Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Susha Cheriyedath, Founder and Director of Hygia Medcomm Solutions Inc., located in Barrie, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Hygia specializes in scientific communication, and our services include medical and technical writing, editing, review, and research. Our customers are typically scientific publishers, pharma agencies, pharma companies, medical equipment manufacturers, healthcare blogs/websites - basically anyone with science content management needs.
Tell us about yourself
My background is in Life Sciences, and I have always been passionate about scientific communication. With nearly 20 years of experience in various aspects of online scientific publishing and content management, I decided to start up a company in the latter half of 2020 during the pandemic. Honestly, it was very challenging at first trying to don many hats at a time and focus on everything from recruitment, training, and QA to client and project management, not to mention the constant efforts to find new clients. Over a year later, I can confidently say things have settled down, and with multiple clients in the UK, US, and Australia, my team has grown in terms of size and skill sets. Overcoming day-to-day challenges at work, meeting deadlines and targets, working with an amazing team, and constantly learning new things are some factors that motivate me to do what I do.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As a small business owner, my biggest achievement so far is that I have been able to provide tangible solutions to complicated issues of my clients and constantly raise the bar higher for myself.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
For me, one of the hardest things about being a business owner is time management. While I am definitely happy to be out of the 9-to-5 world, with clients on multiple continents, sometimes I am up and working at odd times. Local holidays don't mean much to me anymore because one of my clients at the other end of the world could be working on those days!
Another factor is unpredictability. Every day is different and can throw new obstacles and challenges at you.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Three tips for wannabe entrepreneurs based on my experience:
- Start up while you are still employed and have a regular income. It will be tough managing both, but you will be thankful to have some income to fall back on if things don't go as expected with your start-up in the initial weeks/months.
- You don't have to do it all alone. Take whatever help you can get from family or friends initially and, once you can afford to, hire more people (maybe freelancers) to help you with various aspects of your business.
Have a solid plan, and do not hesitate to make changes to your plan as you go. Change is the only constant in the start-up world, so be prepared to embrace it. - Be passionate, work hard, and trust the process. Success will follow.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://hygiamedcomms.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hygia-medcomm-solutions-inc/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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