Aberdonian entrepreneur Christian Arno said yesterday his Lingo24 translation venture was reaping the rewards of fast-growing
e-commerce markets.
Lingo24, which Mr Arno founded in his bedroom at his parents’ home in Mannofield in 2001, is now an international business employing more than 160 people.
It has UK bases in Edinburgh and London, and overseas offices in the Netherlands, Romania, Panama and the Philippines.
Sales growth of 29% in its key e-commerce market helped push total sales up by 8% to £9.5million last year, while pre-tax losses incurred in 2016 after a three-year spell of hefty investment in the business narrowed by £1.7million to £100,000.
Mr Arno said he was “absolutely determined” to see the business break the £10million turnover barrier this year.
He is also targeting profits of more than £500,000 after Lingo24 became the UK’s “third largest private translation company” in 2017.
More than two-thirds (70%) of the firm’s revenue now comes from its top 30 accounts – up from 53% in 2015 – and the average spend of these clients mushroomed by more than 60% between 2015 and 2017.
Mr Arno said: “These results reflect a huge amount of effort to transform our business into a serious partner to our clients.
“And to many of our customers, for whom Amazon is both an opportunity and a threat, there’s an increased sense of urgency to translating better.
“We’re now able to advise on best practice in technology selection and implementation in areas adjacent to translation, and support our customers as they build global teams to accelerate growth through global content.”
Lingo24 opened its Amsterdam office in the Netherlands last year.
“You can feel the energy about the place,” Mr Armo said, adding: “Many international companies are locating their European e-commerce operations in Amsterdam.
“I believe the uncertainty around Brexit has made some companies choose to undertake more projects there when the UK could have been an option.”
Lingo24 translates a wide range of material ranging from legal documents and corporate presentations to love letters and wedding certificates.
It has won numerous entrepreneurial accolades over the years, including a Scottish exporter of the year title.
Mr Arno, its managing director, is also on the Opportunity North East digital board.
