The ESTE publishing house, in its magazine SISTEMA & IMPRESA, founded in 1955, dedicates the July/August 2013 issue article “Starting Again from the Web” to our company, interviewing Roberto Polvani on how we achieved great success in relaunching our company by leveraging internet channels.

by Luca Paperini

Starting Again from the Web

He was not discouraged by the crisis, seeing it as an opportunity to relaunch the family business. He combined tradition and modernity in a unique blend, anchoring the stone age to the Web 2.0 era.

This is the story of Roberto Polvani, a young entrepreneur from Florence who about six years ago took over his father’s company, embarking on an adventure that required the courage and strength to forever transform the family’s ancient traditions.

But he succeeded, and today he is the owner—along with his two cousins—of a brand making its way in the Italian high manufacturing landscape, recording a year-on-year growth of +30%.

We meet Roberto to discover how ancient crafts and social technologies have transformed a business once thought obsolete.

What idea led to the creation of the ‘Pietre di Rapolano’ brand?
The family business, where I worked with my cousins and my father, exported marble to the United States. Once the crisis hit our company as well, we faced a choice: relaunch or close. After ending trade with the United States, we moved from tiles to designing entire lines of marble products: from shower trays to kitchens.

Marble online? A possible challenge?
Yes, even a ‘heavy’ product, which needs to be seen and touched in person, can be sold on the Web.
We thought of creating a strong brand that encompassed a diversified product offering to sell online. I had to reinvent myself, investing a lot of time studying the logic of social networks.

What happened to the old distribution channel?
We decided to keep 20% of the business with traditional retailers, while the remaining 80% was allocated to private customers or the B2B channel.

A solution that safeguarded the supply chain…
For us, retailers are essential because, although today you can sell anything on the internet, for some types of products, the customer needs to be supported by the retailer’s technical expertise.

Plans for a mobile app?
We have a very lean structure that allows us to currently monitor social world trends. A smartphone application is expected to be released soon.

What did you discover by studying the functioning of social networks?
The internet has proven to be an extraordinary channel for promoting our business: a zero-cost sales system with guaranteed effectiveness. Initially, I did not think social networks could be indispensable for business, but I had to change my mind. I never imagined achieving such great visibility.

Which ‘social’ channel do you prefer?
Facebook. I do not have personal accounts (only business ones) on other social networks.

How do you explain the reason for your success?
Today, all the media talk about your story. It was a combination of factors. The first: the crisis. The second: the passion for what I do. The third: the humility to start over with only 7,000 Euros in hand.

Seven thousand euros was your starting budget: no other credit granted by banks?
Banks were not interested in our project; they would not have invested even a euro. Today, they are the ones chasing us.

Does this crisis worry you?
I do not like a secure job; I would feel trapped. I do not know what will become of my company in the future, but being an entrepreneur also involves a certain degree of recklessness. Achieving significant results in these first years of activity has given us the strength to move forward, investing capital to expand the company’s workforce.

You have surpassed the concept of Made in Italy by interpreting it in a more territorial version: ‘Made in Tuscany’…
Made in Tuscany is one of the two Pietre di Rapolano brands that encompasses a line of high-end products entirely made in Tuscany. The other is called ‘Worldwide’: under this brand, we distribute in Italy medium-range products purchased abroad, ideal for ‘fast’ sales on the Web.

What are the most driving foreign markets?
We sell well in Russia, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland: countries where consumers have much higher purchasing power than in Italy.