THE INTERVIEW | MIGUEL TELLEZ
In Tellez’s experience, business culture and problem solving in the Americas is significantly different to Europe.
When technical issues arise, the Swedish mindset immediately looks for a technical solution. For example, if a copper component is performing poorly, the approach would be to redesign it using a new material like gold. The approach is to just do it and work out the cost issues later. On the other side of the Atlantic, a more measured but pragmatic route is likely to be taken.
“In the US or Latin America, the customs and ways of doing business are different,” Tellez says. “One thing that I noticed in the US compared to Europe is that the people here are very pragmatic. I was surprised because I had an image that the US was extremely professional with high-tech and corporate thinking, but I found that customers were really open and welcoming, especially the local workshops or small and family-owned companies.” “In Spain and Europe in general, it was usually
hard to get an appointment, and we would only get 30 minutes to show what we had and could do. Over here, it is much easier to get that opportunity [in the Americas]. We have always been welcomed, and people have appreciated the opportunity, even if they did not buy our products. I have always liked that.” The other stark difference is that parts of
Europe, particularly Spain, effectively shut down in the summertime. Everything stops for a holiday. In the US, if there is an issue you solve it, whether it is summer or not. “If you are not there to give them the solution,
customers will find someone else,” Tellez remarks. “I think the same way. You need to be there to deliver in the US, but that is in line with how I
American markets can be demanding, but highly rewarding.
ochmagazine.com | Winter 2025 29
work anyway. I can’t sleep if I have a problem that needs to be fixed. My family had to adjust because I was working all the time, and even now my phone is always on so customers can call me any time of day, any day of year.
Finding a family
When he talks of family, Tellez means more than his wife and children, though they remain the most important motivations in his life. He also means the team he has built around him and the people to whom he can delegate key tasks because he now has the right level of trust. “Many times, I have put family second and the business first, especially at the beginning,” he says. “In the first year here, I put 100% of my energy into the business. I adapt to what I see
around me – a new market or a new role – and I am always learning.”
Delegation was not easy for him in the early days, and he believes his greatest weakness was probably the need to control every aspect of the business. “When you hire people, you can’t tell them
how to do everything,” he says. “That is not a good business model. I was a control freak in the beginning, so I had to hire the right people and oversee them for a while, and if they were a good fit then I had to let them do more and make their own decisions. “I had to support them and help if they made
mistakes, but I did not want them always thinking ‘what would Miguel do?’ It comes more easily now. The best thing I have done for the company
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