A Home That Dreamed Big
Shalaka Rao grew up in Surat, in a Telugu household where curiosity was quietly encouraged and hard work was simply a way of life. It was a home filled with warmth, strong values, and a belief that education and passion could take you anywhere. At the centre of it all stood her mother – a woman of extraordinary energy and intelligence whom Shalaka calls her biggest motivator even today.
From a very young age, Shalaka had an unusual habit: standing in supermarket aisles, not to shop, but to wonder. Why does this brand look the way it does? What is the idea behind it? How does it make people feel when they pick it up? These were not the questions of a typical child. They were the early signs of a brand strategist quietly taking shape. While other kids played, Shalaka observed – and those observations slowly became a deep-rooted passion that no science textbook could ever fully satisfy.
Her mother’s resilience, intelligence, and quiet strength left a permanent mark on her. Even today, when Shalaka speaks about her biggest source of motivation, it is not a business mentor or an industry leader – it is the woman who raised her. That grounded sense of home and identity gave her the courage, years later, to take the boldest decision of her life.
The Scientist Who Never Stopped Drawing
Shalaka pursued Engineering in Biotechnology for her higher education – a field that demands precision, logical thinking, and the ability to look closely at how things work from the inside. It trained her mind to be analytical, thorough, and patient. But even through the long hours of labs and lectures, the artist inside her refused to stay quiet.
She was a consistent prize-winner in art and drawing competitions during her college years, earning recognition that went far beyond textbooks. While her peers focused purely on their technical curriculum, Shalaka was living in two worlds at once – studying the science of life on one hand, and quietly developing a visual and creative language on the other. She did not see these two worlds as separate. She let both of them shape who she was becoming.
It was also during these college years that her fascination with brands became more serious. She would pick up a product and ask herself: How did this brand come into being? What was the core idea? How have they created their identity in the consumer’s mind? These were questions no professor ever assigned her – but her restless, curious mind simply could not stop asking them.
“Science gave her depth. Art gave her vision. Together, they gave her the eye of a brand builder.”
The Turning Point – When Words Took Over
After graduation, Shalaka made a move that surprised many people around her – she stepped into a content marketing firm. For a biotechnology engineer, it seemed like an unusual detour. But for Shalaka, it felt like finally arriving somewhere she had always been quietly heading toward.
She had already been nurturing a personal blog for years, expressing her thoughts and perspectives through writing with a quiet but unmistakable intensity. Words had always been her way of making sense of the world. At the firm, she discovered something that would change the direction of her life: that words, when combined with the right strategy and visual identity, could completely transform how people think, feel, and behave around a brand.
That experience became what Shalaka calls a true turning point. She realised she did not just want to write for brands. She wanted to build them – from the ground up, with purpose, with strategy, and with soul. The seed that had been growing since those supermarket aisle moments in Surat finally had the soil it needed to take root.
Two Sisters, One Bold Idea – The Birth of Paperclips
In 2017, Shalaka and her younger sister Shreya co-founded Paperclips – a brand consultancy firm based in Surat. Starting a business is always a leap of faith, but for Shalaka, it was also deeply personal. It was Shreya’s bold entrepreneurial spirit that first inspired her to take the jump. “It makes you courageous when you are passionate,” Shalaka reflects. And she was right – passion turned out to be the most reliable fuel they had.
The name Paperclips was chosen with care. It represents the act of holding things together – which is exactly what the firm does. Paperclips holds and weaves the stories of brands, connecting their inner values to the outer world. The firm’s vision was poetic and purposeful: to create a space where every brand has a story to tell, a soul waiting to be explored, and a heartbeat that keeps it connected with more and more people.
Paperclips works across four thoughtfully designed frameworks: Brand Mind covers research, strategy, consumer insights, and competitor analysis. Brand Heart focuses on emotional narrative and brand archetypes. Brand Soul digs into purpose, manifesto, and storytelling. And Brand Body brings it all to life through naming, visual identity, design, and website development. Together, these four pillars ensure that every brand Paperclips builds is not just beautiful – it is real, consistent, and deeply felt.
