It is hoped that the scheme, which is being run through Swansea University School of Business and Economics, will help some 700 businesses over the next 7 years, with the first cohort completing the scheme within 10 months. It is intended that the scheme, which provides each participant with £10,000 worth of training, will enable these businesses to “increase profitability, enable diversification and encourage business growth.” Pilot schemes trialled in the North West led to increased turnover, employment, productivity and profits.

The scheme itself involves two days study per month, which started in February with an overnight weekend experiential team-building event. Mr Allkin said about the first session “The weekend was about ice breaking and leadership training and I think the event was a great success. It really brought to light the diversity of businesses in Swansea and the real entrepreneurial talent that exists here”. Following on from this each participant is supported by the expertise of academics, mentors, coaching professionals and, of course, each other. LEAD Wales is unique in that it is a programme which attempts to meet the needs of growing companies as opposed to traditional business management courses which are aimed at start-ups or public sector managers seeking to enhance their career prospects.

When asked how she felt about the honour of being chosen for such an elite scheme, Miss Bastek said ”I was delighted to be approached by LEAD Wales. It will be very beneficial to team up with so many successful businesses and share experiences and ideas. I’m sure it will also create new business opportunities. I also believe that encouraging collaboration between higher education and the private sector will help to drive forward the Welsh economy.”

Miss Bastek came from Poland to Wales in 2004, initially to write her thesis for a Masters degree in Marketing.  Upon completing this, she decided to pursue a business career in South Wales.  She undertook a 10 week GO Wales placement which resulted in her host company, Quantum CAD, immediately taking her on as a permanent employee.  She eventually became the Marketing Director, presiding over a growth of approximately 700% in turnover and an expansion in staff from 2 to 20.  This was not sufficient for her ambitions, though, and she decided to concentrate on building her own business.

Miss Bastek and her business partner Roy Allkin undertook in-depth research into several potential areas of business before deciding that the business sector with the most potential was translation and language services.  This area is on course, according to expert projections, to be worth an estimated £15 billion pounds by 2013 versus the current £9 billion.  Wolfestone Translation was founded, run at first in their spare time whilst they held down their day jobs.  3 years later, both are now full-time directors of the company and it is exceptionally well-placed to tap into the huge growth potential of the global translation market. Translation is the core business; however the company has developed a series of complementary language services that add to the diversity of operations. More recently, Wolfestone has developed a bespoke software package for translation companies which will help the company expand internationally as well as grow its team in Swansea.

As well as its 15 strong team in its Welsh HQ, Wolfestone has additional staff working from its US and German offices plus a network of 4,000 translators across the globe.

They have also been astute enough to recognise complimentary business opportunities which are fast becoming substantial money-spinners independent of the main company.One example of this is Bluestone Systems, which came into existence when Bastek and Allkin realised that there were unrealised possibilities not just in translating company websites, an area fast developing, but also construction and maintenance of these sites as a precursor to the translation project.

So, which of her many achievements is she most proud of and what does Anna Bastek see as her future?

“I am extremely proud of how I have built a successful international and award winning business from scratch, in the worst recession since 1930s” she said.  “I have only been in Great Britain for a few years, and there have been significant challenges to overcome, but I now have a young, dynamic and successful team. We have offices in Germany and the US, purchased our own premises and more than doubled our turnover year on year. I am currently focussing on developing the Wolfestone brand still further, as there is still a huge opportunity for growth in the translation industry, and I want to make sure that we take full advantage of this.”

“In the longer term, we want to expand our overseas operations.  Our office in the US has just opened, again with phenomenal potential, our German office is growing and I view it as imperative that we have a presence in all regions of the world as quickly as we can sensibly accomplish this.  We are currently looking at India, the Middle East, China and Russia, but those will be the starting points, not the end.”

“On a personal level, I am looking to gain complete financial freedom, which would help me travel more and, possibly, write a book.  I am also looking at venture capitalism in order to support innovative new ideas and help other people to achieve their potential.   There are so many women out there who could help grow the economy faster, so if I can act as an ambassador for female businesspeople; that would be a dream come true.   At some point I also wish to further develop my photography skills, a hobby which is also great for helping me relax.  I just need to find more time to do all this!”

So, if she was asked what her life’s motto is, what her ethos is, and what she is trying to do?  She is succinct and to the point.  The Swansea Woman of the Year quotes Sarah Tremellen of Bravissimo.

“I never saw a ceiling for it, I just thought it would be fun, setting up from scratch and making something from nothing.”

Wolfestone was recognised for comprehensively bucking the recessionary trend and expanding whilst other companies are haemorrhaging employees.  Senior management attribute this to actually increasing the marketing and advertising budget when other companies are taking scythes to theirs.  As a result, turnover has doubled within a year, it is expected to double again in the coming year, and the company will soon be moving to substantially larger headquarters.  Further expansion is also in the offing, with an office in Houston about to be opened.

The celebrations were to be topped off with a champagne reception and a meal cruising along the Thames on a riverboat.  Whilst this would indeed have been the pinnacle of the evening, this is not entirely what happened.  Having spent slightly too long celebrating their award in the Swansea Marriott, they left for London a little too late.  The situation was still salvageable, however, up to the point when a taxi driver took them to the wrong pier.  They arrived at their pier in perfect time to see their boat casually heading off in the direction of London Bridge – a real case of missing the boat just after sailing off with the award.

That, however, was not the main purpose of the London visit.  This was to make a key note presentation to the ATC.  There they talked about their growth and the efficacy or otherwise of certain marketing strategies.  The basic premise of the address is that it is impossible to overestimate the power of an effective public relations strategy.  Wolfestone itself has demonstrated this.  As a result of a small piece in the Evening Post about a new local translation firm, another local company contacted them with a view to translating some documents for a client.  The client won the tender, which was worth several million pounds, and Wolfestone received orders for many thousands of pounds of translation.  The other focal point of the presentation was the importance of using publicity to improve the credibility of the company.  This is intertwined with having a well-planned PR strategy.  The presentation was very well received and informative to all who were listening.

Yet again, Wolfestone has proved that a well-defined business strategy will always reap its rewards.  2009’s New Business of the Year for the South West Wales area continues to grow both inside and far outside this geographical area and may very well soon be scooping the awards Stateside.

For more information visit our website www.wolfestone.co.uk!