Me amp; My Work

On the face of it, Shalini Wadhwa appears to be the average, calm, controlled businesswoman. But a spark within, which you can almost tou...

On the face of it, Shalini Wadhwa appears to be the average, calm, controlled businesswoman. But a spark within, which you can almost touch, sets the Chairperson of Great Savers Marketing apart.

Wadhwa, who8217;s been in the publishing business for over 12 years, has tried her hand at all kinds of things, from travel magazines to business journals. This NRI shuttles between her home in Nepal and Sri Lanka, from where she brings out magazines like Explore Sri Lanka and Business Today not to be confused with its better-known namesake. She also has a woman8217;s magazine called Evolve in the offing. 8220;Personally, I8217;ve never let gender, race or colour hold me back,8221; she emphasises, 8220;But women need to stand together.8221;

But her claim to fame in India is her coupon booklet called Great Savers. Her first brush with coupon booklets was in Fresno, California, where she successfully brought out Couponeer and Coupons Galore for seven years. Wadhwa then introduced Great Deals in Sri Lanka and its popularity there made her think of one for India. 8220;When I mentioned this to my friends, they said I was mad,8221; smiles Wadhwa. A poll conducted for her gave her some idea about the average South Delhi family. Then, it was selecting and training the right art designers and marketing personnel to get Great Savers rolling in March.

That8217;s how her latest baby, Great Savers, was born. The 16-page monthly focuses on South Delhi and offers discount coupons on everything, from chocolates to computer courses. 8220;The concept of a free glossy booklet that concentrates only on coupons is totally new to India,8221; she says. 8220;It has longer shelf-life than a newspaper and there8217;s no distracting editorial matter.8221;

Convincing advertisers and encouraging consumers to experiment month after month wasn8217;t easy. 8220;Initially, people may use a coupon to buy a detergent they wanted to buy anyway,8221; says Wadhwa. And since many retailers still don8217;t accept the coupons, Wadhwa not only has started publishing a list of retailers, but also runs a helpline that communicate individual complaints to the company. Today, she claims Great Savers reaches over 100,000 South Delhi homes. 8220;We carry only the best brand names,8221; she says.

Still, it hasn8217;t been roses all the way. Wadhwa keeps getting complaints that copies of Great Savers are stolen or sold by postal workers and courier companies. But she isn8217;t one to give up without a fight. 8220;I8217;ve taken it as a challenge to plug this loophole,8221; she says. 8220;In Vasant Kunj, my team personally delivered all copies.8221;

Wadhwa, though, is no stranger to fighting the odds. She recounts how she even received an LTTE death threat for sacking an employee. She didn8217;t give in. 8220;Once you are prepared to pay the price, fear disappears and you can act. At the end of the day, you have to face yourself and say: I stood up for my beliefs8217;,8221; she says solemnly.

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Globe-trotting publisher, wife and mother. Does Wadhwa have any time to herself? Enough to pursue her favourite pastimes, she replies. She also devours books on everything, from management to nature cure. But her favourite form of relaxation is meditation. 8220;It helps control everything, from my diabetes to my temper,8221; she says. And it8217;s this combination of fire and ice that pushes Wadhwa towards perfection.

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