Every Woman Matters: How Avanti Ubhayakar Turned Words Into a Purpose-Driven Business

Every Woman Matters: How Avanti Ubhayakar Turned Words Into a Purpose-Driven Business

Behind every successful business is a story of courage, uncertainty, and persistence. For Avanti Ubhayakar, founder of WordBerries LLP, that story began with a simple but powerful question: Why should content choose between creativity and intelligence?

With over 18 years of experience in marketing across telecom, financial services, and content, Avanti had already built a strong corporate career. She worked with respected brands such as Tata Teleservices, Aviva Life Insurance, and Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, leading customer-centric marketing initiatives that strengthened brand presence and delivered measurable growth.

Yet, something kept nudging her toward a different path.

When Frustration Becomes the Seed of Innovation

During her years in corporate marketing, Avanti repeatedly noticed a gap in the content ecosystem. Most branded content fell into two extremes — it was either beautifully written yet could have more depth, or deeply researched but lifeless.

That disconnect stayed with her.

She envisioned an agency that would merge strategic thinking with compelling storytelling — content that was not only creative but also insightful, structured, and meaningful.

In 2018, that vision became reality when she co-founded WordBerries LLP with her management trainee batchmate Divya. Interestingly, the partnership began in the most unexpected way — a casual Facebook conversation on a rainy night in July, almost ten years after they had last spoken.

One conversation was enough.

Divya’s love for language combined perfectly with Avanti’s entrepreneurial drive — and WordBerries was born.

It was a conscious decision to remain bootstrapped from day one. The firm began with faith, discipline, and the willingness to build everything from scratch.

Building Something Real — One Client at a Time

The early days required grit and courage. There was little financial safety net beyond careful planning. Before resigning from her job, Avanti ensured she had six months of expenses saved — and took the plunge.

Initial projects came through trusted professional networks. Former employers became the first clients. Gradually, word of mouth turned into momentum.

Today, WordBerries has grown into a respected content planning and writing firm with offices in Mumbai and Pune, serving clients across three countries, thirteen sectors, and more than 300 projects.

Their portfolio includes reputed organisations such as ET Money, Asian Paints, Eicher Motors, HDFC Ergo, ADIDAS, Aditya Birla Group and TATA AIG Life Insurance — a testament to the trust they have built.

Yet for Avanti, the real achievement is something simpler and more meaningful.

Nearly 80% of their clients return. 

That loyalty, she believes, reflects the values the company was built on — integrity, reliability, consistent quality, and for delivering on time, every time.

Along with Divya, she is building a kind of place we always wanted to work at — transparent, politics-free, and performance driven. A place where people take ownership of client communication, where milestones are celebrated, and where a hybrid work model means you get the best of both worlds. Knowledge sessions, Gyaan Fridays, industry events — growth is baked into their culture, not bolted on as an afterthought.

How did it begin?

The seed was planted in 2014. Her then-employer was celebrating 20 years in business, and she was tasked with conceptualising and executing a video capturing that journey. It was the first time she truly saw what goes on behind the scenes of content creation, and she loved it. A small idea took shape.

Between 2016 and 2018, she began taking up freelance content writing assignments on weekends, alongside a full-time job. She also started blogging about her experiences with motherhood. The early posts racked up thousands of views. Something was working. She didn't know yet how to monetise it, or whether to go full-time, but the idea simply refused to leave her alone.

What finally pushed her over the edge was a combination of personal circumstances and professional clarity. The freelancing assignments had already shown her she could deliver quality. Her corporate experience had shown her the content gap that existed. And then, one rainy night on Facebook (that’s where they got chatting), Divya said yes.

Challenges That Shaped the Journey

Entrepreneurship rarely follows a straight path, and Avanti’s journey was no exception.

One of the earliest hurdles was being taken seriously.

