Sheetal Ramkumar is a woman entrepreneur with exceptional insight and hunger for setting herself and her company WhiteGlobe apart. As she has already demonstrated with her success, Sheetal is a unique entrepreneur who managed to learn all the rules of her Industry and break them, only to carve a niche for herself in Language Services.
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Sheetal Ramkumar, Founder & CEO of WhiteGlobe broke through the highly fragmented language industry in India leaving small-time language service providers scrambling for life.
Who is Sheetal Ramkumar and why is WhiteGlobe relevant?
Sheetal Ramkumar, Founder & CEO of WhiteGlobe broke through the highly fragmented language industry in India leaving small-time language service providers scrambling for life.
WhiteGlobe is part of a rapidly evolving industry expected to touch 5 trillion USD by 2025.
Here’s how WhiteGlobe scaled to what it is today
A force to reckon with, Sheetal Ramkumar first developed a ‘multi-dimensional competency assessment’ tool which she used to evaluate the competency of other LSP’s before taking them on board.
Sheetal Ramkumar and WhiteGlobe are a reassurance for the seriously undermined linguists of India who up until now were looked down upon and not even considered as Professionals.
The main challenge which Sheetal and WhiteGlobe faced was to convince enterprises to redirect their language service requests to homegrown LSP’s instead of outsourcing.
The key differentiator between WhiteGlobe and smaller players in the market was that WhiteGlobe was addressing requests that everyone else would turn down for its sheer size and magnitude.
These projects mostly pertained to translation of brochures, manuals, legal documents, voiceovers, and subtitling in regional Indian languages.
WhiteGlobe’s start-up journey
When WhiteGlobe was all but a start-up, it was attempting to make it big in a market which wasn’t fully there. They first offered translation and localisation services to organisations. Their expertise in the subtleties of multiple local languages established them as an authority figure in the uber-niche market.
WhiteGlobe started off as a concept rather than as a product/service, and in terms of uniqueness of the brand, Sheetal Ramkumar outdid herself.
WhiteGlobe currently has more than 500 enterprises in its kitty and Sheetal Ramkumar refuses to budge from her position as an industry leader.
What next? Linguistic tools and the threats they pose.
While the Indian Language Industry only just emerged from the shadows, a big challenge already threatens their growth. Companies like WhiteGlobe need to watch out for Machine Translation (MT) tools which are beginning to look like a more attractive choice over LSPs. The only way to survive this threat is if companies like WhiteGlobe manage to incorporate MT into their portfolio of services at Indian friendly prices.
What’s in it for me?
Sheetal Ramkumar herself has shared several pointers for budding entrepreneurs, and start-up owners about what’s in it for you to venture into Language services:
She has advised aspiring entrepreneurs to go for what they want to do with an open mind. She also warns them about the possibility of failure and the opportunity to learn that comes along with failure. She also expressed her views on standing out in entrepreneurship saying that a fixed formula for success didn’t exist, neither does a perfect setting present itself if they aspire to start their own business.
What newbie business owners can learn from Sheetal Ramk’umar’s inspirational story is to master the art of communication, inside out. It is a weapon in itself which will help you to convey your brand’s mission and vision to stakeholders. Especially in an uncertain market like Language, and especially for women, who are interested in setting themselves apart in business.
