Joshua GouldEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

Are you ready for gold nugget after gold nugget? Then this episode with Joshua Gould is for you. Joshua is the CEO of thebigword, a translation and interpretation company. He’s an entrepreneur, an investor, a dad, and a husband. Make no mistake, though; he’s been through recessions and the pandemic and made his way out the other side, when so many business owners haven’t. He admits that it’s a different kind of mindset than when you own a business. He even has his own word for an entrepreneur already inside a business...

In this episode, Ty sits down with Joshua Gould, a global CEO and entrepreneur, to explore authenticity, adaptability, and leadership in uncertain times. Joshua reflects on how his entrepreneurial upbringing shaped his appetite for risk and why difficult economic environments can create extraordinary opportunities. He shares a pivotal lesson about adapting his leadership style without losing who he is, including learning to recognize the impact his intensity has on others. The conversation also explores AI versus human intelligence, why leaders need to understand where each creates value, and how a powerful sense of mission can sustain leaders through enormous pressure, uncertainty, and change. ... If you’d like support navigating your current leadership challenge, you can book a True Leadership Conversation with Ty here: https://calendly.com/onemountain/connection-call You can also learn more about the True Leadership Approach at: https://www.onemountainleadership.com/testimonials

What's your vision? Ft. Joshua Gould. Podcast Session 1

What does it really take to build a company that scales across borders, industries, and even global crises? Welcome back to ep145 of Inspired To Invest with Joshua Gould. To watch rather than listen, click HERE Joshua is the CEO of The Big Word , a global language services and technology company that has grown to over $100 million in revenue while serving governments, healthcare systems, and legal institutions worldwide. From launching a translation business in New York just before the financial crisis… to pivoting into government contracts during wartime… to navigating AI disruption and selling a majority stake of his company, Josh shares what it really looks like to build and scale an international business. This conversation goes far beyond surface-level entrepreneurship advice. It’s about resilience, reinvention, and making high-stakes decisions when the future is anything but certain. Thank you to Insta360 Link for bringing us this month’s episodes of Inspired To Invest. The Insta360 Link is a simple but powerful upgrade to keep you perfectly framed for virtual meetings and professional-quality video that instantly elevates your presence. It is perfect for calls, presentations, and podcasts Because in business… perception matters. 👉 Check it out! 🚀 In this episode, we dive into: • How Josh built and scaled a global company to over $100M in revenue • Why having a Plan B (and Plan C) is non-negotiable in business • The real impact of AI on service-based industries — and where humans still win • What happens when you sell 75% of your company but remain CEO • How to pivot your business model when your industry changes overnight • Lessons from operating in high-pressure environments like healthcare, courts, and government • The truth about entrepreneurship: uncertainty, risk, and long-term thinking 💡 Key Takeaways: Building a global business isn’t about getting it right the first time. It’s about adapting faster than the market shifts around you. Joshua's journey is a powerful reminder that success doesn’t come from avoiding challenges — it comes from navigating them with clarity, discipline, and the ability to pivot when everything changes. 🔔 Don’t Miss Future Episodes If you’re serious about investing, entrepreneurship, and building long-term wealth, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe . 👉 Ring the bell so you never miss an episode of Inspired To Invest . 🌐 Connect with Josh Gould: • YouTube: ExecCraft • Learn more about his work in global business and AI-driven communication 🎙️ About Inspired To Invest: Hosted by Serena Holmes, Inspired To Invest brings you real conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders who are building wealth, scaling businesses, and creating impact across industries. Inspired To Invest proudly supports the Beyond Success Program, a not-for-profit financial literacy initiative for students, launched by More To Give & MAK Investments. Learn more at @more2give.ca. ➕ Follow Serena Holmes for expert insights on personal branding, business, real estate, investing, and wealth creation. Let’s build wealth together because "when you invest in yourself, the sky's the limit" 🚀 ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Introduction & Josh Gould’s Background 02:15 Starting The Big Word & Early Challenges in New York 05:40 Pivoting During Market Disruption & The Power of Plan B and C<b