Since its founding, Paperclips has worked with clients across Infotech, healthcare, real estate, fashion, diamond manufacturing, construction, training and consultancy – and has successfully served clients not just in Surat, but also from Canada and the United States.
The Quiet Leader – Overcoming the Introvert’s Battle
Shalaka has never pretended her journey was without difficulty. Her biggest personal challenge was something many founders quietly wrestle with but rarely admit out loud: being an introvert in spaces that reward the loudest voice in the room. Walking into high-stakes meetings, holding ground as a co-founder, driving conversations with confidence while her natural instinct was to listen, observe, and think deeply – this was a real and ongoing challenge, especially in the early days of building Paperclips.
But Shalaka did not try to become someone she was not. Instead, she leaned into her strengths. Her ability to listen carefully before speaking, to observe patterns others missed, and to communicate with thoughtfulness and precision became exactly the qualities her clients valued most. Over time, the very trait that once felt like a limitation in traditional leadership settings became her greatest professional strength.
Beyond the personal, there were real business challenges too – building a consistent pipeline of leads, creating need-based marketing strategies, and establishing credibility in a competitive industry. Each obstacle required not just creativity, but patience and grit. Shalaka has both in abundance.
“She didn’t learn to be louder. She learned to make every word count.”
Life Beyond Work – Balance, Simplicity, and Growth
Paperclips runs on a remote working model – a forward-thinking choice that gives the team flexibility while keeping the work human and grounded. For Shalaka personally, balance is not a luxury. It is a conscious choice she makes every day. Outside of work, she recharges simply – hitting the gym regularly and watching movies. No grand routines. Just real habits that keep her mind clear and her energy steady.
When it comes to her approach to growth, Shalaka believes in being good at many things rather than being boxed into just one. It is a mindset that mirrors her career journey – from biotechnology to content to brand strategy – always learning, always expanding. She describes herself as both a hardworking and a smart person who moves opportunistically, seizing the right moments with the right effort. Currently, she is focused on learning how to show up more powerfully as a leader in communities and entrepreneurship forums – taking her influence beyond client work and into the larger conversation.
The Vision Ahead – A Brand the World Will Know
Shalaka’s vision for Paperclips is both clear and ambitious. She wants to grow it into a world-renowned brand – not just respected for its creative output, but deeply valued for the empathy and understanding it brings to every client relationship. “I want us to build meaningful, long-term relationships across industries – creating work that feels thoughtful, relevant, and lasting,” she says.
She sees herself evolving not just as a business owner, but as a mentor, a thought leader, and a creative professional who helps reshape how the industry thinks about branding – making it more human, more honest, and more heart-driven. That is the Paperclips promise. And Shalaka is just getting started.
Success, on Her Own Terms
Ask Shalaka how she measures success, and she will not give you revenue figures or client numbers. “Success is measured by how far you have come from where you started,” she says with quiet confidence. For a woman who began her career in biotechnology and built a brand consultancy that now serves international clients, that distance speaks for itself.
Her success mantra is equally grounded: stay ethical, and never compromise your values – no matter what. In an industry where shortcuts are always available and aesthetics often overshadow authenticity, this is a rare and powerful stand. It is the reason clients trust Paperclips, return to Paperclips, and refer others to Paperclips.
Her advice to young entrepreneurs and new startups is simple, honest, and worth writing down: “Always remember the why you started your own business whenever you feel stuck in life.” Not a growth strategy. Not a market tip. Just a reminder to stay connected to your original purpose – because that is the only thing that will truly carry you through the hardest days.
From a girl who questioned grocery packaging to a founder who builds brands with soul –
Shalaka Rao’s story is proof that the most powerful brands begin with the most honest questions.
