As co-founder of CloudSuite, Okko Huisman has been involved with the company from the very beginning. How did he come up with the idea to start CloudSuite? What does he envision for the company's future? And what does good leadership mean to him? In a conversation with the CEO about the past, present, and future.
In the nineties, as a student in Industrial Engineering, I was looking for an internship and ended up at Markant, an international office furniture manufacturer. I went for an interview and started not as an intern but as the head of the purchasing department. The director thought: good story, here are the keys. I was thrown into the deep end, but I also received a lot of trust. I worked there for years in various management and executive roles, responsible for procurement, production, and sales. I developed a strong affinity for automating (sales) processes applied to brand manufacturers and wholesalers.
Around the credit crisis, the collaboration with the party handling our eCommerce changed unexpectedly. I conducted a survey to find other potential partners, but couldn't find a better one. At that moment, Eric Klaasse walked into Markant; he had just left ECi Software Solutions. We brainstormed enthusiastically about (B2B) eCommerce and software technology, and that's how the first ideas about CloudSuite emerged in 2009. And the funny thing is: Eric actually came to Markant just to buy a new desk.
Good leadership means trusting our people.
View our vacanciesOkko Huisman
CEO & Co-founder
CloudSuite
With ups and downs, like most startups. We started with one customer, Markant, but quickly convinced Fonq.nl, an online home store. They wanted webshops abroad, and in no time, we rolled them out in Belgium, France, Germany, and Austria. That gave a tremendous boost and was a great success story for our network.
In terms of personnel, we grew steadily. We started with two Developers, and in 2012, the first Consultant, Rob, joined. He still works with us. I find that good and important; CloudSuite is on a long journey, and we look for employees who want to grow with us for a long time.
In recent years, we have come a long way with relatively little capital. I am very proud of that. We owe that success in part to our mindset and way of doing things. We have always grown cautiously; we think carefully about every step we take.
In the coming period, we want to expand our services to Germany and Scandinavia, and we want to make that possible through partners. We successfully 'practiced' the first implementations with local partners in the Netherlands. This way, step by step, we aim to become the market leader in Northwestern Europe in eCommerce platform technology.
Good leadership means trusting our people. Markant had that on my first day, and much good came from it. I like to give people the freedom to approach things in their own way. Have a good idea? Fine, go ahead and implement it. CloudSuite is like an open book where everyone is welcome to contribute. Additionally, I also believe in valuing people, encouraging them to develop, and giving them the feeling that they are never done playing. Ambitious people who are empowered are truly the source of CloudSuite's success.
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