Medicine Man Turns Consumables Dealer

The Patanwala couple who had come here for the honeymoon from Mumbai too was bowled over by its beauty. So much so, they relocated themselves in the city to set up a profitable business in consumables.

Born in a business family, trading came naturally to Majid Patanwala. His family business of pharmaceutical distribution had fine-tuned him with the nuances of business. So, soon after graduating in science and passing his LLB examinations, Majid threw himself into pharmaceutical trading, little knowing that this was just a transient job. 

The thought of venturing into IT products was the farthest in Majid's mind when he first visited Bangalore. He came to the city with his bride to relax and enjoy the scenic beauty of the garden city. But fate willed otherwise and Bangalore caught his fancy for branching out on his own as an entrepreneur. Initially, he explored pharmaceutical business, but later found IT more promising.

A fresh start

Majid moved to Bangalore in 1993 with a basic investment of Rs 2 lakh and started Alpha Consumables at his residence. He later tied up with HP as its authorized consumable dealer, an association that is still going strong. However, in the first few years of their business, Majid and his wife had to weather many a storm. 

Reminiscing about those days, Majid gives his wife complete credit for his success today. "My wife was a pillar of strength and motivated me to climb higher up the ladder of success. Initially we had several challenges to face, but she stood firm by me in each and every step," says a proud

Majid.

Besides giving Majid the requisite moral support, his wife also did her bit in ensuring the smooth running of the business. "She would handle the internal operations at the office-cum-residence and I would go out to collect orders and do the deliveries personally. We started with an office space of 8' x 10' and today, we have an office of 2100 sq. ft," he adds, with satisfaction. Over 17 employees work towards making the company a success story.

Relationships to last a lifetime

Alpha Consumables registered a turnover of Rs 3 lakh in its first year. And this year Majid hopes to touch Rs 10 crore. Over the times, the company has evolved as a specialist in corporate reselling for all HP consumables. 

"We are one of the five companies in India to have received HP Channel Excellence Awards for two consecutive years (1998 and 1999) and are strong contenders for a hat-trick this year too," says Majid. "We stand out because we are different, we do not believe in 'short-sighted trading'. We strongly foresee Alpha Consumables as a business powerhouse with firm beliefs in ethics, honesty, hardwork, total commitment and loyalty to our customers and principals," he adds.

Homing on the home segment

To strengthen Alpha Consumables' success, Majid launched Abacus Inc, which showcases home PCs and peripherals. "Keeping in view the growth in the home segment, we diverted our focus on branded computers and HP peripherals," states Majid about this decision.

Abacus showed good results soon after its launch. This prompted Majid to replicate its success by opening another showroom outlet in September 2000. "We are expecting a turnover of Rs 5 crore from Abacus alone for the current year," says

Majid.

Talking about his long-term plans, Majid nurtures the dream of turning Alpha Consumables into a Rs 50 crore company by 2005. He is confident that he will be able to achieve his because of the company's loyalty to its vendors. Says Majid, "We have never dealt in spurious or incompatible products and have always been loyal with vendors." 

This stand has helped Majid to have long-standing relationships with his vendors, which in turn has helped his business grow. And Majid has no plans to break this lucky cycle of success. 

Sunila Paul



Bangalore