Invest NI helping Lestas Consulting to search new markets

The company is now reaching out internationally for business by means of a fully interactive website developed with support from Invest NI.

Invest NI’s assistance to Lestas Consulting to develop its IT export-focused technology was announced by Des Gartland, Manager of Invest NI’s North West Regional Office. The business was founded by husband and wife team Nicholas and Michelle Lestas in 2000.

Mr Gartland said: “Our support for Lestas Consulting is a further example of our focus on encouraging and assisting companies offering expert professional services to develop business in markets outside Northern Ireland by means of innovative technologies.

“We realised that Lestas Consulting was a successful service-led company which was ‘thinking outside of the box’ about new business opportunities and was keen to explore new markets and find new ways of promoting its expertise to potential clients. The company’s website was designed specifically to enable it to sell its range of services outside Northern Ireland.

“Underpinning our support for this ambitious and progressive company is a recognition that the professional services sector in Northern Ireland, if structured and positioned correctly, can sell expertise and knowledge virtually anywhere in the world.”

Mrs Lestas said: “While we had developed extensive business and management consultancy work, mainly in Northern Ireland, over the past 11 years we recognised that we had to look to external markets for faster growth. This led us to contact Invest NI for help, advice and assistance in developing technology that would enable us to reach international business opportunities.

“Our main problem was to determine how we could develop, service and maintain regular contact with clients there, while at the same time maintaining control of our small business.

“The Invest NI’s solution was to develop a fully interactive website that enables us to work with clients in a private forum, in real time, no matter where they are in the world.

“The technology also enables us to surmount another potential problem, payment. We are able to charge clients online and ensure that we are paid before we start work. This means we don’t worry about being paid and our cashflow is far more positive.

“The new site, www.lestasconsulting.com, is now so successful that we have recorded over a 300 per cent increase of traffic to it and it has been increasing steadily month on month. “