testhouse was my MBA.

It was where I learned how consulting businesses actually work.

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Building internationally

Our role was to build the Spanish operation for the London headquarters.

Spain became the nearshore hub.

Later we helped establish the offshore operation in India.

That experience changed my understanding of scale.

Different countries.

Different costs.

Different cultures.

One company.

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The ownership lesson

Professionally, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.

Financially, it wasn’t.

Although I had management responsibility, my ownership in the company never reflected that commitment.

That taught me another lesson.

Building a company and owning a company are very different things.

Eventually I decided to build my own.

One month after leaving,

UST Global acquired Testhouse Consultores.

Looking back,

that timing probably confirmed I had made the right decision.

============================================================ Contact Infogestión S.L.

+–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+ | Founder | | 2000 → 2002 | +–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––+

My first company.

Built while finishing university.

Built while working full time.

Built with enthusiasm.

---

The company lasted two years.

Financially, it broke even.

The lessons turned out to be the best investment I ever made.

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Three lessons

Choose your partners carefully.

Every project is more complicated than it looks.

Building a company with family or close friends is rarely as easy as it seems.

============================================================ One pattern

Looking back,

I never really enjoyed building companies.

I enjoyed building systems.

Systems that helped people work better together.

Technology. Processes. Culture. Trust.

The companies were simply the result.