How William Penn’s Nikhil Ranjan gets into the swing of the day with a game of tennis

Whether he is hitting a match point in a friendly game, or lobbing the ball into the air at a practice session, or negotiating a crosscourt shot with his coach, Nikhil Ranjan, Founder and MD of Bengaluru-based stationery company William Penn, is in seventh heaven. Playing tennis is the high point of his day, and the game that has been his primary source of exercise for over a decade, has helped him stay in form and remain stress-free too.

Advantage Penn

Nikhil launched his company William Penn 16 years ago. He dealt with premium stationery, but his store was different from other outlets in many ways. “We offered the look, feel and touch experience,” he remembers. “We had over 2,500 sq ft. space where customers could enjoy the feel of the products.” 

That was the age when organised retail in India was taking off, and people loved the beauty of fine stationery. Nikhil had just acquired a degree in mechanical engineering and had got a job in IBM. But he opted to leave his job and get into entrepreneurship. In a short while, he launched a line of luxury stationery and soon, his business flourished in leaps and bounds.

However, as the years went by, mobile phones and electronic tablets took over the world, and pens and paper notebooks were left behind. Nikhil did the next best thing – he began to expand his business by adding new categories of merchandise. 

His patience has paid off today, when digital detox has become a byword among millennials. More and more people are now yearning for the beautiful notebooks and fountain pens of the past. His business is back in the forefront again, with novel products, vintage styles and new technology.

First Serve

Nikhil began playing tennis at the age of 23, as there was a tennis court in his building. Over time, the sport grew to be a passion, and not a week has gone by since then, without a game of tennis. “I know that people start playing tennis in their childhood, but I could only start in my early twenties. However, I got so interested in the game that it became a part of my life. Today, I find that the sport is more sustainable than going to a gym. You get a lot of physical exercise from tennis,” he says.

Nikhil does not take part in tournaments or competitions but he is always trying to improve his game. “It is purely for recreation for me,” he says. “But I am a big fan of tennis tournaments, and I watch all the Grand Slams. My dream is to watch Wimbledon in the Centre Court, which is the mecca of tennis.” 

According to Nikhil, tennis teaches you to be a sport.

Tennis is a sport that brings you back to earth. It teaches you how to be a good loser and a good team player too. A game of tennis keeps me calm and helps me de-stress completely. When I am playing the game, I forget the rest of the world.

The best part of playing a sport is knowing that it can help you in real life too.

One of the things that tennis has taught me is discipline, and this can be applied in entrepreneurship too. Most developments in a business are not a result of genius, but largely due to discipline. You need to see your ideas through.

Nikhil has a coach to teach him the nuances of the game, and he is constantly trying to better his technique. But it is during friendly matches with his friends that he realises that tennis can teach you a lot aout about life too. 

You will discover that you are only as good as your last game. What worked yesterday may not be the same today. It is the same in business. You have to be ready to go back to ground zero when required. You cannot rest on your old laurels all the time. You need to get better.

Now, it’s tee-time

Nikhil also began to pursue a new hobby a few months ago, and finds it as challenging as tennis. “I started playing golf a few months ago. When you watch golf on TV or elsewhere, you think it is an easy game, but it isn’t,” he laughs. “I find it a very difficult sport. There are a lot of frustrating days of not being able to hit the ball right.”

Nikhil finds that though golf teaches you that there is no substitute for hard work, it is a perfect sport to relax, reflect and think about various things.

“When I am at either tennis or golf, I allow myself to recharge,” he says. “Of late, I have also taken up salsa dancing. It is a hobby that I took up so that I could spend time with my wife.”

Vantage-point

Nikhil’s company is about to launch something new in the next couple of weeks. “Today, the world is hurtling in the direction of technology and the volume and velocity of these things may increase. But over time, people will need more than what the digital world can offer. People are already buying fountain pens, music players that play old songs, and elegant stationery. It is all a part of the nostalgia that is on the rise globally.”

His final advice to entrepreneurs is, “Never accept status quo. You have to keep moving all the time. You need to listen to your customers and give them what they need. The most important thing in the world is constant reinvention and staying relevant.”