In this paper, we study the birth and development of an international company, Cermaq. International business, by definition, deals with space, and some business activities are performed across national boundaries. For instance, it can be a company situated in one country but buying from suppliers situated in other countries, selling to customers in other countries or making investments in production or R&D in other countries. Here, we focus on the interrelatedness between the focal firm’s HQ’s ambition to be in control of its own development, and the influence that it experiences from its evolving network. The interplay and possible tension between firm-level control and network influence is used further to understand the construction of identities in networks. We suggest that identities develop as a result of internal features and successful control; the internal features of others and their successful influence; and new demands created by either new positions in old networks or entering into entirely ‘new’networks. Both space and time emerge as central in the development of firms and networks, where the overall business logic only can be understood in hindsight.