Telematel’s Chief Product Officer, Helena Grau, is a woman who knows what she wants. When it comes to her business, that means not only getting the best possible product for her customers, but also developing an organization that allows for growth, creativity, and innovation to take Telematel to the next level. That’s why she chose to sell her company to Valsoft.
Find out why Valsoft was the perfect fit for this Barcelona-based company with over 30 years of experience in the construction business.
Watch and share Helena’s story
Q1: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your company?
Telematel was founded in 1988. It is the leading Spanish company in management solutions. Management solutions for construction materials distribution and installation companies. My father was the president of this organization. He oversaw a project that involved creating a database of materials for the sector, to ensure consistency between the different industry players for product codes and prices. Sometime in the 90s, my brother Lorenzo joined. I joined around the year 2000.
Q2: How did you discover Valsoft and what was your first impression of us?
[00:00:44] We were in a period of total growth, with excellent forecasts for the following years. Certain other software firms that specialize in investing in software companies had already approached us. And we had said no, that we were going to continue with our project. However, Valsoft then came along and in this case, we saw that it was an extremely dynamic company. We saw that it was an innovative company for software company management processes, and they could give us those good practices. A level of professionalism that could keep the company strong as our father handed it over to us and create growth opportunities for everyone involved.
Q3: Why Valsoft? What were you looking for in a potential buyer?
[00:01:33] We were not looking to sell the company, but for levers of growth and professionalization. We knew that Telematel is a great company with an excellent track record, but many times when a third party approaches you with good practices that have already been applied in other companies like yours, they have a lot of expertise and know-how that can speed up the process.
Q4: Can you tell us some of the reasons for selling a business?
[00:02:03] The main reason for selling was to have a team of experts in growing software companies like ours. Like a child attending the best university, learning from people who have done it before, highly experienced professionals, people who really have a playbook or a guide to what are the best initiatives for the company and who also follow through with ensuring that the company implements these good practices, management tools, a series of processes to take Telematel to the next level. This is what we were looking for.
Q5: Can you describe the process?
[00:02:47] It was an easy experience. It was a very transparent process, whereby Valsoft clearly explained its initiatives and the ways in which Telematel’s growth could be projected. We were talking to people who knew exactly what we were dealing with. They were not outsiders to the business. They understood the software business perfectly and also understood a little what strengths or weaknesses we might have or things we could improve. In this case, one of the clear strengths is being management software in a niche of a very specific industry, with everything this entails in terms of sector knowledge to provide the best customer service. If you factor in good business management practices, the combination is perfect.
Q6: What would you tell people thinking about selling their business to Valsoft?
[00:03:47] Well, the first thing I’d tell you is to ask yourself why you want to sell or what you’re looking for in a buyer. If you’re only looking for money in a buyer, and not involvement, then Valsoft might not be the best option, because in this case, it is a company highly involved in the day-to-day operations and company practices, trying to provide the best.
Q7: Do you have any advice for other business owners looking to sell?
[00:04:18] Their consultancy comes precisely from just knowing what is in the market and what options your company has. Also think about how they see the future, and how they see the employees’ future. Because this is about people. Software businesses don’t buy the main raw material. As mentioned above, this is about people. Think about how you see the future and the opportunities you want to give your team.
We want to thank Helena for sharing her insights with us, and we look forward to sharing more interviews in the upcoming months.
Read the PR Valsoft Enters Spain with the acquisition of Telematel, the market leader in construction software
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