SP software : A Perfect Balance

Armed with an engineering degree from KL College of Engineering, Pulla Reddy
started his career with Binary Semantics and served them for more than a year.
He then joined Kolkata-based MP Software, where he was responsible for setting
up their operations in North India. In just three years, Reddy increased the
company's ranking to #3 in India. This is what prompted him to become an
entrepreneur.

Reddy, a native of Hyderabad, started SP Software in 1995 as a one-man
company. SP Software was mainly into product distribution dealing with the likes
of Microsoft. The company soon became a solution selling company, and then began
delivering total IT solutions. The company has developed about 50 intellectual
properties, out of which 10 are solely application products. In 2005, Reddy
registered his company at Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and ventured
into software exports. Reddy reminisces that his first project was worth $1,000,
while today, he is handling projects worth $250,000.

Sensing a growing demand in the manufacturing sector, Reddy floated another
company called SP Soft Digital Media. SP Soft Digital manufactures pre-recorded
CDs and DVDs. It is ranked second in the market, after Moser Baer.

Recalling his biggest professional challenge till date, he said, “The Satyam
incident reminds me of a very tough time. SP Software did business with them for
almost 12 years. We faced a dent in our growth and had a huge dip in our
revenues. We were to achieve a Rs 100 crore target but only managed Rs 65 crore
last year.”

Pulla Reddy makes it a point to spend as much  time as is possible with his wife and daughters	The Satyam incident reminds me of a very tough time.SP Software did businesswith them for  almost  12 years. We faced a dent in our growth and had a huge dip in our revenues

Reddy started an on-site staffing business in 2008, since he wanted to cover
all business verticals. He has roughly about 120 employees working for various
IT giants like Oracle, Patni, SAP, TCS etc. Recollecting the past, Reddy said,
“Initially my challenge was to achieve just the targets. When you start a
company, targets are always hard to achieve but I have been lucky so far. I
started with a capital of Rs 1.5 lakh and today I am proud to say that SP
Software is a debt free and cash reserve company.”

Reddy's family comprises of his wife Devasena and two beautiful daughters,
Anhita (11) and Manvita (13). Reddy dotes on his daughters completely and makes
it a point to spend quality time with his family. This is his mantra in life and
he makes it a point to ensure that his employees do the same. He shares his
successes with his wife as she has been his constant support for many years.
Reddy divides his time perfectly between professional and social commitments and
is often seen enjoying company of his close friends. Reddy is committed and has
the ability to make quick decisions. These qualities, he believes, has
contributed to his professional success and is the key towards being a
successful entrepreneur.

In the coming year, Reddy plans to revamp the entire business model and
achieve a Rs 100 crore target. With the software export business growing, Reddy
is aiming to venture into application management in the gaming and banking
verticals.

Revathi Raghavan

revathir@cybermedia.co.in