Jul
Egbert von Frankenberg — Turning challenges into solutions
GERMAN native and CEO of Knightfox AppDesign Ltd, Egbert von Frankenberg, had an interesting childhood growing up in a communist society that found him making do and appreciative of the resources he had at his disposal.
This belief has translated into his approach to business and entrepreneurship, where he’s always finding solutions to problems. Travel and exploring different cultures and living among minority groups in Alaska, the Middle East, and Japan taught him how to interact harmoniously with people to find solutions. However, von Frankenberg ultimately saw Jamaica as “home”, as he found everything he needed here and saw opportunities to tackle the many problems that exist. Therefore, he saw the island as a good fit for living and working.
Leveraging his dynamic experiences in the media industry and his degree in business, von Frankenberg synergised both the business and technical requirements of a client’s needs, along with his business partner, to develop the right solutions. While his strong business acumen is evident, he outlined that it is essential to understand and work within a feasible financial framework as an entrepreneur, especially during the start-up phase of the business. He notes that it requires religiously looking at the financials to understand what activities drive the industry from a managerial perspective. Von Frankenberg also believes that being a good “people person” builds trust and puts confidence in one’s team. An empathetic understanding of different people’s perspectives also allows leaders to make better decisions. Taking a discerning approach to seeking investments is also crucial because if those opportunities don’t go as planned, a reassessment of the situation will be required — though he is seized with the conviction that the lesson learnt in these circumstanes will make you stronger in the end.
As a software outsourcing company, Knightfox has what he describes as a “nearshore destination” geographic benefit for their Caribbean and United States-based clients. Their European market clients have a hedge shore advantage, which allows them to deliver client projects quickly because of the time zone difference. Throughout the company’s six years in Jamaica they also developed a strong partnership with Amazon Web Services by working closely on the architecture design to ensure that best practices are followed. Therefore, it enables them to deliver high-quality, Amazon-certified products to their clients.
Von Frankenberg’s entrepreneurial philosophy is grounded in being agile, thoughtful and forward-thinking in everything. He also believes that “Any dish that’s served is not eaten as hot as it’s cooked,” meaning when you come across a seemingly difficult situation, it’s essential to take the time to assess the problem from different angles because it allows you to gather all information to gain clarity on what needs to be achieved.