Start-Up STORY of the Week: YEDA
Feb 3rd, 2009 by admin
As entrepreneurs, we do a lot of writing. Whether it be simple one-page sales letters or in-depth proposals, we’re constantly required to craft up written masterpieces. But what happens when we are faced with the challenge of creating something really detailed and highly technical like a user manual, programming guide or software documentation? Should we simply jump in and take on the impossible? Unless you’re a highly gifted writer or have some experience, this is not one of those times when you’ll want to wing things. But if you’re set on not subcontracting this work out and required to write a lot of these docs, you’ll need to come up with a solution. And that solution just might rest in our featured start-up, YEDA – a training center for technical communicators. Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to expand your horizons, a freelancer looking to launch a technical writing service or an individual interested in empowering your future, YEDA might be the answer for you. Here’s more from Dr. Mati Schwarcz, Director of YEDA Center for Technical Communications:
Please tell us about YEDA. What makes it unique? And how does it fit into the marketplace?
YEDA started out as Israel’s first course for training technical communicators (technical writers and MarCom Professionals). Its uniqueness is in its approach to training - it’s not just another “course”. Students rapidly find out that YEDA is an organization devoted to empowering students to succeed - it’s our challenge and mission to see to it that all our students succeed in mastering the material, in learning the principles and techniques of the profession and in succeeding in the field. We not only teach students - we coach them, advise them, encourage them, stand behind them and go to bat for them again and again. You simply won’t find this in any career training course or center - it’s something that sets us apart. And it’s a long term commitment - graduates confer with us or ask our help, even many years after graduation - they know that they will always find someone to listen to them and give them a helping hand in their career advancement - at no extra charge.
Who are your target markets? Are they primarily in Israel or all over the globe?
I think that this training approach is also responsible for the niche we’ve carved out in the marketplace. We’ve trained people from all walks of life, from a wide age span, and from very different socio-cultural backgrounds. Some of our students come to us with technophobia, while others come with Ph.D.s in mathematics or engineering. We’ve had students from Israel and North America, as well as from India, Central Europe, Japan and Nigeria.
What has been the most challenging aspect of running this business? How do you market YEDA?
The most challenging part of the business has been figuring out how to maintain this very individualized, high quality training, in the face of every day economic conditions. The trend has always been towards “mass” production and as a company grows, the temptation is always there to provide less in the way of individual service, and more and more towards providing a “standard” product or service - the “one size fits all” strategy. So, for us, maintaining our original principles has been the greatest challenge.
Do you think that the educational setting will continue to move online?
I definitely think the online trend will continue and grow. As Internet tools continue to develop, especially Web 2.0 tools, the educational possibilities become truly awesome. With even greater advances in the speed and efficiency of networks, virtual worlds such as Second Life are going to play an even greater role in education and the virtual classroom is going to become an important part of learning in the years to come. I think we’re only seeing the first primitive beginnings now - as the technology advances and the Internet backbone becomes capable of handling ever larger data streams and faster speeds, it won’t be inconceivable to have a large screen somewhere in your house that will serve as a virtual classroom where you can sit and talk to students and instructors, listen to and participate in live lectures, etc - all at blazing real-time speed. We’re not there yet, of course, but at the rate that we’ve been advancing, it won’t be very long. When YEDA started, in 1993, we couldn’t dream of an online course - we were still downloading files with slow modems along regular telephone lines. We didn’t convert to online until over 10 years later.
Today, the advances in Web technology have helped us stick to our original mission - to provide customized education to every single student. This was simply not possible in a classroom setting.
Is there a strong demand for technical writing? Do you see other opportunities on the horizon that YEDA might tap into?
There is still a strong demand for technical writing, but the field has become much more than just writing instructions. This is why we believe in training for what we call Technical Communications - something that incorporates more than just instructional writing. Basically, all of us still need communication - verbal and non-verbal - to explain products and services to clients. It’s not just the instructions that need to be communicated - often, it’s the concept and utility of our products and services altogether. As long as man remains human, the need to communicate the value and utility of new technologies is going to remain - and it will become even more important in the future. Of course, methods change - when we started, it was mainly writing manuals in Word - today, it’s using a variety of multi-media approaches to educate clients and to make their use of a product that more fulfilling.
What advice can you give others looking to start their own businesses?
Passion, passion, passion - there is no substitute for that. You have to really believe in your product or service - in its value for your client and in your ability to deliver that value. You have to be something of a missionary. And you have to just keep that attitude up and work hard even in the face of a lot of discouragement. Over the years, we’ve seen many competitors come and go - most get into the field because they think it’s an easy way of making money or because they think they’re going to quickly “clean up”. They are not there because they believe that their service is going to really change the lives of their students - that’s always second with them. And the results are that after a few years, people catch on - when hard times hit, these businesses just quickly fold.
Do you think entrepreneurship is something you are born with or is it something that can be taught - learned over time?
Hmm… Well my father was an employee all his life, and I’m the only one in my family who went into business for himself. In our family, there was this idea that you had to be very tough and somewhat “ruthless” to be in business - so naturally, we were encouraged to follow professions (medicine, classical music, academia, etc.). I myself was in academia and got into business rather late, when I was nearly 40. I never dreamed that I would be in business - it just wasn’t something I considered for myself. But life has a way of introducing surprises and opportunities that we can’t imagine.
I think if you’re the kind of person who has a vision, who can see the potential value in a product or service, then you’ll develop a sense of entrepreneurship. As long as you’re committed, you’ll learn the strategies that you need to learn to succeed.
Entrepreneurship…I don’t think it’s something your born with or something that can be taught - it’s something you grow into.
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