Jimmy Staal Damsgaard, co-founder of Seasight Davits, has replaced the director title with the role of head of development and design in the company he helped to found in 2011 together with the then director of Hvide Sande Shipyard, HP Kristensen. The last ownership shares have been sold, but he is still a driving force in Seasight Davits.
The home base is still Odense, as it always has been, although he is permanently at Seasight Davits' headquarters in Ringkøbing two days a week. When he started Seasight Davits, the trained machinist had already gathered the experience in offshore cranes that made the development journey possible.
- It has been a great journey, but also a hard one, says Jimmy Staal Damsgaard and at the same time assures one thing:
- There is not much that is free in the world. And it is good that you do not know what you are getting into.
The company currently has 60 employees and offices in the UK, Taiwan and the US, in addition to the head office in Ringkøbing. He also makes no secret of the fact that it takes a lot to start a new business.
- You have to take some big steps along the way, he says.
He has a clear answer to the question of whether he has a new start-up up his sleeve.
- I am not going to start anything again myself, but I would like to be an investor, and I have already done so, he says, revealing the investments that also relate to the energy industry:
- I have invested in a solar park in Poland and greenhouses for tomatoes in Sweden. The greenhouses use waste heat for heating, and I think it is a good idea.
Advice to other entrepreneurs
He has also already reflected on what it takes to create success.
- I had a company behind me with Hvide Sande Shipyard with money, and it is very difficult to do it alone. And then you have to have a drive, which means a lot, explains Jimmy Staal Damsgaard and touches on something that requires self-knowledge:
- You do not have skills in all areas, so you have to find someone who can help you.
Along the way, one thing about the economy is also important.
- You also have to be willing to admit if it is not going to make money, he says.
When a company becomes international, it also requires something – especially if your interest lies in the technical side.
- As a skilled technician, you have to learn that you can't run an international company from the workshop, it says.
There is also an important lesson to be learned with recruitment.
- You have to remember to hire people who are different from yourself. And then also what you are good at yourself, he says.
A good market position
From the early days, when Vestas was the only customer, something has really happened for Seasight Davits.
- Today we have a market share of approximately 70 percent. That is really good, and we are very successful. At the same time, you also have to consider: How long can I do it without someone copying me, says Jimmy Staal Damsgaard.
The growth journey has also been largely together with Hvide Sande Shipyard – which today has brought together the companies in the Seasight Group.
- When I started, we initially had 100 employees at Hvide Sande Shipyard. Today we are 250, and there has been a huge development in Seasight Group. In the beginning it was about providing work for Hvide Sande, explains Jimmy Staal Damsgaard.
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