From Aspiring Literary Critic to Small Entrepreneur of Words
Corriere Lavoro (Supplement to Corriere della Sera), January 19, 2001
As a student in the Faculty of Arts, Gianni Davico, 33 years of age, from Turin, was an impassioned reader of Cesare Pavese who dreamed of a future as a literary critic. Then graduation brought the impact of a cold, though well-known reality: the difficulty of living off literature. Thus, from aspiring literary critic he became an entrepreneur and succeeded in exploiting his passion for the Italian language through his creation, Tesi & testi, a company specialised in proof-reading, editing and translation services.
Initially I targeted students... «I graduated in 1994» – Gianni informs us. «But before that, in 1992 – when I was still under the illusion of being able to work for a publishing company after my studies – I tried to put some money aside so I would not weigh on my family». At rock-bottom prices, instead of thinking about his thesis, he worked on the theses of other students, typing and proof-reading them. In doing that he perceived a new potential: he added the service of editing résumés of young people bound for the labour market. «I thought it was a job I would only be doing as a student», Gianni remembers. «But as things developed, I continued even after graduation. I had started to collaborate with two Turin-based publishers when I realised it was the only solution for not depending on my family».
As Gianni gradually became familiar with the labour market, he increasingly appreciated the work he had started as a student because it was the only profitable activity he could do well with his skills and capabilities. So he opened his own business, purchased a PC, a printer and an answering machine and rented a small office, for a total investment of under 5 million lire. «Having to pay the rent of the small office», continues the Turin entrepreneur, «was a great stimulus for me to increase my income. I tried to earn more by expanding and targeting companies with a new service: translations from and into English, a language in which I was quite proficient».
... then came the turning point After procuring a list of Turin-based subcontractors from the Turin Chamber of Commerce, Gianni sent 256 promotional letters to present his translation service. He immediately acquired three customers. «It was a turning point», he continued enthusiastically. «I understood that there could be a new market niche for me in the translation sector».
Following his customers’ requests, to whom he continued to present himself through direct mailing, he started to offer translations in several different languages, availing himself of a network of external collaborators to whom he outsourced the work which he had hunted down. He stipulated a price with the translators then increased it by 40%, the necessary amount for paying the office rent, promote the business and keep a part from himself to pay for his own work. Since then, business has continued to improve year after year.
To the point that today, Gianni is the managing director of a company that, in 2000, turned over a few hundred million lire, engages a network of 200 translators and translates texts into a wide variety of languages: Hebrew, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, even Chinese and Japanese; though, he admits, English, French, German and Spanish continue to be the most frequently requested languages. «I am satisfied with my business», observes Gianni. «First of all because it allows me to express myself through my entrepreneurial capabilities. Then, because it is a field that is truly varied. It allows me to feel like the maker of my little world, this company that gives work to many people. Finally, because it offers me good opportunities for development: our turnover grows year after year, to the point that from now till 2003 I am planning to hire three new employees».
Laura Barbasio