Where did the original idea come from?
The idea for Net Languages came to me back in 1998, when the Internet was still in its infancy. We were very good at getting people into our language schools; it occurred to me that the Internet provided the perfect vehicle for us to deliver our services to our clients, wherever they happen to be.
How long did it take to get your business off the ground?
Net Languages took around four months to get up and running. Other schools I’ve started e.g. IH Belfast, IH Bogotá or IH Playa del Carmen in Mexico took a little longer as we also had to find suitable premises.
What do you wish you’d known when you started?
That you need to get a great team together fast. Otherwise you end up spending your time doing things that other people could do more effectively and not doing the things that you should be doing.
How easy was it get the financing for your business?
The bigger we grew, the easier it became to get funding. There was a time when our banks were falling over themselves to lend us money. The credit crunch put a brake on that, but finance hasn’t dried up altogether.
Did you find the paperwork diffícult?
Believe it or not, Spain is much less complicated than some countries (e.g. Colombia or Mexico). In any case, I’m all in favour of delegating as much of the paper work as I can.
Did you get help from any particular official organisations or associations (e.g. Chambers of Commerce)? If so, please describe:
When we started IH Belfast we had quite a lot of help from an organisation called Invest Northern Ireland. They even put up some money to help us get the company established and to start promoting Northern Ireland as a study destination. In Barcelona it’s more difficult. Most of the autonomous governments in the rest of Spain are very keen to support schools bringing foreign students over to learn Spanish, but the Catalan government isn’t going to do that for obvious, political reasons. On the other hand we do have a relatively good relationship with the Departament d’Educació and have worked with them on a number of projects designed to improve the standard of English teaching in local schools.
Latest Comments