GoLocalise Snapshot
David García-González is the founder and CEO of GoLocalise, a one-stop boutique audiovisual translation company based in Central London. David took the plunge and set up GoLocalise in 2008.
GoLocalise has built a network of more than 1,000 translators, subtitlers and voice over talents working in over 100 languages. This has enabled it to punch above its weight and attract a client base of 400 across a range of sectors including blue-chip multinationals, e-learning businesses, production companies and large translation companies, working with such well-known international brands as the BBC, Warner Bros, Viacom and The V&A Museum (V&A "Small Stories" voice over - http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/).
But as with all new businesses, there have been many challenges along the way, something David is happy to admit.
David Privately-funded the purpose-built studios, being this a was a huge risk at that time, but also certainly one that has definitely paid off. He didn’t want to put a strain on the business so he took out a loan and funded it himself. It was a decision well-made since the business has increased four-fold.
David didn’t experience any problems in adapting to the UK way of doing business. However, as an entrepreneur he readily highlights the problem of too closely micromanaging his fledgling business in the early days:
“It’s very hard to ‘let go’ at the start and let others manage aspects of your business rather than you doing it all yourself - looking back I would have done some things differently. But it’s something you have to learn as you go along. You have to learn to take a step back and look at the long-term picture and not simply focus on the immediate tasks at hand. But I believe you can only truly do this if you have two or three trusted members of staff who you can delegate to. You also have to be prepared to take risks and learn by your mistakes.”
As an entrepreneur, as well as having your own area of expertise, David realised that one needs to quickly become a ‘jack of all trades’ when it comes to business skills; whether that be finance, marketing or people management. But being an entrepreneur often means one works alone, and lack the resources that you need to develop your business, like many entrepreneurs, makes the road to success a rocky road with tons of ups and downs.
David got help and received a huge amount of practical support, including marketing advice and mentoring, which he claims have given him and his business a massive boost in recent years.
GoLocalise has built a network of more than 1,000 translators, subtitlers and voice over talents working in over 100 languages. This has enabled it to punch above its weight and attract a client base of 400 across a range of sectors including blue-chip multinationals, e-learning businesses, production companies and large translation companies, working with such well-known international brands as the BBC, Warner Bros, Viacom and The V&A Museum (V&A "Small Stories" voice over - http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/).
But as with all new businesses, there have been many challenges along the way, something David is happy to admit.
David Privately-funded the purpose-built studios, being this a was a huge risk at that time, but also certainly one that has definitely paid off. He didn’t want to put a strain on the business so he took out a loan and funded it himself. It was a decision well-made since the business has increased four-fold.
David didn’t experience any problems in adapting to the UK way of doing business. However, as an entrepreneur he readily highlights the problem of too closely micromanaging his fledgling business in the early days:
“It’s very hard to ‘let go’ at the start and let others manage aspects of your business rather than you doing it all yourself - looking back I would have done some things differently. But it’s something you have to learn as you go along. You have to learn to take a step back and look at the long-term picture and not simply focus on the immediate tasks at hand. But I believe you can only truly do this if you have two or three trusted members of staff who you can delegate to. You also have to be prepared to take risks and learn by your mistakes.”
As an entrepreneur, as well as having your own area of expertise, David realised that one needs to quickly become a ‘jack of all trades’ when it comes to business skills; whether that be finance, marketing or people management. But being an entrepreneur often means one works alone, and lack the resources that you need to develop your business, like many entrepreneurs, makes the road to success a rocky road with tons of ups and downs.
David got help and received a huge amount of practical support, including marketing advice and mentoring, which he claims have given him and his business a massive boost in recent years.
