Photo by Bethany Legg on Unsplash
“There’s always a little bit of suspicion when younger generations propose something to the family business. In the end, it’s all about trust.”
This is what Armando Bentolila, Director of International Expansion and e-commerce strategies said when he went to his family's business and suggested expanding into new markets by adopting digital channels and developing an e-commerce business model.
He is the third generation of Benyben S.L., a group from Ceuta which, after realizing that they should expand into different industries in order to avoid a market crash, decided to diversify and grow companies in different markets.
Benyben’s main businesses are manufacturing hospital supplies, sports shoes and apparel distribution, and food and beverage distribution for top brands.
For Bentolila, being in different industries wasn’t enough. He wanted to implement new digital strategies to expand further. In the end, his family supported his initiative.
It was definitely a good idea since digital business connections and e-commerce currently represent 10% of their company’s income.
“Our minds already think in a globalized way”, explains Bentolila. ”All companies — whether they are big, medium or SMEs —are thinking about expanding, using digital channels and e-commerce to sell abroad to the final consumer. Globalization is not the future, it is the reality.”
For Armando, the chance to reach international markets is nothing but beneficial. Having a platform where all members are verified by a bank elevates trust.
“That [vetting] makes opportunities negotiation more credible, more real, and for me, that’s the most important,” says Armando.
Using Opportunity Network and closing deals can be great, but having connections and not being able to close a deal can be great too.
Armando told us about an opportunity that someone might describe as failed, but in an instance, it was good. They couldn’t close a deal for external factors, but this experience helped Benyben to gain valuable insights for future clients.
“It was as if Opportunity Network had provided us with a new client”, concludes Bentoilila
For the time being, the company aims to keep growing internally by developing a bigger team of international expansion and e-commerce, and eventually to expand globally and acquire more clients worldwide.
Tell us know what your business need is. We'll show you how to discover the best counterpart.
[wpforms id="3226"]
Stay updated with the latest business insights