Everything happens for a reason, they say and in case of Poornima it is well and truly right. She was pregnant when she lost her job. She had to go through a lot physically and when people normally takes time to get up from the ashes, she found her calling during her pregnancy, she started her own content marking company and there is no look back since then. Two years later, she is serving multiple top companies. As we asked her to share her inspiring story, Poornima opens up.
How it all began?
To become an entrepreneur was my dream. When I was pregnant, I was not able to work and wanted to start my venture. Content writing is my area of expertise. During the final year of my engineering in 2015, we had an idea to sell vegetables online. Due to the Chennai floods, it got collapsed. In March 2016, I met a founder for an internship. He was an inspiration. I couldn’t pursue my dream then. When I lost my job, I wanted to be my boss, and that is when I started my venture in October 2017.
Was it easy? What was your family’s reaction?
It was hard to convince my family when I began. They didn’t understand what I wanted to do. As days went, they understood that I was serious about it. I used to be an easygoing person. I took that seriously as I believed that I could give back something to society. Be it service or employment I wanted to give back what I can.
Goals and challenges?
We have a lot of short term and long term goals. The challenge lies in understanding the potential of the project. It is hard to convince customers who are not aware of. The industry is very competitive. We have lost quite a few opportunities due to inexperience and lack of investment.
Added to that, coordinating a virtual team was very, very challenging. Over the past couple of years, we have improved drastically. Everyone, who is working here, has their challenges, as most of them are women, and a few are married as well. We all have been through a lot of struggles in the last few years. There are a lot of challenges in dealing with clients. We had clients from Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Pune etc. Communication and payment were very challenging. With time, it has got better.
Any learnings and how easy is it to manage a team?
Two things I practice. To defend my team, in front of the customer. Secondly, even if the mistake is not on our side, will fulfil the customers’ obligation as a customer is king here. We apologise and tend to continue based on customer satisfaction. We maintain a good rapport amongst teammates. We are good friends. And most of them are in Chennai as of now. Many have day jobs as well. If they have any difficulties, I give them a piece of my mind and see how to go about it.
A word on mental health.
There is always going to be a mental toll. I used to read a lot of books, physical activities, meditation to keep myself physically and mentally fit.
How important is it to multitask?
Multitasking is key. It will help us learn a lot, and is associated with a lot many things. Where we should do and where we should not do multitasking is important. At times it becomes like a one-woman army. I would have to do everything like meeting clients, writing content, checking online traction, boosting posts etc. After some time we’ll get used to it.
What keeps you going?
It’s a difficult question. Achieving holistic success is my aim. I want to be a successful mother, friend and entrepreneur. For that, I have to enjoy what I do. The love for this job keeps me going.
Any advice for young entrepreneurs?
We haven’t grown that much. Entrepreneurship is way beyond fetching money and being your boss. It applies to both men and women. Take Bill Gates or Ambani for that matter; they gave back to society. Why you can do that? Why should we skeptical about it?People should start doing something they love. Women might need support from family to maintain the house. But their passion is also very important.
Tell us about your vision?
There are two reasons why I started. There was a lack of quality content on the internet; especially, due to the amount of clickbait content that is circulated. We wanted to change that, and so far, we have tried to provide good content. People have welcomed us. End to end content marketing is still not up to the mark. If we do that, the business would go well.
We don’t have payroll. We use freelancers. I started my career as a freelancer for 10 paise per word. Freelance writers, in general, are not recognised enough and are very much underpaid. We have set the target to employ five freelancers by end of March 2020, at a decent pay scale. Fortunately, we have employed four so far.
By October 2020, we would want to achieve our goal.
Her Website: Penthusiasts..!
