The stationery industry has been through a revolution, and has given rise to unique players in the game. One such pivotal role in this metamorphosis has been played by a company that decided to implement a sustainable business model in its transformation journey. We spoke to Shaleni S Biswas, the woman heading this transformation at Easy Note Stationery. Meet this gamechanger and catalyst of change.

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Tell us a little about the inception story of Easy Note Stationery Private Limited, what sets it apart from the rest?

Incorporated on 19th November 2009, Easy Note Stationery Private Limited, Kolkata, has become one of the young dynamic key players in the B2B market. We at Easy Note supply premium quality products to different industries such as Health & Education, Aviation, Retail, Food & Beverages, and Hospitality.

Over the span of over 12 years, the company has left its footprints across West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and supplies personalised notebooks to 350+ schools. Easy Note Stationery has two brands – Klassnote and Star with diverse product portfolios for different Target Groups. The brand, Klassnote offers 200 products to the young Target Group.

We strongly focus on the three pillars of Sustainability – Economy, Society, and Environment. We believe in offering innovative and eco-friendly products to our customers, at competitive pricing. Our quality consciousness and customer-centric approach encourage us to undergo in-depth research, constant technological innovations and customisation of product portfolios as per requirements. We also do a lot of CSR activities in the area of ‘Child & Women Welfare’.

You are a market leader in eastern India. How do you perceive the brand growing in the other markets? What are your growth strategies?

The dynamic business of stationery demands constant technological innovations. To capture the imagination of the students, we tirelessly work to launch new lines of stationery items with contemporary and creative designs. We keep coming up with the finest quality of customised products that suit customer preferences. We always aim at creating youthful and contemporary designs that would appeal to Gen-Next and match their expectations.

Easy Note Stationery is aiming to open retail outlets across locations in Kolkata, and will soon launch the first one in the central part of the city. We are looking forward to future endeavors pan India, and making it a nationwide household brand.

The success and the challenges that we have faced together over the last 12+ years have only made us stronger as a team. Our constant technological innovations are helping us to evolve into a dynamic and futuristic brand. We are also focused on digitisation since our Target Groups are more engaged on the digital space compared to print media and television.

How has the pandemic affected your business? Did you incorporate new strategies to sail through the pandemic?

Easy Note Stationery Pvt Ltd was growing at a steady pace in the pre-pandemic era but when the nationwide lockdown was declared, the Company saw a sharp decline in revenue generation. During the Lockdown phases in FY 2020-21, the digital classroom format replaced the concept of physical classroom education, resulting in a shrinking bottom line for our company. It was then that we had decided to analyse the market scenario, do extensive research, and realign our business strategies to the new customer needs. And it led to a paradigm shift for our business. My team took up the challenge and treated it as an opportunity to increase the profit margins for the company.

We had created a separate business division and started a new factory unit to manufacture packaging materials and supply to the Healthcare, Hospitality and Aviation industries. We had focused on the customisation of products at competitive pricing, and our customers had absolute faith in the company’s reputation and goodwill. Despite facing stiff competition over several months, we are now steadily progressing in the packaging industry.

A new area of business always needs a lot of learning and training, and hence, we had organised a strategic training program for our team members. They had rigorously followed the COVID-19 protocols, stayed back for long hours at the office for health reasons and learned the basics of the packaging business as well. The team members stayed together to remain motivated through the tough journey. During those challenging times, we strengthened and fortified our business strategies to tide through the pandemic in various ways.

In the Lockdown phases, we had introduced doorstep delivery of stationery across West Bengal. We targeted structured residential complexes and organised stationery camps in company-owned vehicles, and it proved to be a win-win situation. In the Unlock phases, there was a marginal growth for Easy Note Stationery, and now that the schools have reopened, we hope to see an ever more extensive growth in the revenue by the end of FY 2021-22.

You undertake a lot of initiatives for 'Girl Child Education' and it is very close to your heart! Do tell us a little about this.

Through its quality products, Easy Note Stationery focuses on making learning fun, interesting and affordable for children across all strata of society. The Company is a strong advocator of the education of the girl child and we encourage this by donating a percentage of our annual profits to the cause.

You have been a role model for many women entrepreneurs. To inspire them, would you like to give some advice?

If you are an entrepreneur, then go ahead with passion and determination only to emerge victorious despite all odds! Believe in your capabilities and strive for progress as it will determine your direction. Be a risk-taker, face challenges headlong because failures are the stepping stone to success.

The metamorphic journey of an intern working in the dingy warehouse of a reputed publishing firm to that of the Managing Director of Easy Note Stationery Pvt Ltd had not been easy. Remember, it is never too late to start. I had confidently taken up the professional challenges only after shouldering my initial familial responsibilities at a very young age.

I believe that we need to gather our strength, pay heed to our instincts, believe in our capabilities, utilise our knowledge, learn from our failures and go out to take the world in our stride.

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