€1,000,000 Sales in a Year… of an Eco-Friendly Notebook with Roel Schatorjé from Moyu (episode 450)
Roel Schatorjé, Founder of MOYU, is a company that sells unique products, specifically erasable stone paper notebooks, designed to reduce single-use paper and reforest the planet.
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Dive in:
[03:27] Testing market interest in erasable notebooks abroad.
[07:30] Netherlands-focused business expands to ecommerce and wholesale.
[11:22] Having a brand guardian, designer, and content creator.
[13:27] Products with sustainable features gain popularity through word-of-mouth.
[17:12] Enthusiastic about international expansion.
[22:39] New Slack integration helps track team emotions.
[25:34] A brilliant social media strategy for growth
Roel’s eCommerce Journey
Roel explains that his passion for nature and his desire to address issues in the paper industry led him to the idea of creating reusable products. He started by setting up a website to test the market for erasable notebooks, initially selling a product from abroad.
The positive response from colleagues and others encouraged him to explore the concept further, with Roel improving the product by using sustainable stone paper as a better alternative to plastic. He found a local supplier for the stone paper, tested and refined the product until it worked effectively, and finally established Moyu.
A Focus on Sustainability
The business is less focused on the number of products sold and more concerned about the positive environmental impact they can make by planting trees. Its main goal is to raise awareness about the issues in the paper industry, particularly deforestation, and serve as an instrument to drive change.
Roel shares that the core philosophy is to create a product that contributes to nature rather than harming it, as their erasable notebook enables the planting of trees instead of cutting them down. The business sees itself as a tool to demonstrate a sustainable way forward for the paper industry and to make people conscious of their role in preserving the environment.
About Moyu
- Based in Amsterdam and initially focused on the Netherlands
- Doing a mix of B2B and D2C sales
Roel says the COVID-19 pandemic shifted their focus more towards e-commerce and D2C sales. But over time, they noted an increase in interest from businesses, and currently, about 70% of their sales are in the B2B segment, supplying customized notebooks to companies for their employees or as gifts.
With regard to distribution, the goal is to scale internationally and address the global problem of the paper industry’s environmental impact. They have already expanded to neighboring countries, and their web shop is now ready to ship across Europe, with aspirations to eventually enter the US market. Roel acknowledges that international growth has been slower than expected, but he remains optimistic about the business’s trajectory and its mission to make stone paper a worldwide norm.
Moyu’s Ambassador Program
Roel acknowledges that the sustainable aspect is a nice-to-have, but the main reason for the product’s popularity is its functionality. People love the convenience of writing and erasing on the stone paper, leading to positive word-of-mouth as users share their experiences with others.
And while their ambassador program is still in its early stages, they are already seeing success in business-to-consumer sales. The program focuses on getting people who genuinely connect with the product’s story and want to share it with others, rather than just seeking influencers for revenue generation.
The Future of Stone Paper
Roel is excited for the international expansion of their product, but aside from this, he shares that the most significant development that excites Roel is the use of stone paper in their product. Stone paper is easily recyclable and can be produced locally, but the current production facility is expensive and not easily accessible.
As their business gains volume in the Netherlands, Roel sees an opportunity to create a stone paper alliance to revolutionize the paper industry. Though it’s a 10-year ambition, Roel is optimistic about the potential positive impact on waste reduction and sustainability within the paper industry.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- Invest in a high-quality product to generate positive word-of-mouth. Also, invest in after-sales support, as this can contribute significantly to your business’ success. In Moyu’s case, 90% of their sales come from happy customers who recommend their product to others.
Tool Top Tip
- Noon integration with Slack that focuses on team well-being
Carbon Top Tip
- Roel says support biodiversity in various ways. In the case of Moyu, they work with Trees for Kenya to achieve this objective.
Interview Links
*Thank you to Tom Locke from Shopify Agency Noughts and Ones for recommending Roel to be a guest on the show!
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- Reusing 5.5 million Plastic Drink Bottles with Hayley Clarke, co-owner and MD at Onya (episode 431)
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