We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ingrid Christensen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ingrid, appreciate you joining us today. Often outsiders look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight. Even media and especially movies love to gloss over nitty, gritty details that went into that middle phase of your business – after you started but before you got to where you are today. In our experience, overnight success is usually the result of years of hard work laying the foundation for success, but unfortunately, it’s exactly this part of the story that most of the media ignores. Can you talk to us about your scaling up story – what are some of the nitty, gritty details folks should know about?
The INGCO International story began in my mobile office, aka my Volkswagen Jetta, with little more than a big dream and big ambitions. I knew that if I focused my efforts on providing the very best interpreting solutions with scrupulous attention to both my clients AND my vendors, I could make an impact around the world. But it wasn’t just about ambition – it was also about passion and a lot of discipline. I believed more than anyone else that this business was worth pursuing.
At first, it felt like the odds were against me. I was one person with limited resources and not much in terms of contacts or credibility. I had to find my way, figure out which path was right for me and develop my own strategies from scratch. It seemed like an endless uphill battle that I faced all alone at times. And to top it off, I was a single mom to a newborn son; I had no choice but to make it work.
Little by little, I started to make some progress. I was able to build up a network of reliable vendors and sign my first few clients. People could sense that I was serious about making INGCO International a success and the positive reputation quickly grew. Word spread and before long, more opportunities were opening up for me. When one of my first corporate clients asked “how large of an organization is INGCO International?” I had to swallow my pride and admit that it was just me and a part-time office assistant. She was shocked! She said even the name of the company sounded “really large and successful.”
I remember many afternoons when my son was at daycare and I was driving around, literally looking for work. I parked in the shade of a large office building, put on a smile and some borrowed confidence to go door to door, dropping off my business card and a friendly “please give us a call if you need an interpreter!” From day one, we were always “us,” never “I.” It was important to exude a level of confidence and I knew that in order to make that happen, I had to appear larger than reality. Maybe that first corporate client picked up on this intention.
So many times I had to say yes, and figure it out, way before I could even think about profitability. I had to be creative and resourceful, balancing the needs of the customer with what I was able to offer. In time, INGCO International grew from a “one-woman show” into a thriving business with an extensive network of interpreters and translators located around the world.
Now, seventeen years into it, the first days seem like a lifetime ago. We’ve grown from a one-woman show to an international organization, providing interpreting and translation solutions for clients all over the world. I couldn’t be more proud of our team and the impact we’ve made on the lives of so many people. Our journey has been filled with twists and turns but we have never let up in our commitment to legendary customer service and a people-first attitude to support and lift up our vendors. It’s been a long seventeen-year road of being a scrappy business owner with big dreams that always said yes and figured it out — a journey I wouldn’t have missed for the world.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
How it Started
I’ll never forget the day I was sitting in a coffee shop, reading my local newspaper. I was days away from graduating from the University of Minnesota, and yet, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. A “help wanted” ad caught my eye – they were looking for someone to help with administrative work for a language services company in the Twin Cities. It sounded like a good fit for me, so I applied and was offered the job.
A few weeks into my new gig, my employer learned I was fluent in Spanish and encouraged me to become a Spanish interpreter. I quickly fell in love with the profession – it was challenging and allowed me to pursue my passion for helping people get the information they needed in some of life’s most critical moments.
In the beginning, I primarily focused on interpreting for worker’s compensation cases. I worked with claimants, medical providers, financial professionals, and other social service entities to review and reconcile claims for workplace injuries. I saw firsthand how these catastrophic injuries could have lasting effects on people’s physical, mental, social, financial, and professional wellbeing.
In some cases, I worked closely with inmates who needed assistance. I’ll never forget sitting alone in a jail cell with a man who had been convicted of murder – something I certainly didn’t forsee doing when I first started down this path! That person needed interpreting as much as anyone, which lit a fire in me to ensure everyone, regardless of their actions or circumstances, has access to the information they need.
After interpreting for other agencies, I decided it was time to make it on my own, so I launched INGCO International in February of 2006. One of my first clients said they chose me for a large translation project because there was “just something” about me that would help them be successful. I believe that “something” was my work ethic and tenacity. As a single mom, I was trying to do it all – building relationships, managing the (many) responsibilities of starting a business, and acclimating to life with a newborn – but I still managed to deliver consistently. All that juggling paid off: they continue to be an INGCO International client today!
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
As a service based business, funding my business didn’t require a lot of effort until I got serious about scaling and growing. I put together the initial capital I needed to grow through the help of my CPA. We worked together to create a bank package and sent it to 5 banks. Eventually, INGCO International was able to get the funding from one of them. My team and I put our heads down, got to work, and started executing on our plan. We worked on building relationships with new vendors, clients, and partners. The cash infusion was exactly what we needed to help us grow.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I had to unlearn is that even though I could do everything, I didn’t do everything well nor should I be the one to do it all. The backstory is that to make INGCO International a success I needed help. After much searching, I was able to secure the best and brightest employees that had the experience and keen eye for spotting opportunities. It has been amazing what we have been able to achieve! Together, they’ve helped me let go of responsibilities and taught me how to delegate. This has been a key factor in the success of INGCO International.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.ingcointernational.com
- Instagram: @ingcointernational
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/INGCOInternational/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ingco-international
- Twitter: @INGCOIntl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbfm9LSY5VXCGJKK7RSnARQ