Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Benduski.
Veronica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Always an avid reader and writer, I grew up as an unofficial English tutor for my three younger siblings. I took my love for the literary with me to college, where I completed both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature. Throughout my time at university, I wrote and edited content for literary magazines, worked on manuscripts as an intern at Penguin Random House and helped family members and peers apply for college and graduate school.
After graduating from my master’s program at Durham University (England), I took a job at my alma mater, Northwestern University, in the Office of Alumni Relations & Development. I created Writing Seeds to continue to teach bright students how to convey their ideas through clear, compelling writing that brings them success. Strong writing skills are foundational to furthering any career path, and I look forward to working with and learning alongside even more students–of all ages–as they grow their writing.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Starting a business comes with numerous hurdles, and the main obstacle for me was time. Or rather, the constant running out of it. Working both full-time and part-time jobs left little room to put in the many hours required to get a small business up and running. The time management skills I learned from juggling activities and academics in college came in handy when learning to carve enough time out of the week for Writing Seeds alongside my other responsibilities.
I soon learned the invaluable skill of seeking help from others. The constant encouragement of friends fueled my motivation and cornerstones such as the website would not exist were it not for the graphic design genius of a good friend, Emily Jeffers (emilymjeffers.com). Starting any business will be a bumpy road, and it’s turning to your network for advice, insight, and assistance that will help you succeed, no matter the obstacles.
Please tell us about Writing Seeds.
Writing Seeds provides one-to-one tutoring, editing, and copywriting guidance. We help clients grow their writing skills and find success in all their writing endeavors.
Writing Seeds provides three services for clients. Tutoring addresses the writing needs of students in the classroom, providing guidance on English papers and exams. Editing provides quality edits on assignments, applications, or writing projects, allowing the client to learn and apply editing skills to their own work. Copywriting assists anyone from entrepreneurs to bloggers with writing content for their venture.
Writing Seeds recognizes that whether currently enrolled in school or not, we are always learning. No matter what point in your school, career, our services are personalized to your journey, ensuring that your writing skills best serve you and your goals.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over in building Writing Seeds, I would generate a more definitive launch timeline. I would strive to meet each point of the timeline–from coming up with a business plan and building a website to creating a Facebook page and getting the word out to clients.
Pricing:
- Tutoring: $60/hour (register for 3, 5 or 7 sessions)
- Editing: $40/hour for essays 3-4 pages (other lengths negotiable)
- Copywriting: Project-based
Contact Info:
- Website: growyourwriting.com
- Phone: (314) 269-3650
- Email: growyourwriting@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/growyourwriting/
Image Credit:
Daisy Conant
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
