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The Bits You Don't See

#012 - Victoria Nicol - From Redundancy to Global Translation Business

Broadcast on:
21 Mar 2025

From losing her job to building a global translation empire โ€” this is the raw, unfiltered journey of Victoria Nicol.

Victoria is the founder of My Language Connection, a specialist language services provider working with clients across 52 countries, including leaders in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors. In this episode, she opens up about the real entrepreneurial journey โ€” from starting with nothing to scaling internationally, managing 1,800 subcontractors, and adapting to rapid AI disruption in her industry.


We cover:


๐Ÿš€ How redundancy sparked the launch of her business


๐Ÿ† Winning the Scottish EDGE funding competition


๐ŸŒ Expanding to Dubai and navigating its business culture


๐Ÿ‘ฅ Growing a team that shares your values


๐Ÿ“ˆ Managing cashflow while scaling service delivery


๐Ÿง  Handling setbacks, building resilience & staying agile


๐Ÿงช Translating for high-risk industries (medical, pharma)


๐Ÿค– The future of language services in an AI-driven world


๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ’ป SOPs, ISO standards & managing quality at scale


๐ŸŽฏ What it takes to build a business that others want to buy

This episode is for entrepreneurs, founders, and anyone who wants a deeper look into what it really takes to grow a sustainable, high-performing business โ€” especially in a service-based industry.


๐Ÿ”— Full episode available now on all platforms


๐ŸŽง Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7GoQcDSj3bU1og11KUZ7uX


๐ŸŽ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-you-dont-see/id1787517797


๐Ÿ“บ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBitsYouDontSee


๐Ÿ“ฑ TikTok & Instagram: @thebitsyoudontsee

๐Ÿ‘‰ Like, comment and subscribe if you enjoy deep dives into what really goes on behind closed doors in business.


Takeaways:

  • The podcast episode emphasizes the importance of maintaining core values as a business evolves and grows.
  • The speaker highlights the significance of having a well-structured team to effectively manage numerous subcontractors and diverse projects.
  • Winning the Scottish Edge competition provided validation of the business model and opened doors for future opportunities and growth.
  • The discussion reveals the complexities and challenges of operating in international markets, particularly regarding cultural differences in business negotiations.
  • The conversation touches upon the rapid evolution of the translation industry, especially with the advent of AI technologies influencing language services.
  • The episode concludes with reflections on personal growth and the transformational journey of leadership in a dynamic business environment.






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