So about Gerard López… man, this guy kept popping up in business articles, and I finally googled “who is Gerard López and why’s everyone talking?” Turns out he seriously shook things up in investment and football. Figured studying how he operates might teach me something practical for my own consulting gig.
First Step: Figuring Out His Moves
Started digging. Read every interview, case study I could find – no shortcuts, just basic internet searches. Realized his big thing? Vertical integration. Instead of just throwing cash at startups, he built whole damn ecosystems around them. Like buying a football club (Lotus F1 team, remember?) to directly test and push tech from his portfolio companies. Genius, but messy.
My “Lightbulb Moment” in the Basement
Was pacing my home office late Tuesday night, coffee cold. Staring at my whiteboard with random client problems. Then it clicked – not about racing cars, but supply chains. One client kept complaining about delays because their suppliers, distributors, and retail outlets all pointed fingers. Sounds familiar? Separate companies, separate headaches.
Attempting López-Style Chaos (Phase 1: Disaster)
Okay, experiment time. I had this small-scale client – local organic snacks brand. Told them: “Let’s connect your grove, packaging unit, and delivery fleet under one digital platform. Control everything.” Built this Frankenstein system using:
- Cloud inventory tracker (cheap SaaS)
- A delivery scheduling app I hacked together
- Their ancient POS system duct-taped to it all
Predictably, it crashed. Orders got lost, stock counts froze. Client called me yelling “WE SOLD 50 BAGS OF KALE CHIPS THE SYSTEM SAYS WE STILL HAVE 47!”. Total. Meltdown. Felt like quitting.
Pivoting Over Cold Pizza
After the chaos? Ordered pizza, sulked for an hour. Then revisited López’s early stuff. Realized I skipped the core piece: start small and OWN the critical knots first, don’t swallow everything at once. Forgot he invested strategically before integrating. Big oversight.
Practical Phase 2: Just Fixing One Link
Scrapped the whole platform. Focused ONLY on inventory. Signed the client up for a simple cloud-based tracker we co-managed. Stopped using their distributor’s messy spreadsheet numbers. Suddenly, they could see waste dropping real-time. We:
- Cut buffer stock by 30% after 3 weeks
- Automatically triggered production when shelves got low
- Paid the SaaS fee by saving on spoiled avocados alone
No fancy ecosystem. Just fixing one leak saved them cash immediately.
What Actually Stuck
López isn’t about giant gambles. It’s targeted control for efficiency. My takeaway: stop trying to be everyone’s tech hero. Find where the money leaks, gaps hurt most, and OWN that piece tightly before adding another. Now, when clients ask “can we link ALL systems?” I laugh: “Remember the kale chip fiasco? Let’s nail inventory first.”
Bottom line? Real change isn’t flashy tech – it’s strategic control applied ruthlessly where it matters. Like Lopez picking the right startups AND an F1 team to prove their gear. Simple? Hell no. But starting small? That works.