{"id":5805,"date":"2024-08-01T10:06:26","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T10:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paperstone.co.uk\/News\/?p=5805"},"modified":"2026-01-07T12:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T12:38:37","slug":"from-toners-to-triumphs-the-paperstone-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paperstone.co.uk\/News\/articles\/from-toners-to-triumphs-the-paperstone-journey","title":{"rendered":"From Toners to Triumphs: The Paperstone Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Paperstone celebrates its 20th birthday<\/a> this month, so we interviewed CEO & Founder, Jim Brown to find out more about the business’ journey since 2004.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Jim<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why did you start an office supplies company?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Myself and my business partner at the time had a business selling compatible toner cartridges, but were getting frustrated with the quality of the cartridges that were available in the market. We figured we could do a better job of retaining customers by supplying original toners with great service and competitive prices. We did market research around the local area and found there was very much a need for cheap, good quality toners. People wanted good service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once this business was up and running and people were regularly ordering their toners from us; we received complaints about the charges they were having to pay to their regular stationery suppliers due to not meeting minimum order quantities as they were purchasing their inks and toners<\/a> from us. So we branched out and started supplying basic stationery items to these customers as well. It grew from there.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you call it Paperstone?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Paperstone<\/figure>
\n

“We brainstormed various ideas. Playing with the likes of ‘Rock-Paper-Scissors’, and variations of this. We liked the sound of existing business names like Waterstones and Paperchase. And knew we wanted something that sounded safe and grounded. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

We settled on Paperstone, which matched the tone we were after. It also had a double meaning of being a type of paperweight. This also served as inspiration for our first company logo.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Old<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

As we grew we found our original logo wasn’t aligned with the our modern bold brand. In 2017 we updated our logo and haven’t looked back.”<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Paperstone<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is your proudest moment since starting the company?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Getting our first order from a customer who had no existing connection to us was a great feeling. It meant we\u2019d finally made it and people knew about us. We\u2019ve received various awards over the years, including the Dealer Excellence Award at one of the annual industry award ceremonies<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Another slightly strange fond memory, was taking a big company to court (who were trying to underpay us by almost \u00a35,000) and winning our case! Long story short… they had received all their goods but were refusing to pay for them due to their own internal admin error. So, we took them to court, and we won. Being a small business up against what was a large established one, this was a very exciting moment for us \u2013 yay for the little guys!”<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Paperstone<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the biggest hurdle you\u2019ve overcome so far?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“It would have to be navigating our way through the pandemic and all the uncertainty it brought. Our main warehouse shut down and we had to move over to a different warehouse, which meant a complete overhaul of systems within a very small space of time. Throw in Covid, staff on furlough, etc, and we had ourselves a very challenging time. Everyone was on edge, the world didn\u2019t know what the future looked like or if things would ever return to \u201cnormal\u201d. Closing up our office and not knowing if we\u2019d ever return was pretty scary!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How have things changed since Paperstone first started?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“20 years is a whole generation! The boom of technology and how it\u2019s evolved has always been something we\u2019ve had to keep in mind. The shift to home-working<\/a> has also been a huge factor for us, and as a business that predominantly supplies offices, we\u2019ve had to adapt to this shift. We\u2019ve expanded our range based on people\u2019s working set up, their needs, and this new way of existing. We\u2019re constantly having to evolve, and can\u2019t afford to be stagnant.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would you tell your 2004 self?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Maybe don\u2019t branch out into office supplies. Find your niche (like toners), stick to it, and do it well. We\u2019ve done so well as an office supplies business, but it can be very challenging at times, and growth can be slow. Back in 2004, we didn\u2019t have any other way forward – branching out was the only option in order for us to grow.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next for Paperstone?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Paperstone<\/figure>
\n

“We\u2019d love to get our own warehouse. New customer acquisitions have always been important for us – getting new customers is getting tougher – so, we have to tap into new markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not growing is boring, and constantly pushing forward keeps things exciting, especially after 20 years!”<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paperstone celebrates its 20th birthday this month, so we interviewed CEO & Founder, Jim Brown to find out more about the business’ journey since 2004. Why did you start an office supplies company? “Myself and my business partner at the time had a business selling compatible toner cartridges, but were getting frustrated with the quality […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-Uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPaperstone \u2013 A 20-Year Journey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Paperstone - from toner supplier to office supplies company. 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