Interview: Ms. Aleksandra Brovchuk, Director of Kladana in India, a cloud-based ERP solution

An interview with Ms. Aleksandra Brovchuk, Director of Kladana in India, a cloud-based ERP solution designed for SMEs, including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and D2C companies.

In an insightful interview with Ms. Aleksandra Brovchuk, Director of Kladana in India, we delve into the transformative impact of their cloud-based ERP solution.

Designed specifically for SMEs, including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and D2C companies, Kladana is redefining how these businesses manage their operations efficiently.

Ms. Brovchuk shares her vision for empowering smaller enterprises with robust, scalable technology tailored to their unique needs.

How is Kladana uniquely positioned to address the specific needs and challenges faced by Indian MSMEs?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: In general, cloud-based Kladana ERP can significantly support Indian SMEs, particularly manufacturers and D2C brands, as they adopt their first professional solution for managing inventory, production, and sales.

Indian MSMEs often lack the time, money, and other resources needed to implement professional software and train employees. Kladana is specifically tailored to be user-friendly and easy to learn.

Depending on the plan, we provide 1–3 onboarding sessions and offer free support for all paid plans. Our support team responds quickly, within 5–15 minutes during business hours.

Additionally, owners of small businesses usually need gradual automation rather than an instant overhaul. Many are unaware of this, as the widespread adoption of business automation is still in its early stages.

Kladana is ideal for getting started, offering only the basic features — nothing redundant. As these companies grow, they can pay for additional features, modules, and integrations as needed.

After achieving success in Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, what motivated Kladana to expand into the Indian market?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: Before entering the Indian market, we thoroughly analyzed several countries. India stood out in every respect, making it the obvious choice for our next phase of expansion.

India boasts a rapidly expanding economy and 63.4 million SMEs, accounting for 99% of all businesses in the country. In comparison, Russia has a significantly smaller SMB count at only 6.3 million.

The growing Indian economy, coupled with the rise of e-paper workflows and digital services, makes it a highly promising market.

The widespread adoption of specialized software for sales, production, and inventory management by small companies is just beginning in India. We’ve already navigated this stage with entrepreneurs in Russia and Central Asia.

We understand the challenges business owners face and believe our experience, reflected both in our product and in our support and onboarding processes, can be highly beneficial for the Indian market.

In my view, many Indian SMEs are selecting their first professional software solution. They are looking for something that doesn’t require significant time and money upfront but is scalable enough to grow with their business. This is where Kladana can be particularly valuable.

In what ways can Indian MSMEs leverage cloud-based ERP systems like Kladana to gain a competitive edge in their respective industries?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: Cloud-based SaaS solutions save time, money, and human resources, secure large amounts of data, provide online access from anywhere, free up time from routine tasks for strategic planning, and lower the threshold of entry for small and family-owned businesses. Cloud software is transitioning into a commodity affordable for businesses of any scale.

Our clients’ experiences confirm this. They consistently acknowledge that managing inventory in notebooks or spreadsheets often leads to accumulating mistakes and profit loss.

While software doesn’t magically solve all problems overnight, if an entrepreneur is willing to invest time, money, and effort into the initial stage of switching to ERP, they’ll see positive outcomes such as avoiding overstocking or understocking, ensuring a smooth production flow, and increasing profit by knowing which products sell best.

Given that many MSMEs are still relying on manual data and inventory entry systems, what advice would you give them for navigating the rapidly evolving tech landscape and adopting modern solutions?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: First of all, let’s face it — manual data entry is inevitable, whether you’re writing figures in a notebook, typing them into spreadsheets, or scanning barcodes and making records in professional software. However, manual data entry with an ERP system is much easier, faster, and more error-proof.

All operations and transactions are logged. Even if an employee makes a mistake, you’ll be able to review the report and identify who made the error, when it happened, and where. Moreover, you’ll receive alerts if something goes wrong. Importantly, a business only needs to invest in software implementation once, at the start of its automation journey.

That said, I understand that this can be challenging for small businesses. My advice is to take it one step at a time. A common mistake is attempting to digitize the entire business flow all at once, which can be costly, time-consuming, and stressful.

The best approach is to analyze the biggest challenges you’re currently facing with traditional methods and identify areas where improvements are needed. Start small, and assess your progress after a couple of months. Then, you can either continue on the same path or adjust your strategy.

For instance, if you manufacture T-shirts and sell them directly to customers, you shouldn’t start with the production management module. Instead, focus on inventory and warehousing first.

Begin by creating product cards with units of measurement (UOM), pricing, pictures, and other relevant data for each item.

Generate or import barcodes. Indicate the correct number of items on hand. Implement bin storage to prevent product loss. Only after you’ve organized your inventory should you move on to the next steps. Don’t rush the process.

What are some best practices for inventory management and warehouse optimization that MSMEs should follow to improve efficiency and reduce costs?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: You see, business processes are unique for every company. For example, if a business manufactures semi-finished products, it must focus on monitoring expiry dates for items and their components and use batches for inventory tracking.

For a wholesaler managing a large number of items, it’s crucial to organize efficient warehousing, using bin storage where every product has its own place and can be easily located.

