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Vrushali Humnabadkar

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Vrushali Humnabadkar

CEO - Penworks

Penworks

Vrushali Humnabadkar is a member of:

Contribution to the field

After working as a computer science teacher in high school I came across a course in technical writing which I believed to be the turning point in my life. I could combine my computer science education and hobby of writing by becoming a technical communicator. I now have my own company, Penworks.

Critical situation:

My next tipping point came when I was blessed with my second child and wanting to find a work life balance, I decided that I should freelance as a technical writer. It took some critical thinking before I took the bold step to venture out on my own with the business name, Penworks.

Current job Description:

I being a founder owner of Penworks have been acting as a technical communicator first and then the sales person that every entrepreneur has to be. The first two years when getting my first project was hard to come by was a struggling phase when I had to remind myself that the pace is slow and I have to be patient in this business. These bursts of work and idle time are a part of being into business and I find that I had it during the employment phase too. Now the free time on hand is spent on furthering my knowledge on other business aspects.

Essential qualities:

A woman specifically needs the strong support of her family, a knack for negotiations and empathy for her customer and employee needs to be a leader in her field of work and lead people in line with the company goals.

Suggestion:

Delegate, delegate and execute your dreams, don't let your life drift away, make a difference, give back to the society and make your future generation proud of you.

Challenges faced:

People are finding it difficult to understand that information as an energy source is what we are offering for their products and for their end-users for a life time. Some understand to the point of asking for a quote but do not understand the nuiances of technical writing being different from social media. Both these subjects are good tools for getting customer feedback but vastly differ in their presentation and purpose that needs to be understood by majority of folks who want to create a noise about their product through social media but when the customer needs help during product orientation, training and use they have no one to turn to except support guys who will reply within 24 hours if not more, where as a ready reckoner such as a user guide or online help can be included to get a jumpstart on using the product in a fast and effective way.

Career Decisions:

My move from teaching to raising kids and then freelancing and now as a business woman have all been the decisions that I took for finding a good work life balance.

My Company

Penworks is a venture into technical documentation, we are Technical Communicators doing

Technical Writing. It all began in the year 2009.

We develop help connections, refered to as technical communication products, for our clients and their end-users to read, understand and get a jumpstart on using their products and services.

Our mission is to accomplish a complete understanding of the client products and their end-users by collaboration. We help our clients stay ahead and above the competition by creating a brand value for them through our researched and well planned help documentation solutions about their products and services for their end-users. Our vision is to be the best company in technical documentation and collaboration in the market and the trusted brand that spells integrity in writing.

Way to reach out potential investors

Being shortlisted twice for the Power of Ideas 2010 and then in 2012 I had a chance to pitch before investors which was a humbling experience to say the least as I realized that being a service provider from the IT industry mine was not a fundable business but an innovative business idea that had a chance to grow big in revenue and team size.

Advice for fellow entrepreneurs

Believe in your dreams and be passionate about executing them.

My key thoughts

Something about my background: Life was carefree and happy during my growing up years. Coming from a defense background, the only constant was my close-knit family and a sense of independence and an unbreakable bond with India. Life changed every three years with my dad's transfer to another city and we had new school and friends around us, it was not a smooth transition always but mom was always there for us. Growing up in a new place every three years has instilled an eye for details and the love for nature in me. Traveling brought a new perspective to life and I always recommend traveling to people around me, to go explore new places, meet new people, to bring out the best in them and their life. It has made me a winner and a risk taker for all I know. It was a pleasure sharing my story with Silicon India. Thanks for the support and interest in my venture into technical writing, Penworks.

company culture

Being a single person run company, I collaborate with clients, understand their documentation goals and provide technical writing solutions to match and attain those set goals. This allows me to work closely with them and what matters is the ROWE, Results only matter environment, the culture followed in my company for reaching out to my clients and providing them with technical writing services.