Every LSP I meet lately describes its AI setup as sovereign. Client data stays with the client. Models run on infrastructure they control. No training data is shared across accounts. Good. It is also, in many respects, exactly what well-run LSPs have always done with translation memories and other client
Most small and mid-sized LSPs are valued on a multiple of EBITDA. Not revenue, not headcount, not the number of languages on your website. EBITDA. But here is the detail that surprises many owners: the EBITDA in your accounts is rarely the EBITDA used in the negotiation. Buyers and sellers
When LSP owners start thinking about selling, they usually concentrate on one question: how much is my company worth? Fair enough. But there is a second question, almost as important, that most sellers ask too late: who is buying, and why? The identity of the buyer changes everything. The price,
The letter arrives by email, two or three pages, and it is friendly. There is a number in it, a good one. Near the top it says “non-binding,” which makes it feel safe, like a draft of a draft. It reads as a milestone, the moment things become real, and
A seller signs his deal on a Thursday. The headline number is good, better than he expected, and by the weekend he has told his wife, his accountant, and two friends what the company “sold for.” That number becomes the story of his career. It is also, very often, a
Two language companies land on a buyer’s desk in the same week. Same revenue, more or less. Same EBITDA. Same service mix, same kind of clients, even a similar growth curve. One is in Munich. The other is in Kraków. On the spreadsheet they look like twins. The offers they
The deal closes on a Friday. The wire lands, the lawyers shake hands, somebody opens a bottle. Everybody is happy. Then Monday arrives. A quote has to go out for a large account and the price is not standard, so someone needs to decide. A project manager is fighting with
The deal closes. Champagne is opened. Press releases go out. The founder stays on, often with an earnout tied to performance. Everyone talks about synergies, growth, and the exciting future ahead. Twelve months later, the mood has changed. Revenue is flat or declining. Key employees have left. Clients are asking
1. The Cost of Delay: How Postponing Creates Risk Many LSP owners postpone succession planning. Daily priorities always come first. Growth targets, client demands, operational problems, and competitive pressures take all available time and energy. This postponement feels rational. Succession planning addresses a future event with no fixed date. It
1. The Context: Pressure Is Real and Reactions Are Taking Over The language industry is going through one of its most disruptive phases in decades. AI is no longer a distant threat. It is already reshaping client expectations, pricing models, and delivery workflows. Many LSPs are experiencing slower growth, margin
Artificial intelligence is now part of everyday conversations in the language industry. LSP owners are experimenting with new tools. Vendors are launching AI-enabled platforms. Clients are asking increasingly specific questions about automation, quality assurance, and how AI affects turnaround times and pricing. One practical question surfaces repeatedly: Should your company
Selling your LSP can take months of preparation. Conversations with buyers. Sharing financial data. Exploring deal structures. Building trust. Once you reach the negotiation stage, many founders feel intense pressure to push the deal across the finish line. That pressure is understandable. You have invested time, energy, and emotional capital.
The conversation about AI in the language industry tends to focus on technology. Which tools, which models, which workflows. What gets automated, and at what cost. That conversation matters. But it consistently overlooks something more consequential: what happens to the people inside the company when the operational landscape shifts beneath
The language industry is undergoing its most consequential transformation in decades. AI is redrawing the economics of translation. Clients are demanding more output for less money. Well-capitalized competitors are acquiring technology and talent at speed. And amid all of this, many founder-led LSPs are trying to protect margins, retain clients,
When LSP owners think about selling their company, revenue size often takes center stage. It is the most visible number. It is easy to compare. And it feels reassuring. Buyers, however, look at revenue through a fundamentally different lens. They focus on how that revenue is built, sustained, and protected
