The face behind Penthusiasts- Poornima TM
What’s your story?
I’m a fiercely independent woman, multi-hat-donning company founder, and passionate mother. I gave back-to-back births in life – one was my son in late 2017 and right afterward, Penthusiasts, a leading Content Marketing Services company. The journey from conceiving an idea and setting up a small team to taking on huge multinational content marketing projects and managing a sizeable team of content writers, designers, and project managers has been a massive learning experience. I am grateful to all the people, my team, my mentors, and god, for helping me craft my own path to success.
How & Why did you start your company/passion work?
I’m an IT engineer by degree, but I always gravitated towards entrepreneurship. Of course I had very little idea how and where to start. So right out from my degree, I worked a few content writing gigs with various companies in Chennai before deciding it was time I set off on my own. There were a few rejections from the interviews I had given at the time, and they fuelled my hunger for success as an entrepreneur. So with a small team of friends, we started writing for a client in late 2017. Since then, it has been 45-degree plus growth graph! Yes there was a crossroad moment in our second year of operation, where we had an opportunity to dive into an unknown domain (at that time, for us) – crypto/NFTs. We rolled the dice and took a shot at content for this space and this was a landmark turning point for us to branch into more technical writing. Right now, we a full team of technical writers that tackles challenging projects from SaaS to Fintech and more.
How do you bring BALANCE to your roles as MOTHER: FOUNDER: SELF?
This is not only one of the most asked questions, and it’s also one of the most unanswerable questions. This is because everyone’s life experience is different from one another. Personally, I have always set my priorities straight from the inception of the company. If I start at 10:00 am, then I ensure to complete a majority of the household duties at least half an hour before this, to allow some time to get into work-mode and then start. Likewise, for personal development, I’m big on gymming and yoga. It’s uber-important to keep yourself physically fit and mentally sharp. With an active child, it can get crazy at times, but this is where you need that buy-in from your spouse, to share that responsibility and make sure you get time for each other and for yourselves. I also take my time off from work, travel and explore places to unwind, relax and come back rejuvenated.
Any recent accomplishment you would like to share with us? (personal/professional)
Professional: That would definitely by contributing to 1 million impressions that we made for one of our premium clients’ website who is based out of Germany. This client is into Web 3.o – Blockchain analytics business which was a totally new domain for us and we had to learn things from the scratch to take up the project and drive extraordinary results. Personal: I’m able to strike that perfect balance between work and personal life, make time for the child, family and also for my self which other women entrepreneurs / working women out there are still figuring out.
What would you like to say to fellow mothers or women thinking of starting a business?
Just 3 words – go for it! My team and I strongly believe something that MS Dhoni has always followed – trust in the process, and the results will come. With that said, entrepreneurship is a very challenging ordeal. There will be pitfalls, failures, and naysayers all the while (sometimes they even come all at once!), but a firm belief in yourself, your capabilities, and your confidence plays a central role in paving your path to success. I would also add that starting a business in only 5% of the journey, the rest is actually running it, maintaining it, and making it profitable for yourself and the other stakeholders, if any. You would also have to play various roles (like you do for your child) – salesperson, logistics manager, project manager, mentor, and some times even a resolution expert.
What are three words you would use to describe your experience of being a Mother/Founder ?
Exciting, Enriching, and Exhausting. The experience is not just about being a mother or a founder, but both at the same time. As you may have heard from numerous women leaders of India and the world – it’s truly an uphill battle against time, money, and sometimes people. But I do believe its possible to do both, and do them well. As much as you learn on the go as a mother, you also learn as a founder. I and my working partner often talk about it – a company is just like a child. We have to feed it with good people, nurture it with great projects and clients, and carefully watch it grow with results and profits.
Find & Know More about Poornima and her brand!
Connect with her.
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Website: https://www.penthusiasts.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamyukthaPoornima
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samyuktha_poornima/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poornima-t-m-895b9095/
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