Sale of Lammers IT

Tim Lammers started Lammers IT from school and soon the business was growing at the seams. "The customers got bigger, the questions more complex and continuity more important. I was looking to work with a bigger player and knew exactly what that player had to meet. But I could use someone next to me who had experience in this. Dennis Ligthart of Finc Corporate Finance was my sounding board during this process. He gave honest advice, stood up for my interests and had the same goal in mind."

Tim Lammers' entrepreneurial story is one out of the books: He bought his first PC from the money he earned cleaning cars. The entrepreneurial instinct was already there back then: "I doubled my income with shares which allowed me to buy my first computer fairly quickly," Tim says. However, luck was not on his side. "Within two weeks, that PC was already broken! I was very disappointed because all my heart and soul was in it. I tried to fix it myself, and I succeeded. From then on, IT became my hobby and later my business."

"A friend of my father's became my first client. After I graduated, he hired me 2 days a week. I used the other days to acquire new clients. That went well. At first I worked from home, but when a colleague joined, I decided to rent an office."

Growing together with clients

Lammers IT continued to grow. The clients became larger, the questions more complex and continuity more important. A second colleague joined the team and the company started working with a flexible shell. "I wanted to grow with the customers, but had trouble finding the right people. I was working 80 hours a week but nevertheless drifting further away from the core business: building and maintaining online workstations."

Meeting changing demand and capitalizing on opportunities

As Tim's administration had become more complex due to growth, his bookkeeper advised him to hire an accountant. The accountant could then help him better with his problem. He approached Finc Accountants and got in touch with Dennis Ligthart. Tim says: "Finc consists of a young team and immediately gave me the feeling that I was being taken care of. Dennis and I made a matrix together which showed that I needed to build Lammers IT for about 3 to 5 years in order to meet the changing demand and respond to new opportunities. In addition, developments within the IT industry made a larger size desirable. A shortage of good people in the market hampered that growth for me. Seeking a partnership with another party would be a quicker and better solution."

"Normally we as Corporate Finance look for the potential businesses for a cooperation," Dennis explains. "But Tim himself knew very well which parties were suitable for him. I was mainly there to soundboard his vision and from then on we worked together intensively."

Pursuing the same goal

Tim was looking for a business that could answer the issues of his customers (and larger). He says: "Many conversations followed. It also happened that we were already at an advanced stage but that Dennis expressed his doubts about that party's approach. He confirmed my feelings and I found it very strong that he expressed this to me. I really had the feeling that he stood beside me and that we were pursuing the same goal."

Quality and continuity guaranteed at Solimas

Solimas of Amsterdam proved the most suitable because they aim for national coverage by working with small clubs that operate locally. "This way I remain the point of contact for my clients, but can lean on Solimas to ensure quality and continuity," Tim explains.

First time employee

When the contracts were on the table, Dennis made sure that the cooperation was interesting for Tim as well. "Eventually we came to an agreement whereby I buy myself back into the Solimas group. As a result, I am now crazily working for the first time in my life as an employee, haha! In this new role, I can focus on our valuable clients and get involved in topics I really enjoy."

Back to core business

Signing on gave Tim an unreal feeling at first: "I have built Lammers IT from childhood and worked very hard for it. Taking distance was harder than I thought. After all, it's a bit like my child moving into a room. But it's good, Lammers IT was really ready for this step. I am looking forward to the new experiences to come. Solimas gives me freedom. I don't have to conform to rules so I still feel like an entrepreneur. I feel like accelerating, expanding the team and building beautiful ict environments that are future-proof. Back to the core business."