What’s Holding You Back from Opening a Languages Services Firm?

What’s Holding You Back from Opening a Languages Services Firm?

So, you want to start your own interpretation and translation agency? What’s stopping you? Is it too risky? You’re wary about it resulting in a disaster? Does it seem like an impossible achievement?

Stop right there and take a deep breath – it sounds much worse than it is, especially if you know what you are doing. Getting advice, making a plan, and motivating yourself to reach your goal will get you where you want to be. Here

Have a Source of Income

Starting your own firm does not mean that you have to drop everything and dive in without any source of income. Instead, you should maintain a full or part-time job so that you are still accumulating funds and experience should you need it.

Registering Your Business

Something that you’ll have to do no matter what kind of business you run is to get registered. Different countries and areas of those countries have different rules regarding what you need to do to register the company name you’ll be working on and register for taxes. Registration is often simple, fast, and cheap. Make sure to research if registration rules are different between the different political zones that you’ll be working in (such as different counties).

Making a Plan

If you’re going to start a firm, then you want to make a plan. If you don’t have a plan, then it isn’t impossible, it will just be a lot harder. Start by deciding on your major goals and setting a timeline for them. Then divide those goals into smaller steps. You can keep breaking apart the steps into smaller pieces until you get a daily or weekly to-do list to follow. If you keep in line with this list, then you’ll find that opening a firm will be a lot easier. Include plans for creating advertising material, developing your company’s logo and mission statement, creating a business plan, and contacting anyone that would be interested in helping you, working for you, or being a client.

Research

Research is key when starting a business. Find out what other languages services firms charge as their rates and compare it to what you think is reasonable. Learn how to do bookkeeping and taxes for your business. Look into what software you might need for your firm, from cloud services to backup your information with to simple things like Microsoft Word.

Advertisement

First impressions are everything in the modern day and age. Get your website, logo, and business cards set up before starting to take customers. You’ll make better first impressions and therefore will attract more clients. Since this is a language firm you will be opening, make sure that all content a client could have access to is spotless as far as grammar goes.

The Only Thing That’s Stopping You Is the Idea That You Can’t Do It

In reality, the only thing that is really stopping you is yourself. Starting a business is time consuming and very frustrating at times, but it is truly worth it. With motivation, knowledge, and a great plan, you’ll achieve your goals. Make sure to take your time with it and to follow the plans you set for yourself. It isn’t impossible, but it sure is rewarding.

Resources

• Key Check Translation – http://keychecktranslation.com/blog/10-things-to-do-when-starting-up-a-translation-service-business/

• Science Careers – http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2002_05_17/nodoi.15874901925227687645

• eHow –  http://www.ehow.com/how_2073468_start-online-translation-service.html