5 questions for Sam van Gentevoort of Fairlingo [interview].

How did you get started as an entrepreneur?

For my studies, I did an internship on a superyacht. This gave me the idea of setting up a secondment agency for crew for superyachts. To obtain the necessary start-up capital, I started German Perfect, a translation agency specializing in German translations. Soon the demand for other languages came from clients. With the expansion of our translation services, Translation Agency Perfect was born.

Because I was very interested in the (online) translation industry and things were going well from the beginning, I chose to continue with Translation Agency Perfect. In Germany, we now operate under the banner Übersetzungsbüro Perfekt. Over the past 12.5 years, our organization has grown into a major player in the translation market. We also received the FD Gazelle Award in 2019 for the sixth consecutive time. This is something I am very proud of as an entrepreneur.

We also started Fairlingo, a subsidiary of Translation Agency Perfect, in 2014. Fairlingo is an innovative online translation platform where you as a customer are behind the wheel yourself. You request a quote directly online and can then pay immediately and use this to start the translation job. Our software automatically matches the most suitable translator to the job. When the translated text has been revised, as a customer you can download the completed translation via your own account. Thanks to this digital working method, the intervention of a project manager is virtually unnecessary. With Fairlingo, we have been working hard and have experienced fantastic growth in recent years.

2. What should more entrepreneurs do?

Turning the challenges of our time into opportunities by leveraging meaningful entrepreneurship. Fairlingo does this by connecting people by removing language barriers. This is how we want globalization to contribute positively. Our organization has also been working successfully for some time according to the VBP model. This organizational model is based on collective entrepreneurship and self-management. As a result, there is a lot of room for personal initiative and employees are given a great deal of trust and freedom. This allows them to better develop their talents and increases their sense of happiness at work. Both our employees individually and the organization as a whole reap the benefits of this.

3. What is important to you besides your business?

My family is number one for me. I therefore find it important to have a good work/life balance. I get a lot of satisfaction from my work, but I also find it important to make time for my family, friends and hobbies.

4. Can you tell something about the creation of the name Fairlingo?

We came up with the name 'Fairlingo' on our own during a brainstorming session. 'Lingo' means 'language'. 'Fair' stands for our goal of providing our clients with a quality translation quickly and easily, at a transparent price and without unnecessary extra costs.

4.1 Really, that easy?

Yes, we have a flat organizational structure, so decisions can be made quickly. At the time, we came up with this name with some colleagues during brainstorming and everyone involved agreed.

5. Which industries could still use a Fairlingo and why?

Actually, all industries could use a Fairlingo. Our method and philosophy are universally applicable.