Service Is The Mainstay

The slow and steady growth of Microcare is hardly the measure of success P K
Chowdary has brewed over the last 15 years. What sets the 47-year-old
electronics engineer from Kurushetra University apart is the fact that he is a
first generation entrepreneur who quit a 'safe' job at BHEL to see through
his ambition. And that he chose to start with third party maintenance, a concept
unheard of in the late 80s.

TOUGH TIMES

To get an AMC for two systems at the SBI local head office P K Chowdary
followed up with the officials for six months. His work was put under
observation for two months before he was handed more work. However, it did not
take him long to build a reputation and he closed his very first year of
operation with a revenue of Rs 3 lakh.

According to Chowdary, taking the first big step to become an entrepreneur
was rather easy, what was difficult was getting enough business to sustain.
Starting with Rs 30,000 and one employee, Chowdary persisted and earned a good
name for himself and the company. Service is the core on which Microcare is
built and it is reflected in all its dealings. "Service revenue was our
mainstay until 1995," he recalls looking back with satisfaction.

JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN

Fast forward to 2004, the service revenue constitutes only 15 per cent of
the revenue. The now 100-people strong company is a reseller for HP, TVSE,
Cisco, DLink and Microsoft. "We have grown at 25 per cent since last many
years and expect to continue on the same trajectory," hopes Chowdary.  

EYE-CATCHING ACTION

Opened a one-man branch in Viza Started two companies-Microcare Computers and Microcare Peripherals Expanding operations to don the role of a systems integrator

However, in the current financial year, the growth rate is likely to shoot up
to 50 per cent as Microcare is expanding operations to include enterprise
solution. "We will do it all - clustering, storage and disaster recovery
solutions," states Chowdary adding that opportunities in the area are
abound in the Andhra Pradesh market itself. The service oriented enterprise
reseller is getting into the role of a system integrator. The next leg of
journey for Microcare has just begun.

NANDITA SINGH