Chandra Clarke of Scribendi
5 Questions is a series about women balancing their lives as moms and entrepreneurs. Please contact me if you’d like to be featured.
Chandra Clarke is the founder, President, and co-owner of Scribendi.com, an online editing and proofreading agency.
1.What or who inspired you to start your business?
I decided to launch www.Scribendi.com, an online editing and proofreading company, in 1997, while working as a freelance editor and small town journalist. After one look at the stack of badly spelt press releases from major companies and organizations, it was easy to see that a service of this type could be widely successful. So, with a lot of hard work (and an awful lot of coffee), I began designing a system that would make the editing process easier, both for the writer and the editor.
2. What motivates you?
Many things: I love the fact that our business centers on making something better. It’s a service that genuinely helps people. My staff members are a big motivator too – I work hard to make sure they have secure and stable employment and also so they have jobs they can enjoy and grow in. And last but not least, my kids. My husband and I are thoroughly committed to showing them – by being good examples – what’s possible when two people share a dream and work toward it on an equal basis.
3. How do you balance being a mom and an entrepreneur?
Running a business and raising a family isn’t easy, so if you’re thinking about heading down the route, make sure you have a great support system to back you up. In my case, I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I do if it weren’t for the help of my husband. Terence is the co-owner and Vice-President of Scribendi, and he’s a great partner both in the office and at home. In order to balance work with family, we’ve arranged to split all our duties 50/50 — this way, we’re there for both our boys and our business. The fact that we have fantastic people working for us is also key; Scribendi employs some of the finest editors in the world, as well as a dedicated internal staff.
4. What do you love most about what you do?
When it boils down to the basics, Scribendi is all about helping people communicate, which is something I’m extremely proud of. Services like Scribendi’s college application review help aspiring students get into the college of their dreams, while ESL academic services help researchers from non-English speaking countries share their discoveries in scholarly journals. Corporations and government agencies also depend on Scribendi’s expertise by outsourcing the editing of manuals, presentations, and web site content. Helping people express themselves in a clear, concise manner is what inspires me, and inspires the more than 100 editors who are currently employed at Scribendi.
5. What single piece of advice would you give someone who is starting out?
Have very clear, specific objectives and goals. Saying something like, “I want to reach $5 million in sales some day” is way too vague. Start with: “I want to reach $5 million in annual sales in 2011; $3 million of which will be repeat business and $2 million in new business.” Setting very specific targets will generate questions like, “Well, what do I need to do ensure repeat business?” and your interim objectives will naturally come out of the process of answering those questions.
To find more about Chandra, check out Scribendi.com.
Please visit our 5 Questions page or contact me for more information.
Related Posts:
