Brief
History
The business has been trading since 2014.
The LinguaSkin concept was prototyped by a previous
business (Draig Technology). When that business was sold in 2012, LinguaSkin
and other IPR relating to language technology was acquired with the intent to
use it as the basis of a new business.
The first two years were very much an R&D period with
beta customers in 2016 and our initial fully-commercial customers coming on
board in 2016/17. We now have around 40 implementations across over 30
customers as well as partnerships with a number of major software vendors and global
solution providers.
How
has Sell2Wales helped you?
We use Sell2Wales on a daily basis (via notifications) to
keep up to date with the software requirements of the Welsh public sector.
From time to time there may be a contract notice with a
specific requirement for our services, though we find most opportunities from:
- Framework contracts: we participate in a range
of frameworks, making it easier for our customers to procure from us on an
ongoing basis
- Meet the buyer events, prior information
notices and supplier meetings: enabling us to get involved in a dialogue around
prospective requirements and, just as importantly, meet and initiate
partnerships with other suppliers
- Contract notices: where our capability
(multilingual software) is a part of the requirement. We’ll partner
(subcontract) with a larger solutions provider for these, not only getting the
chance to be part of a larger project but also forming partnerships that can
take us into further opportunities..
Combined, Sell2Wales is an essential window onto our key
market. By being a market, technology and thought leader in our specialism,
we’ve won several strategically important contract awards, both independently
and as a junior partner that have been critical to establishing and growing our
business.
Do you
use Welsh in your business?
Yes. The relevance of our capability to the Welsh public
sector is around Welsh/English bilingualism, and we have significant experience
in all matters of bilingual software capability. So, we have excellent
understanding of the requirements to ensure software provides comprehensive and
equal support for the Welsh language.
Though our founder is not a fluent Welsh speaker and our
markets are global, whenever working in Wales we endeavour to operate
bilingually, particularly with our marketing. We believe that we don’t need to
be individually and personally fluent in Welsh to passionately support and
contribute to the development, use, availability and equal treatment of the
Welsh language.
We also continue to offer To Bach (a keyboard utility for
the Welsh language, originally developed by Draig Technology) free of charge
through our website, with over 200,000 users.
What
has been your biggest challenge to date?
Focus.
The biggest, and ongoing, challenge is to find and maintain
a focus. There are countless opportunities for us to diversify into all kinds
of commercially beneficial solutions. Though the temptation is continuous, we
also know that remaining focussed and specialising allows us to be market
leaders. Keeping our message, marketing and identity clear and direct.
Focus is the biggest lesson learnt, our biggest challenge,
but also our greatest asset.
What
in your opinion are the benefits of using Sell2Wales?
First and foremost is the ability to see what is going on
in the Welsh marketplace. The daily notifications provide an ongoing update on
what the market is looking for, award notices tell us who is winning work in
Wales, what they’re doing and who we should be partnering with.
Just as important, when an opportunity is right for us, is
the ability to respond to a contract notice, and ultimately use Sell2Wales as
the tool that enables us to win new business.
Any
tips you would give other businesses
Focus is essential - having both a clear strategy and a tactical
plan to deliver that strategy.
The strategy needs to be the market leader with a focus
tight enough to enable you to do that. But a strategy without a (tactical) plan
to achieve it is just an aspiration. A tactical plan without a strategy will
keep you busy but is directionless.
www.linguaskin.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-sheppard-4462a97/
Twitter:@linguaskin