Vaibhav Batra, Founder,The Writing Lab

“A new level of Online Writing”

There is online writing and then there is quality online writing. The difference between the two is not made up of SEO or SEM technicalities but in the real business that quality writing brings. This is not to say that SEO and SEM are not a part of quality writing, Vaibhav Batra, assures us that they are both important parts of a greater whole. The Young entrepreneur is the founder of “The Writing Lab” which is talking online writing to new levels of proficiency…

Yourstory learn more from Vaibhav in the interview that follows…

How has “The Writing Lab” taken the online writing business idea to a new level?

It is time online writing went beyond just keyword rich jargon. The Writing Lab is committed to providing small and large businesses writing services that not just help them get better search engine rankings but actually help them get more leads and hence, more business. We do not deal in SEO writing and neither do we offer SEM writing. Rather, we use these two aspects as a backdrop to create content for that is engaging and helps businesses get more customers. We also have a B2C module whereby we offer our writing services to authors as well as people who have a story to tell but do not have the writing expertise.  Our writing services include but are not limited to online article writing, website writing, brochure writing, marketing e-mail writing, blog writing, writing press releases, editing, proofreading and rewriting and ghostwriting books and novels. In the coming months, we are also planning to launch a monthly magazine targeted at start ups and aspiring entrepreneurs

Who do you currently serve with your writing skills and services?

Being just a two month old firm, we do not have too many clients to boast of. Right now, we are ghostwriting books for two clients, names of whom we cannot disclose due to privacy issues. Apart from that, a US based company, catering to the education sector is using our article writing services.  We can handle small as well as large projects with equal ease. No matter what the volume of the work is, you would never hear -”Sorry sir, we would not be able to deliver your project on time” from us.

What have you implemented to keep your business idea different from others?

Our biggest differentiator is our pricing model

a. Flexible pricing model - We have not standardized rates for our services. Our pricing model takes into account the volume of content required, the difficulty level and the turnaround time to come up with a quote that maximizes ROI for businesses.

b. Another aspect which sets us apart from the rest is related to our book writing services- we understand that not everybody has the capital to afford a ghostwriter for their books and novels, even though they may have a brilliant story to tell. Keeping this in mind, we accept book writing projects for a nominal amount plus a commission from the sales of the book. This way, it is a win win situation for the clients as they get quality work at a nominal cost which has the potential to get published while retaining their full rights for the book and keeping a majority of the amount they get from the sales.

The core of our business model is the B2B space, where we offer various writing services to online web portals and small and large businesses for their online and offline presence. As stated above, the pricing of our services vary from project to project. Apart from that, we also cater to the B2C space in the form of our book writing, rewriting. Proofreading and editing services for wannabe authors. We are adding another aspect to our business model in the near future in the form of a monthly magazine which will be available online as well as in print. We plan to generate revenue from the magazine the advertising way.How do you plan to expand your market reach and ability pool?

We plan to tie up with other start ups as well as established small and large businesses, getting into a mutually beneficial relationship where both the sides benefit from each other's services as well as the customer base. In fact, we have already made a small progress in this regard, tying up with Catching Eye Pvt Ltd – a start up offering web development services, software development services and publishing services.

What are the aspects of entrepreneurship that attracted you to it?

The thrill of creating something big from scratch, the zest to bring about a change in the writing industry, the challenge of carving my own niche in the crowd, the excitement of meeting a new challenge everyday, the idea of handling diverse profiles simultaneously, the hunger to  create true value for money propositions- All this made me go the entrepreneurial way.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in the content writing segment?

The biggest challenge so far has been tackling sites like freelancers.com and elance.com where freelance writers deliver content for peanuts. Businesses are still not aware of the power of writing and how it can be used to attract more customers. Most people do not understand that everybody is a writer but only few are storytellers; and you need a storyteller for your content to be effective. Writing content that goes beyond just keyword richness requires a lot of skill.  As they say, “It is either good or cheap” People are still focusing on the cheap aspect of it without taking into account the ROI. The challenge is to make them aware of the power of quality writing, the ROI aspect of writing services and making them understand that words can make or break a business. We are still in the process of overcoming this challenge and we are hopeful we will overcome it sooner rather than later.

What is the strongest motive you have to continue with entrepreneurship?

The drive to prove my detractors wrong. To prove it to them that business is not about family fiefdom. To show them that it is possible to create a brand, even if you have very humble beginnings. After all, every business was small to begin with.

What do you intend to achieve with “The Writing Lab” in the coming 2 years?To build a brand called The Writing Lab where people associate writing services with The Writing Lab,  like they associate soft drinks with Coca Cola, next gen computing with Apple, printing solutions with HP and likewise. Usually, businesses answer this question in terms of sales and turnover, but I believe that is secondary. Once you build a brand, other things just follow.

What entrepreneurial lessons do you find practical and applicable?

Be clear about what you want to achieve and give it your best without worrying about success or failure.  Believe in yourself and believe that the universe will guide you down the right path. The going may be slow to begin with but the rewards you get in the course of the journey are priceless. You may or may not succeed with your first business plan but the lessons you pick up would help you succeed with your next. That is what I firmly believe in and follow it to the core.

Make sure you spend enough time on the pricing of your product of service. The idea is not to come up with the cheapest price; the idea is to come up with a price that is apt for the quality you offer. For example- A Nokia touchscreen is available for under 20 k whereas an Apple I-phone costs upwards of 30k. Both are successful in their own domain because they have kept the quality in mind when coming up with a price. Golden Rule: There is a market for everything. You just need to reach it.

Yourstory wishes Vaibhav and “The Writing Lab” success and luck with establishing their brand as one to be reckoned with… We hope to hear more from Vaibhav as his entrepreneurial journey progresses. For more information on them visit www.thewritinglab.in