Consilia, founded in 2012, is an independent ICT consulting firm that carries no debt and which has been largely self-funded since it was established. Group CEO Johan Botes looks at how his company has grown into an international operation over the past year.
Over the past three years, we grew our organisation into a healthy South African business, before spreading our wings with our offshore expansion plan. Today, we have practices in the UK, Middle East and Australia, with plans to expand to the US next year.
I first started developing the idea for this business seven or eight years ago, but it was only around four years ago that the conditions were really right to launch. Suddenly, we saw the skills, markets and technology we needed start to converge.
Here are some lessons we’ve learnt from globalising our business.
1. Carve out a niche
A few years ago I realised that the South African market was starting to become saturated with SAP consultants, so the high rates they once commanded were starting to sink. At the same time I saw that there was growing demand for Sage ERP X3 skills – a product aimed at mid-range companies that want an affordable and flexible ERP suite.
I surmised that the skills would not only be scarce in South Africa, but also in many other countries. Hence, we found a niche for ourselves, one where we had already spent time developing skills and partnerships we can take into the international market.
2. The technology is available, so use it
In the past few years, high-speed broadband has become pervasive, cloud computing has given us a great deal of flexibility into how we buy and use ICT services, and collaboration tools such as Lync have matured. Today, it’s easier than ever to manage a business from a briefcase if you …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
