Shravan Mehrotra: Dreamer At Heart

Varanasi is well known for its temples and religious fervor. Not many would
think that there is much scope for a channel partner to survive and succeed in
this small hamlet. But that is precisely what XLNC Computers has been doing for
over a decade now.

And the credit for this success rests firmly on Shravan Mehrotra who started
the company in 1993 with an initial investment of just Rs 10,000. Today, XLNC
Computers has a turnover touching Rs 21 crore.

One reason why Mehrotra was able to spin this success story was because of
the fact that though there is a lot of awareness about technology in smaller
towns, people there do not have access to it in their own city. They have to go
to the neighboring bigger cities to either see the products or buy them.

XLNC managed to plug this gap since it was one of the few companies, which
had been around for some time now. And Mehrotra is optimistic that soon hardly
any customers will prefer to deal with dealers in Varanasi itself.

PROFILE COMPANY: XLNC Computers ACADEMICS: Post graduate in Commerce from BHU, Computer Course from NIIT, Varanasi YEAR OF STARTUP: 1993 ADDRESS: C 27/273, Indian Press Colony, Maldahiya, Varanasi, UP Tel: 2351133, 2421288

Support matters

It is said that behind every successful man is a supportive wife and a
surprised mother-in-law! Jokes apart, the former is very true of Mehrotra, who
gives the entire credit of his success to his wife who supported him though
thick and thin and was his pillar of strength.

When this resident of Varanasi completed his post graduation from the Banaras
Hindu University, he pursued a computer course from NIIT. That is where he got
the idea of doing something related to technology for his bread and butter.

And he started XLNC in 1993, with this conviction and dream in his heart. His
was a one-man show and he knew that he would face several challenges to get his
business off the ground. But this did not daunt him because Mehrotra believed
that Varanasi is a city of opportunities. He only had to play his cards right
and work on offering good products with very good services. Once he had a loyal
clientele, he could then introduce them to newer technologies and this would be
his path to success.

And his belief paid off. IT began picking its pace in this sleepy town.
Slowly, people started registering him as a dealer to go to for the best
products and good services. Just like Mehrotra had planned.

But the going was not completely smooth for Mehrotra and XLNC Computers. He
had to deal with competition from dealers based in Lucknow, who could offer
better prices to his customers. But as his clientele increased, he did not have
to bother much about competition from other cities.

“People are very lively in Varanasi and want to lead life comfortably. It is
because of this attitude and the support extended by my customers

that I have achieved such name and fame here,” exclaimed Mehrotra.

Selling lifestyle ideas

Currently, Mehrotra is focusing on selling laptops as a lifestyle device. He
has observed that in smaller towns, people have good purchasing power and have
the urge to go for big brands like Compaq, Lenovo or HCL.

The fiscal 2005-06 marked a milestone for XLNC Computers. The company, which
earlier had a turnover of Rs 2 crore, saw its revenues jumping to Rs 14 crore
that year. Last fiscal, the company clocked a turnover of Rs 21 crore, which
shows that it is on a healthy growth path.

After dabbling in the IT business, Mehrorta is now planning to expand in the
telecommunication sector which, he believes, holds immense opportunity. He has
seen the mobile penetration increase manifold in his own city and would like to
use his resources to harness this market as well.

Mehrotra is trying to take his company public and hopes to achieve this
shortly. His vision is to become the best channel partner in the entire region
and according to him, the best way to achieve the status is by giving utmost
satisfaction to the end- users. He is also planning to open branch offices in
Lucknow and New Delhi.

An optimistic person, Mehrotra takes breaks from his work to enjoy each
moment of his life to the fullest. He likes watching movies over the weekends
and visits various metros with his family to have a good time.

There are many other dreams in Mehrotra's eyes. He is not worried whether
these would be fulfilled or not. But he has the earnestness to move towards it
and put in his best efforts.

The most interesting one is his aspiration to become as famous and successful
as Dhirubhai Ambani. He is convinced that he has the temperament to excel in all
fields and if the people around him support him then he is confident that his
dream will translate into reality one day.

AMRITA TEJASVI

amritat@cybermedia.co.in