Giants such as HP, Dell and Apple are founded in a garage in Silicon Valley. But in Denmark, there are rules that prevent the kind of entrepreneurship from his home. It tells Lasse Sagittarius Knudsen, who started the company Sharepointtoolbelt in autumn 2010 after many years as an independent consultant. Now he – along with a colleague – focus on developing its own software for the SharePoint platform, and to this end he had to use two developers.
But the plan to hire two Danes and use a 60 square meter room at home as the office went to the sink, for it must not happen in Denmark. „I had people call and found some good candidates – but then it went into a deadlock because of some banalities. My application to decorate the office with myself was rejected because the rules say that all employees so that must have home address there, „says Lasse Sagittarius Knudsen to Version2.
The day after the refusal by the municipality, who fell a half years after he began the application process, called a seller from the Indian company Gateway Technology Labs and offered outsourcing services. Frustrated after the battle with the municipality chose the Danish entrepreneur to proceed with the Indian settlement, though it had never been intended.
Then in early 2011 was the task of developing the company’s first software product rests with the Indian company, after he had questioned the other Gateways Danish customers in the same size. „It gave the rest of the stomach to talk with others who were in the same situation. And there were only 14 days‘ notice, so if I was not happy, I could lose more than pay for them for 14 days.It is important for a small company, „explains Lasse Sagittarius Knudsen.
Municipality proposed for refusal, he took an office in town, but precisely because Sharepointtoolbelt is a new company with few employees who are now counting the whole shop on software development, it was important to keep costs down. „I thought it was quite ridiculous to spend 20,000 crowns extra a month on office, internet and so on. I grew up believing that a penny saved is a penny earned, and would keep all fixed costs, in addition to wages down, „says Lasse Sagittarius Knudsen, who themselves usually on the go and not much at home in the office.
Impressed with Indian help
Collaboration with the Indian company also proved to be a great success. Instead of two Danish developers handed the money now for a small team of up to eight Indian developers with different roles.
Danish developers may well let stand for one task from A to Z, including the possible role, but in India it works differently. Here there were people over who was specifically for quality testing, as there was a need for it, and so on. But they have the self-directed, and I’ve been very impressed with their flexibility and ability to serve small businesses like ours, „says the assessment.
Now is the first product ready to use a SharePoint add-in rights management for users, and sales work can begin. In retrospect, he is really happy with that communal trouble and a random phone call sent him out into outsourcing. But for Denmark as a whole, he seems that it is a sad story.
„When I read stories about videnjob disappear from Denmark, it strikes me how little it takes before it is easier to use labor abroad. It’s almost like shopping in a shop. And so it is no coincidence that it goes like that when it must be so hard to be an entrepreneur. It is an own goal from the Danish side, „says Lasse Sagittarius Knudsen. The process of the municipality also cost his company a half years of waiting, which could have been avoided if only he had had the refusal immediately.
„I explained to them the situation from the start, so if they had just listened and said, what the rules are, it had been clear right away. Instead, I had over half a year when they were out to measure and check the fire safety, and I had to send lots of documentation in and sign a statement that no customers would come to this address. It was a waste of everybody’s time, „he says.
The rules also prohibit signage and additional requirements for parking, for a company can not be a nuisance to neighbors, but it seems the entrepreneur is also inordinately dour. „They said, ‚Imagine if your neighbor starts a business that way.“ Yeah, so what? I think just because it is good with some growth here and there, „says the entrepreneur.
Brainstorm and sticky notes – preferably without head
Using Indian developers have obviously required a different management than to have two Danes seated locally in an office. But it has not been the big problem for the small firm.
„It was important to me that they could work independently. So I always run a ping-pong, where I explain the task and then ask them to explain to me what to do and how. So we put all parts of the job up as sticky notes on the wall, and then I took the superfluous from. They were very happy with the form, for they were not accustomed to that kind of brainstorm and discuss in plenary. And it worked well, especially when the boss was out of the room, „says Lasse Sagittarius Knudsen. He has both visited India a few times and been in close contact with a representative from the company, located in Scandinavia, about half the year.
The Indians also working many more hours than Danish developers, typically 200 hours per month, and keeps minor holiday. „They suggested at one point that we stopped status meeting on Saturday, but my family would probably not be so happy,“ says Lasse Sagittarius Knudsen. Now he will see how it goes with the company’s first product. But it becomes a success, and develop more, he will again rely on help from Indian developers.
„But I think that I would attack it differently and take the Indians up here in a period so we can sit together and they can see where and how the product should be used. The Indians themselves would be happy to Europe, because it looks good on their CV to have experience with Western thinking, „he explains. (http://www.version2.dk/artikel/kommunalt-bureaukrati-sendte-danske-udviklerjobs-til-indien-31782)
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