Business With Values

Robert Collier said, 'Success is thesum of small efforts, repeated dayin and day out' and so believesThiyagaraaj R of Attrib Systems. Nestledin a quaint city of Tirupur, Attrib Systemsis well known amongst the locals, as acompany they can trust. Thiyagaraaj Rhad a vision of becoming an entre-preneur from his college days, but ittook him quite a few years to take theplunge, primarily because of the riskbehind every business venture.

Thiyagaraaj completed his Bachelorof Computer Application from AnjapparInstitute of Technology along with variousother computer courses. Since heexcelled in his studies, Thiyagaraaj wasabsorbed into the college as a faculty.He shifted focus to IT by becoming asoftware engineer in a small IT firm. In2001, he partnered with his friend andfounded Brainware Info. After absorbingthe nuances of trade, Thiyagaraaj startedhis own firm Attrib Systems.

START OF THE JOURNEY

With a vision of becoming a successfulentrepreneur, Thiyagaraaj was contem-plated on his decision, since sourcinginitial investment was an uphill task.Thiyagaraaj remarked, “Business in ruraltowns and cities is lot more differentfrom metros. Credit runs high andwithout that, it is impossible to survive.The size of the market also matters forany business.” After arranging for thenecessary capital, Thiyagaraaj kept oninvesting more in terms of assets, evenwhen there were less returns. Herecollects, “The initial months were filledwith anxiety and expectation. I kept oninvesting money even when there werehardly any returns. It took me sometimeto build loyalty and trust.”

Fondly remembering an incident, hesaid,” Few months ago, I encountered aslight problem with finances. I had tomanage my customers and supplierssimultaneously. At one point,when I almost gave up, mycustomers, who had placedadvanced orders cleared theamount before the delivery.This kind of relationship is onlypossible when both the partiesare clean and have goodmarket reputation. This isnothing short of a miracle.”Infact in and around Tirupurmarket, Thiyagaraaj is knownfor his clean handling ofaccounts and it has never happened thathis cheque has ever bounced. Thiyagaraajquips, “All my business associates treatmy cheque as ATM card. They have neverencountered even a single problem tilldate. I wish and pray to God that I cankeep up this reputation for ever.”

CONQUERING NEW HEIGHTS

Moving to a new premise, Attrib is nowoffering wireless broadband networkingfor SMB's, anti-virus solutions, besidesother products. Thiyagaraaj has alsopartnered with IBM, Compaq, HCL , Delland Samsung, thereby expanding hisproduct portfolio Sharing his expansionplans, Thiyagaraaj said, “When I started,my outstanding was running very high.Today I have branched out in so manydifferent IT areas and established a goodrapport with my vendors and customers.”Sharing an anecdote Thiyagaraaj said,“Even though I am the proprietor ofAttrib Systems, people donot take me seriouslybecause of my looks. Justto change their thoughtprocess, my e-mail id hasmy designation as Head-Business Promotion.”Recently, Thiyagaraajencountered problems withStellar Black Cat anti-virusproduct. He had purchased200 units of the anti-virusproduct, but because of afaulty part, 95 percent of the stock is notyet dissolved. Thiyagaraaj recollects,“Whenever any company comes tomarket, they hand out so manyassurances. Till date, I have not been ableto liquidate the Black Cat Stellar products.There was no support from thecompany's side at all. I do not want todump any product on my customer sinceit is against my business ethics. I have agoodwill to protect. Its my money whichI also want to explore businessopputunities outside IT sales andservice.” Since the company is fairly newto the market, Babu also plans toestablish a footprint and create goodwill.Babu remarked, “It takes a while forpeople within the industry and outsideto know you. I want to create goodwillamongst my customers and businessassociates. Now that my basic groundwork is done, I will build my dreamsslowly and steadily. That's my onlymantra to success,” concluded Babu.REVATHI RAGHAVAN(revathir@cybermedia.co.in)has got stuck, but I will resolve this issue,no matter how long it is going to take.”Apart from this minor setback,Thiyagaraaj is gung-ho about the newyear and new opportunities.

FAMILY TIES

Thiyagaraaj's family comprises of hisparents, brother, wife (Maheshwari) andson (Adhishwaran). He completely doteson his six month son and believes him, tobe his source of inspiration.”My wife hasbeen a great pillar of support to me. It isvery important for a person to maintainhis personal and professional lives. Shemakes sure that things are going smoothat home, so, I do not have to worry aboutthat front at all. Now that I am a father,I look forward to spending all my freetime with my son,” said Thiyagaraaj.

Sharing his personal detailsThiyagaraaj said, “I still keep in touchwith my college friends. We have hadmany memorable holidays together. Inspite of being busy with work, we makeit a point to meet each other.” In hisspare time, Thiyagaraaj loves to go onfor long drives with friends and family.He also has keen interest in sports,especially cricket. Thiyagaraaj signed offby saying, “It has been my childhooddream, to become a successful busines-sman. I am diversifying into many areas,so that there is always a steady flow ofincome to my family. I also want tocontribute to the society and in nearfuture will do so.”

FUTURE

With the onset of the new year,Thiyagaraaj is hopeful of achieving manytargets. Since Pongal is the most reveredfestival in Tamil Nadu, he is hopeful oftouching new horizons.

REVATHI RAGHAVAN (revathir@cybermedia.co.in)