Coming from a family where entrepreneurship was largely male-dominated, leaving a stable corporate career to start a content agency was not always easy to explain. In her social circle, a “working woman” meant someone with a job, someone supporting a family business, or someone running a small home-based venture for friends and family. Even in the market, credibility had to be earned slowly, especially as a women-led startup competing with established agencies.

Another challenge was scaling without compromising quality. As demand increased, Avanti and her team had to build strong internal processes to ensure research depth, creativity, and timely delivery remained consistent.

People and culture presented another learning curve. Hiring individuals who shared the company’s values — integrity, ownership, and discipline — proved far more complex than simply hiring for skill. They have now changed processes to ensure they cover all these fronts.

But every challenge became an opportunity to learn, refine processes, and strengthen the foundation of the business.

The Pandemic That Became a Turning Point

Like many businesses, WordBerries faced a difficult moment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several newly acquired retainer clients disappeared almost overnight.

However, the sudden shift to digital created a surge in demand for website content, digital marketing assets, and social media communication. Companies urgently needed strong online presence, and WordBerries stepped in to fill that need.

What initially seemed like a crisis turned into a growth phase.

Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs arrive disguised as setbacks.

Learning, Growing, and Giving Back

Avanti’s entrepreneurial journey has also been shaped by continuous learning.

Being selected for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Programme at IIM Bangalore (2022) and ISB (2024) proved transformative. The programme helped her rethink the company’s structure — shifting from a people-dependent model to a process-driven organisation.

Equally meaningful to her is giving back.

Through volunteering with the Angel Express Foundation, Avanti teaches Spoken English to children from underserved communities. The experience constantly reminds her that opportunities many take for granted are someone else’s biggest dreams.

The AI shift

The rise of AI has been another inflection point — one that forced them to rethink content formats, pricing models, and partnerships. It's a shift they're actively designing their future around.

Lessons From the Entrepreneurial Journey

Over the years, entrepreneurship has reshaped Avanti’s perspective on leadership and success.

She believes that strong processes create freedom, not restriction. The freedom to own your time. Structure, in fact, allows creativity to flourish.

She has also learned the importance of self-respect in business — recognising that not every opportunity is worth pursuing, and walking away when necessary.

Above all, she believes culture is defined not by slogans on walls but by what leaders choose to tolerate every day. Leadership is not control. It took her a while to learn that — the hard way. Leadership is creating an environment where talent can flourish.

A Message to Women Who Want to Build Something of Their Own

For women aspiring to start their own ventures, Avanti offers honest and empowering advice.

Let go of the pressure to be a “superwoman.” It is impossible to excel at everything all the time — and that is perfectly okay. She has missed PTM meets. Her home has been a mess. She has dropped the ball on client work once or twice. It is okay to fail at some things. Once you remove that pressure, you can actually give your best.

Entrepreneurship often blurs the lines between work and life, and that doesn’t always need to be balanced neatly. What matters more is building a strong support system — a tribe of people who encourage, challenge, and uplift you.

Most importantly, women must take ownership of their financial decisions. Understanding money, numbers, and business fundamentals is essential for long-term independence.

And through all of this, even a small mental or physical well-being activity can be your best friend. We’ve been conditioned to put ourselves last. Don’t. Think of it like the oxygen mask on an airplane — you put it on yourself first. 

Because a strong woman creates strong workplaces, strong communities, and strong futures.

The Woman Behind the Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship has made Avanti more patient, more resilient, and more comfortable navigating uncertainty.

But it has also strengthened her belief in curiosity and lifelong learning.

In an industry where algorithms shift and technology evolves and tools emerge constantly, staying relevant means staying curious.

And that curiosity continues to guide her journey.

Every Woman Matters

Avanti Ubhayakar’s story is not just about building a successful content agency. It is about listening to a quiet inner voice, taking a calculated leap, and refusing to give up when the road becomes difficult.

Her journey reminds us that behind every woman entrepreneur is a story of courage, discipline, and determination.

And that is exactly why every woman matters.