There are so many things I never thought were for me and starting my own business was one of them.  It never even came into my head.  Since childhood I’d followed the structure set out for you from school because that’s what you’re supposed to do right?  School > university > job and then you just work your way up until you retire. Job done.  I never thought outside this frame.

Maybe it’s because being an employee felt safe. A salary, a structure, someone else making the big calls. Maybe it’s because working for yourself felt like too much of a risk.  And to be fair, my career as an employee was going pretty well. I spent 20 years in event ops, working my way up and I loved it. 

After a lot of puzzling and pondering about what I wanted out of life, I combined my events and language experience and launched TranslateAble, a language services agency dedicated entirely to the events industry and everything I thought I knew about what was and wasn’t for me started to shift, from both a work point of view and personally.

It wasn’t a doddle, but it was also nowhere near as hard as I thought it’d be (this may be because I’d worked in ops previously, which is 10 people’s jobs rolled into one).  There have been ups, there have been downs (often in the same day), there have been moments of doubt and moments of pride.  And there were also people, resources and some unexpected lifelines that I leaned on heavily. I want to share those with you, because you never know where life is going to take you and if these may come in handy. 

1. My Network (And I Didn’t Even Have to Ask)

I never intentionally built my network.  Luckily for me, the events industry is a friendly place to be and you don’t need to do much to meet people. Like everyone else (I think?), I’d turn up at the AEOs, ENs, Confex etc mainly thinking about whether to pack flats into my bag and what I’m drinking that night.  One of my first bosses once told me I should always carry business cards to these events. I thought “really?  Who does that?” as I’d never handed one out.  Now I get what she meant. She attended events not just to see her buddies but to also purposefully meet new people. While I’d luckily managed to build a network without making a conscious effort, I do now wish I’d put in the work to build one more deliberately over the years. What I didn’t realise was what an asset those connections would become.

The very first job at TranslateAble came through a supplier I’d worked alongside for over 10 years. I got a call from a client out of the blue saying so and so had recommended me and landed a 17-language translation project before I’d even left my full-time role. This was exactly the boost I needed to let me know I was making the right move.

From the start, people I knew, even those I knew only loosely, were recommending TranslateAble. I didn’t expect this and I’ll forever be grateful for this.

As well as recommending my services, support came in the form of a friendly ear, sales advice, introductions. I was genuinely surprised by how many people were simply open for a chat, willing to explain things to me or point me in the right direction. I used my network to find support in sales and marketing, areas where I knew I had gaps, and people stepped up in ways I never expected.

I’ll always be grateful for this and am sure to pay it forward with every opportunity, eg mentoring via Women In Exhibitions.

Don’t underestimate your network.  Intentionally build one before you need it.

2. Mentors and Coaches (You Know More Than You Think, But You Don’t Know Everything)

One of the most valuable things I did when starting out was find mentors and coaches, something I’d never done before. They helped fill the gaps in my knowledge but also reassured me on how much I already knew.

One person I spoke to changed the course of my business. I’d been planning to position TranslateAble as a general language services supplier, covering all industries. The wider the pool, I thought, the more clients I could reach. They advised I niched, making it easier to focus and concentrating on where my expertise lay.

Mentors and coaches also gave me confidence in what I already knew. After nearly 20 years in ops, you have knowledge (often quite random) you take for granted. Having someone reflect that back to you matters more than you’d think.

Find a mentor who will challenge you, not just validate you. Look for someone who has done what you want to do, ideally someone only a few steps ahead of you so their memory and guidance is still fresh.  Don’t be afraid to approach people. Most are more approachable than you’d expect.

3. Support (Because the Highs and Lows Are Very Real)

It all felt really personal at the beginning. Ok, who am I kidding, it can still feel personal now.  Every no lands differently when it’s your business. Losing a pitch, a client going quiet; things that might have rolled off you as an employee can feel enormous when you’re a founder. Because it’s yours. You built it.

Having people to rant to, truly rant to, has been invaluable. Friends, family, fellow founders. People who get it, who care enough to listen, who can identify when you’re being ridiculous or confirm they had the same feelings and it’s not just you being irrational. The emotional rollercoaster is real, and trying to navigate it alone isn’t always easy.

If you’re a founder in the events industry and you’d like a buddy, someone who genuinely understands the world you’re operating in, I’m here for that. Please reach out.

Identify your rant people, your practical advisors and your cheerleaders.

One Last Thing

Starting TranslateAble was never part of the plan but I’m so happy I diverted off the path I was following.

You don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. You just need to be open to leaning on the right things when the time comes.

And if I can be one of those things for you, whatever that looks like, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Julia Danmeri is the founder of TranslateAble, the only language agency solely dedicated to the events industry.  TranslateAble’s team of language professionals help companies and individuals communicate with their communities globally, through expert services, such as translation, interpreting and captioning, in any language, in any country, remotely or in-person.

Julia is a multi-lingual event industry professional with over 20 years of international event operations experience, including building a multi award-winning global ops team from scratch.

https://www.translateable.com

Julia@TranslateAble.Com