However, some common principles apply across the board. First, it’s essential to keep a product catalog in order: decide on the units of measurement, ensure pricing and SKUs are accurate, and record the exact stock on hand. Record all transactions, including receiving, transfers, and shipments, in a timely manner — the sooner, the better.

This reduces the chance of forgetting a particular operation. Regular inventory counts are also important to identify discrepancies, adjust stock levels, or write off products as needed.

Another key practice is to standardize repetitive operations. All processes should be clearly defined, every employee must know their responsibilities, and the software should support these processes effectively.

When it comes to warehousing, using bin storage can help keep operations running smoothly. It allows you to track the exact location of your goods and know how many products are in stock, committed, or on order.

Additionally, tools like pick lists, barcode scanners, and other warehouse management tools can help ensure accuracy when preparing orders for shipment.

What strategies can MSMEs implement to streamline their sales and purchasing processes to enhance overall operational efficiency?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: To explain what an ERP system is for small businesses, it’s important to understand the challenges that SMEs face when they don’t have a large volume of sales orders. Generally, for small businesses, the sensitivity to losing an order or receiving supplies late is higher and more pronounced.

Every order should be processed as the customer expects: they should receive the exact product variant of decent quality, and without delays.

For a small business, it’s critical to maintain an optimal stock level in the warehouse — neither overstocked nor understocked. Purchases should be made on time to ensure sufficient supplies.

The right approach is to use an inventory management system where the current stock is always visible, sales history is accessible, the unit cost is calculated accurately, and there’s a status tracking system for orders that employees actively use.

There should also be mechanisms for monitoring critical points, so you can always answer the following questions: ‘Are there any unprocessed orders?’, ‘Are there overdue invoices for payment?’, and ‘Have all orders for today been shipped?’ Every action, no matter how small, should be recorded in the system.

How can ERP systems help MSMEs automate routine tasks, and what impact does this automation have on freeing up time for strategic planning?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: That’s a question I love answering. Let’s imagine the day of a typical entrepreneur. The day starts early with a pile of tasks of various kinds, half of which are urgent.

There are always issues with orders, an employee doesn’t show up for work, there isn’t enough money to pay a bill, something unexpected happens, and it’s a good day if there aren’t any tax-related problems.

It’s crucial for an entrepreneur to quickly get reliable information. Business processes should run on their own to save the owner’s focus.

What’s already working smoothly shouldn’t demand attention. But if something breaks down, the owner should be able to quickly understand the situation and make decisions based on accurate data without needing to double-check it.

Having this kind of setup, where routine tasks don’t distract you and all the necessary data is readily available for quick decision-making, frees up time for growth: finding new suppliers, entering new markets.

I’m a passionate advocate for automation. As a former entrepreneur, I know from experience how well-designed processes can free up time to focus on business growth, rather than constantly plugging gaps and getting bogged down in daily operations.

Automation is not just a modern buzzword but a practical tool that benefits all businesses, without exception, when used properly. Without automation, you end up putting out fires day after day.

But when you digitize your routine, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief and take the time to reflect on what’s happening in your business, what can be improved, and what you’ve actually achieved.

What are your recommendations for MSMEs to develop and implement a sustainable growth strategy that ensures long-term success?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: Don’t waste time on tasks that require a lot of effort but bring little in return. It’s better to accept some losses now while focusing on finding opportunities for growth.

Entrepreneurs should always be looking for the next step in growth — whether it’s targeting a different audience for the same product, introducing new products, expanding geographically, or exploring a related business model. Always find time for the next stage of growth.

It’s essential to stay in constant contact with customers. I don’t believe that every customer’s whim should be fulfilled, but it’s important to collect feedback, read reviews, and communicate with employees who interact with customers daily. If something goes wrong, customers will be the first to express their dissatisfaction.

What resources or support does Kladana offer to help MSMEs achieve financial success and make the most of their ERP systems?

Aleksandra Brovchuk: Kladana is the comprehensive and user-friendly ERP tailored for business owners and managers: the software incorporates essential functionalities for trade and manufacturing businesses, including inventory, production, sales, purchasing, financials, and counterparty management.

We use pay-as-you-go and implement-as-you-go systems: as your business grows, you can add more features, integrations, and workflows.

Support and onboarding are included in the pricing, with no extra fees. Despite its extensive features, Kladana is designed to be easy to learn. We also provide handy self-help tools for quick learning, including Help Centre articles and video tutorials.

With Kladana ERP, you can gradually automate your business processes at your own pace. Moreover, our software is quite affordable: pricing starts at just ₹4,490 / $60 per year for a plan offering basic inventory management features.

For a comprehensive ERP solution with a manufacturing module, ten users, and nearly unlimited access to all features, the price is ₹90,552 per year.

Ms. Aleksandra Brovchuk’s insights highlight Kladana’s commitment to enhancing operational efficiency for SMEs in India.

By leveraging advanced cloud-based ERP technology, Kladana is not only streamlining processes for manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and D2C companies but also setting a new standard for ERP solutions in the region.

Her perspective underscores the significant role of innovation in driving business growth and sustainability.

Read more Success stories of Indian entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs & startups stories at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn