Today, in our column “Success Stories”, we have the pleasure of hosting the multi-talented Foteini Moschi. Foteini is a new "Entrepreneur" who has vision, passion and creativity for what she does. She is not afraid of risks and even constantly evolves and innovates planning new projects.
But let her tell us her own "Success Story".
Foteini welcome to "Dusk2Dawn" and I'd like to thank you personally for your time for answering our questions, which I know is limited, since you just became a second time mommy.
I'd like you to share with us your first steps as an Entrepreneur.
Thanks for the invitation my dear, it is my pleasure to talk to you! My adventure on the path of entrepreneurship began while working 9-5 in a high-rank corporate position for a large publishing company: I realized that as the best part of our day is spend doing our job, it is very important to do a job that we like – both in terms of content as well as of working conditions, and also that most often, when we are working for someone, we are in fact investing our time chasing someone else's dream. Therefore, I decided to set up my own business and make my own dream come true: translating literature.
I know that in your translation office you deal not only with translations of documents, but also with translations of literary books in which millions of copies have been sold. I would like you to describe to us the emotions you feel when you first hold in your hands a book by a “bestselling” author, which is about to be published.
This feeling is truly unparalleled, it is something that fills you with positive energy, a sense of accomplishment and an enthusiasm as if you had written it yourself, but at the same time you are overwhelmed by anxiety as it is via your words that the audience will read the work of their beloved and often famous author.
In researching more about you, I found something that filled me with positive thoughts and joy. You're offering a new service at your translation agency, Braille translations. Can you talk to us a little bit about this?
This is a very positive action indeed, that begun being implemented in hospitality and tourism enterprises but is essentially aimed at all companies that offer services. It is really important that all our fellow human beings have access to simple, everyday things, which many take for granted, but drastically upgrade their quality of life. Thus, a person with reduced vision can now read the menu of a restaurant in Braille, is able to find the room service menu in their room and also escape instructions, hotel directories and many other useful texts. The conversion concerns 3 categories, the partially sighted, the newly blinded and the blind, so that they all have equal access to information.
And because innovation expresses you, you are coaching young entrepreneurs who want to engage in translation as their main profession. And in fact, you've already written an e-book about it.
I’m trying to be the person I would have liked to meet when I was starting my career as a translator. Knowledge is to be shared and I love talking to and training young translators in the right business practices; there are also things that are not taught in University and in my opinion are a most important asset for those who are really interested in making a career in the field of translation.
Of course, you don't stop there. You have also opened an online shop on etsy "the baby box", selling handmade baby products, which as I've seen on Instagram are in great demand.
This is a hobby that is slowly evolving into full time employment, with handmade, baby items, aimed at those who want a special gift, which they will not find in the big department stores and which its recipients will want to keep for years to come. I see that the trend towards the unique, the non-standard and the personalized is a rising trend in retail.
Now, you have to share with us your secret recipe, how you manage all this while you have so many obligations at home?
Well, I did all this before I had kids! No, I’m just joking, everything can be done, as long as one has good planning. Basically, it is important a) to set priorities and B) to have a system in the processes so as to save as much time as possible. I also try to set goals, watch them and review them regularly, so that I can see what's going well and what's holding me back and adjust accordingly.
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs who want to start new steps in their career, but always something is holding them back?
Even if you are scared, do it anyway. You will never be 100% ready nor can you predict everything that can go wrong and that'S OK! But be ready to assess the situation and regroup your forces, take advantage of the opportunities that will be presented to you, create a good network of partners and, most importantly, enjoy the ride! #loveyourlifeorchangeit
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