The 55-year legacy of Bathla and other top picks of the week
This week SMBStory released the fourth episode of the GenNEXT series covering the story of Bathla, along with other top stories.
Founded by Balraj Bathla in 1968, Bathla Aluminium Pvt Ltd began as an aluminium trading firm. It transitioned to manufacturing in the late 1990s, when Balraj's sons Rohit and Gaurav joined the business. They launched their first aluminium ladder from their family-run store in Bengaluru, which became an instant hit.
“Bathla is synonymous with ladders and that’s the trust we have built,” says Gaurav, Director of Bathla.
In the fourth episode of the GenNEXT series by SMBStory, we meet Dev Bathla, the third-generation entrepreneur and CMO of Bathla, who is carrying forward the legacy of his family’s business.
Other top picks of the week:
Soulslings
Chinmayie Bhat, the founder of the baby carrier brand Soulslings, overcame many challenges to revive her once thriving business. Between 2014 and 2019, Soulslings launched many varieties of baby carriers for newborns, toddlers and infants and was selling in almost 30 countries.
The pandemic killed the brand’s international sales, and the founder realised that the brand had grown too fast but had failed to establish a presence in India, a mistake that held it back during the lockdown. Over the last two years, Bhat has been revitalising her business, which was earlier run by her and her husband, whom she lost to depression in 2021.
The past year has been particularly positive for the company, as it witnessed steady growth, selling 500-600 baby carriers, from zero in 2020, on a monthly basis, at an increase of 20%.
Financial planning for SMEs
Financial planning is a crucial aspect of any business, regardless of its size. However, for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating on limited resources and facing more significant financial risks than larger companies, it is paramount.
Here is a quick guide that takes you through different aspects—from managing cash flow and forecasting future growth to effective financial planning to help SMEs make informed decisions, reduce financial uncertainty, and achieve their long-term goals.
Financial planning involves drafting a comprehensive plan for managing an organisation’s financial resources.
It involves:
- Analysing current financial situations
- Forecasting future income and expenses, cash, inflows, and outflows
- Developing strategies to achieve specific financial goals
Ecommerce, a disruptive force for MSMEs
Ecommerce is a disruptive force for unleashing the potential of MSMEs in India. The government realises the relevance and importance of ecommerce, said Rajneesh, Additional Secretary and Development Commissioner, Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, during a workshop on 'Growth of Retail and Ecommerce in India' on April 30.
Organised by the Federation of Indian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (FISME), the workshop aimed to identify the policy obstacles faced by small businesses and retailers in joining digital retail and ecommerce.
It was attended by more than 40 delegates representing MSMEs, think-tanks, payment service providers, ecommerce, last-mile delivery platforms, and industry organisations. Representatives from , , , , , and attended the workshop.
The workshop provided constructive recommendations to the government on how offline and online channels can complement each other to embark on a new era for retail 4.0.
Edited by Swetha Kannan
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