Building an Online Travel Company From Barcelona: Guillermo Gaspart, CEO of ByHours (Part 5)

Sramana Mitra: To open America, you don’t want US investors?

Guiller Gaspart: The main problem that I found last month when we were talking with some investors from the States is that they want to invest in the companies that they already are working in the States.

Once we open the States, we’ll talk again with this venture capital firm. But right now, they realize that they would prefer to invest once we are up and working in the US.

Sramana Mitra: How many people do you have in the company?

Guillermo Gaspart: We’re at 48 people. All of us are here in Barcelona, but we’re going to open an office in Mexico.

Sramana Mitra: So you can do all countries of Europe and Latin America from Barcelona?

Guillermo Gaspart: Exactly. This is the best news for the scalability of this business because everything could happen from Barcelona. Right now, we decided to open this office in Mexico because of time zone concerns. The business is ready. Thanks to the technology, we can manage from Barcelona.

Sramana Mitra: So do you have to actually call and talk to people on the phone?

Guillermo Gaspart: Yes, exactly.

Sramana Mitra: You’re running a multi-lingual telesales operation from Barcelona?

Guillermo Gaspart: Exactly. We have different markets with a mother tongue. It’s really important for us if you speak French, German, Italian, and also in the States.

Sramana Mitra: That’s actually interesting because Latin America is a natural because you have a Spanish-speaking base. That’s why it’s another reason why Latin America is good. With 48 people, you were able to get to over €5 million.

Now this plan that you’re forecasting for 2019, how many more people do you need to add to do this plan?

Guillermo Gaspart: Probably double. At the end of the year, we’ll be close to 70 to 75 people.

Sramana Mitra: Most of this addition is going to be in Mexico?

Guillermo Gaspart: Yes. Because from Mexico, we will continue to develop all of Latin America. But also from Mexico, we’ll study the jump to the States.

Sramana Mitra: So you’re going to need to do English-speaking call centers from Mexico. Very interesting model. I’m very glad that we connected. How vibrant is the Barcelona entrepreneurship scene right now based on your experience?

Guillermo Gaspart: It’s one of the most important hubs in this ecosystem. It’s very important because here in Barcelona, you have a lot of leisure, business, and everything. That’s why I think it’s one of the really nice cities to make an MVP in the tourist sector.

Sramana Mitra: Well you’ve done a lot more than an MVP. You’ve got a €5 million plus business going.

Guillermo Gaspart: That’s why we’re still here because we considered Barcelona. It’s a very nice city because of the talent. A lot of young people want to come and live here in Barcelona because the quality of life is incredible. You’re really well connected with the rest of the world.

Sramana Mitra: Excellent story. I really enjoyed listening to your story. Thank you for your time.

This segment is part 5 in the series : Building an Online Travel Company From Barcelona: Guillermo Gaspart, CEO of ByHours
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