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business, and you’ll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit -- In this episode of The Exit, we sit down with Joshua Gould, CEO of thebigword, who shares his journey from joining a small family business to scaling it into a $100 million company and ultimately selling a majority stake. Joshua breaks down the realities of bootstrapped growth, the sacrifices required to reinvest every dollar back into the business, and the turning point where he shifted from chasing revenue at all costs to building a company that could actually be sold. We dive into what it really means to “run your business like a private equity firm,” including why most founders leave millions on the table by not preparing early enough, how to think about every expense as a multiple of your eventual exit value, and the critical importance of having the right financial leadership in place. Joshua also shares hard-earned lessons on timing your exit, avoiding common deal mistakes, and why selling when you don’t have to is often the smartest move. Whether you are scaling toward your first exit or optimizing for long term value, this episode is packed with practical insights on building a business that buyers actually want. -- Joshua Gould is a seasoned executive with over two decades of C-level leadership experience across the technology, defense, consumer packaged goods, and healthcare sectors. Currently as the CEO of thebigword, he has built a reputation for driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and innovation within complex organizations. Known for his ability to scale businesses and lead cross-functional teams, Gould brings a global perspective to leadership, combining commercial insight with a strong focus on delivering measurable results. LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadgould/ The Exec Craft Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@exec_craft -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You’ll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Guest Joshua Gould is the Group CEO of thebigword , one of the world’s largest language services and multilingual technology companies. His organization supports governments, healthcare systems, and global enterprises where accuracy is critical and mistakes carry real consequences. He has spent decades at the intersection of language, technology, and global business. While he has long believed AI will transform translation, he is clear that it will not eliminate the need for humans. Instead, it will reshape how global companies operate and compete. Joshua also hosts the Exec Craft channel on YouTube for CEOs and senior leaders looking to hone their business leadership skills. https://www.youtube.com/@Exec_Craft AI Challenge Call-to-Action This week’s AI Challenge pushes you past basic translation. Most companies think going global with AI is as simple as translating a website. It’s not. The real challenge is operating in another language, not just writing in one. Try the challenge and learn how to translate your business, not just your words. 👉 Read the full challenge: https://www.promptthis.ai/blog/how-to-translate-your-business-not-just-your-words 👉 Share your results: https://www.promptthis.ai/contact Episode Summary AI makes global business look easy. Translate your website, translate your pitch, and suddenly you are international. That is the story most people want to believe. This conversation breaks that idea apart. Josh Gould explains that translation is only a small piece of the problem. Culture, laws, customer expectations, and support all sit underneath the surface. You can translate everything perfectly and still fail the moment a customer asks a question you cannot answer. The discussion goes deeper into what is really happening in AI right now. There is a gap between what gets demoed and what actually works inside a business. Many tools look impressive, but when they hit real workflows, humans are still doing most of the work. At the same time, AI is creating massive opportunity. Demand for content and communication is exploding, and companies that use AI correctly can scale faster than ever. But there is a catch. AI does not fix broken processes. It amplifies them. The episode also explores what this means for jobs, hiring, and skills. Some roles are being replaced, but others are becoming more valuable. The advantage is shifting to people who know how to work with AI, not compete against it. The takeaway is clear. AI is powerful, but it is not magic. The companies that win will be the ones that focus on real problems, build strong workflows, and use AI as a tool, not a shortcut. Chapter Breakdown 00:00 – Intro: Cutting through AI hype Clint and Greg set up the episode with a focus on what is real versus what is overhyped in AI. 02:00 – Meet Joshua Gould Background on The Big Word and the stakes of translation in global business. 03:00 – Does AI make global business easy? Debate on translation versus real-world complexity like culture and operations. 05:00 – Why translation alone is not enough Customer support, logistics, and product differences create real friction. 07:00 – How AI transformed the translation industry Lower costs led to massive dem

How do you take a traditional service business and turn it into a $100 million tech titan? Joshua Gould did exactly that, and he warns that the current generative AI boom is a massive disruption cycle mirroring the 1990s dot-com bust. If your company isn't rebuilding its tech stack right now, you are already behind. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN 🚀 Surviving the AI Disruption: Discover why the current AI revolution is history repeating itself, and how to spot real AI solutions versus empty promises. 💡 The Capital Moat Strategy: Learn why integrating AI requires massive capital expenditure to rebuild legacy tech stacks, and why relying on internal profits is a losing game. 🧠 Tough Love Leadership: Find out why "protecting" your team from AI is actually destroying their future careers, and how to upskill them on the job instead. QUICK TIMESTAMPS > 04:32 - Building the "Uber for Language" with 15,000 linguists > 22:42 - The real reason managers and companies are terrified to adopt AI > 37:55 - Why scaling AI requires serious capital and a modernized tech stack ONE BIG THING Loved this masterclass on tech leadership and AI? Hit the SUBSCRIBE button to support the Venture Step Podcast, and let us know in the comments how you are integrating AI into your daily workflow! CHAPTERS 00:00 Show Intro and Guest 00:27 Agenda for the Episode 01:31 Josh’s Origin Story 02:49 Recession Pivot to Government 04:32 WordSync Uber for Language 07:17 AI Cycles Like Dotcom 11:12 Translation Memory Shock 12:25 Neural MT and Automation 18:17 Orchestration Beats Model Building 22:42 Why AI Adoption Is Slow 25:06 CEO Turnover and Data Readiness 27:18 Getting Ahead of the AI Curve 28:21 Automate Without Abandoning 29:35 Tough Love Upskilling 32:37 Learn AI On The Job 34:50 Risk Taking Mindset 36:24 Boating Life Metaphor 37:55 Capital Markets Reality 40:52 Rebuild Stack For AI 44:17 Train AI Like Staff 46:01 AI Engine Integration 48:03 Entrepreneurship Gets Real 49:12 CEO In The Weeds 51:18 Closing And Contact IMPORTANT LINKS Our Website: https://www.daltonanderson.net/venture-step/ Host LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daltonbanderson/ Guest's Main Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadgould/ Guest's Podcast (Exec Craft): https://www.youtube.com/@exec_craft The Big Word: https://en-gb.thebigword.com/

On this week’s episode of “The Schmooze,” Joshua Gould talks about his career journey and what students can learn from his experience. Listen here to hear his wisdom! With over 20 years of experience in the language technology, defense and contingent workforce industries, Joshua is passionate about connecting people and businesses across borders and cultures. As the Group Chief Executive Officer at thebigword, he leads a global team of over 400 employees and 15,000 linguists, delivering translation, interpretation, and localization solutions to clients in over 250 languages and dialects.