Tipping points

Whether you run your own enterprise or are employed, not all projects are equally important. Some simply have more consequence than others. Maybe it is because it is in a different country or an opportunity to showcase what a company is capable of. The international growth of a company is usually marked by these strategic opportunities that are like tipping points. 

In the latest episode from TradeMalta’s series ‘International Insights – Stories from the Real Economy’, entitled ‘Tipping Points’, Dr Joe Schembri meets John DeGiorgio, founder and chairman of Shireburn Software Ltd., and Joseph Sultana, co-founder, Ascent Software Ltd. Both guests have successfully led their companies to international growth, one opportunity at a time, but with key opportunities having a strategic impact on business growth.

For DeGiorgio, the growth of Shireburn was a journey marked by such key opportunities.

“The first significant milestone was back in 1998, and it was a service and product project for a customer based in Finland, London and Geneva, where we had a particular technology that addressed a very particular requirement. There were other milestones along the years.”

Sultana says that when Ascent set up, the vision was to deliver services on the international marketplace. 

“The climate at that time on a local level was that you couldn’t deliver software properly as this wasn’t seen as a strategic investment, but was simply a cost.” Therefore internationalisation was an opportunity to find the right type of client. 

What is the advice to internationalise?

“Laser focus on what you are going – and do not let anything distract you,” says Sultana. “If you don’t understand the ultimate vision of where you are going, it won’t work.”

DeGiorgio says that businesses cannot underestimate the amount of time, money and effort that a business needs to make an impact in a market. “And you need to get the pace right, the right balance of investing in the product and investing in marketing,” he adds.

The latest episode from TradeMalta’s series ‘International Insights – Stories from the Real Economy’,

International Insights is organised with the support of strategic partners HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c. and powered by Studio Seven. Times of Malta is media partner. The series will be available on popular podcast platforms, TradeMalta’s YouTube channel and timesofmalta.com.