How a 50-Year-Old Staple Company Survived the Amazon Era

Paper clips, binder clips, and the humble notepad — how did a 50-year-old office supply company avoid extinction when Amazon and Staples dominated the market? In episode 61 of The Turnaround Podcast, Lucas and Luna dig into the turnaround of a company you've probably never heard of: Essendant, the wholesale distributor that nearly went under in 2018 after losing its biggest customer. They walk through how the company cut costs, diversified into janitorial and breakroom supplies, and rebuilt margins by focusing on small-business resellers. Along the way, they tie the story to today's economy — noting that while the S&P 500 sits at 7,501 and the Dow at 51,565, small-cap stocks (the Russell 2000) have actually dropped 0.9% in the last five days, a reminder that the recovery hasn't reached everyone. This episode is a practical look at how a B2B middleman can survive when everyone says the middle is dead. #Essendant #OfficeSupplies #Turnaround #Restructuring #B2B #WholesaleDistribution #AmazonEffect #SmallBusiness #Russell2000 #SupplyChain #CostCutting #BusinessStrategy #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheTurnaroundPodcast #Podcast #DistressedBusinesses Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo