A brainchild of A. John Samuel, Sathya Agencies began life as a small store in the port city of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu in 1987 selling white goods, like music systems, televisions, refrigerators, et cetera.
But three years after setting up Sathya Agencies, A. John Samuel suddenly passed away, leaving behind a fledging enterprise and his family. Of his three sons, the eldest -- Johnson -- was just 18 then.
The young boy took over the business and nurtured it with the help of his two brothers -- Charles and Sathya, who are also directors of the company today.
The private limited company has come a long way. In 1987, its first day sale garnered just Rs 2,000. Today, under Johnson's stewardship, it boasts of an annual turnover of Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) and has 14 branches in Tamil Nadu, the latest one in Chennai.
All these shops are connected through the Web. Sitting at his head-office and gazing into his laptop at Tuticorin, Johnson knows exactly what's going on in each of his showrooms across the state. As sales and stocks are linked to the billing machine, he knows each day's sales and inventory details in real time.
The company has also diversified a bit, and now has a finance company, a television channel and even a luxurious resort. It also harbours ambitions of launching a multiplex and later getting into the construction of a 'planned city.'
Photographs, courtesy: Sathya Agencies
Text: A Ganesh Nadar
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