Skip to main content

How Decentralization Nurtures Career Growth

By the time you are in a position to sell your software company, you may have been at the helm for 10, 15, or even 20+ years.

If you choose to stay with the company after it is acquired, you’ll be reporting to a leader at the corporate level. Maybe this is the first time since you were in college that you’ll have a boss. After years of running the business independently or with local partners, the prospect of having a corporate boss can be anxiety provoking.

How Decentralization Empowered a Business Leader to Make their own Acquisitions

“After having not reported to anyone for over 25 years, suddenly I was going to have a boss. The thought made me anxious; it would be a big change.”

– Jay Hoffman, Founder & CEO, Gallery Systems

Before he sold his company to Volaris, Jay Hoffman, CEO of Gallery Systems, met with me and several other Volaris portfolio leaders. After getting to know his future bosses, Jay felt his anxieties diminish. The relationship he built with Volaris’ leaders left him confident that we would respect his autonomy while mentoring him to further grow his business.

Volaris’ decentralized corporate structure empowers leaders to run and grow their businesses independently. As a Volaris Business Unit, Gallery Systems would continue to be run autonomously by Jay and his team, but now he would be working with his portfolio manager and other Volaris leaders to drive growth.

“My Portfolio Leader, John Hines, sold his business to Volaris a few years before I met him. I wanted to lead a group of businesses one day too, so I felt like we really connected on that. Now, a few years later, John has helped me do my own acquisitions.”

– Jay Hoffman, Founder & CEO, Gallery Systems

Decentralization: Nurturing Business and Career Growth

Jay learned that having a corporate mentor was a net gain for him. Since joining the group, Jay has continued to lead his company while benefiting from Volaris’ best practices and the guidance of his portfolio leader. Post-acquisition, the company has generated several new revenue streams and organic growth initiatives, and CEO Jay Hoffman is realizing a personal career goal of building his own portfolio.

About the Author

Mark Miller is the Global CEO of Volaris Group and Trapeze Group. In addition, Mark is the COO at Constellation Software – Volaris Group’s parent company. He began his career as a software developer and it was during that time that he co-founded Trapeze Group in 1995. Mark has a passion for software technology and building innovative businesses that last forever. His goal is to help intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs surround themselves with a great team so that they can be leaders in their industries.

Profile Photo of Mark Miller