Vasanthakumar (Vasanth and Co.)
- A business can prosper if it gives its customers the best service possible – Vasanthakumar, the founder of Vasanth and Co. is a great example for this. By introducing instalment schemes, he made the dreams of many middle class people come true.
- Having started his career as a Sales Officer at VGP, he rose to the position of Branch Manager. He then quit his job at the age of 28 to start Vasanth and Co. We’re sure you would be shocked if you knew his investment in Vasanth and Co., It was Rs 22.
- Initially, his firm sold chairs. Gradually, he started buying more products to sell. Like most other businesses, his business did not take off immediately. To market his products and company, he took the products with him on a cycle and started a door-to-door sales approach. The streets that saw him on a cycle saw him in a car a few years later. His hard work and passion to make it big drove him to toil harder and harder to become the number one of his field.
- The year was 1985 and the Asian Games was going on. That season witnessed a good demand for colour TVs. Vasanthakumar spotted this opportunity and approached a particular brand. But they refused to supply.
- Vasanthakumar’s father was an ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi. So Vasanthakumar was also used to a simple dressing style. This simple dressing style madde others of his field look down on him, even though he had the mettle to prosper. To shatter this, he started dressing up in coat and suit. This instantly changed his status. The companies that refused to supply, agreed to supplies of great quantities. Not only did time make those companies deal with him, it also made them wait for a meeting with him. Even in his company advertisements, the picture of him in a coat and suit is trademark of the ads.
- ‘Khadar, Gandhi, and Kamarajar’ – these are his constant favourites. His brother, Kumari Ananthan, was a prominent member of the Congress. Naturally, he was also influenced by the Congress Party. He joined the part and began serving the masses. He stood for Congress in Nanguneri constituency and won the M.L.A. election twice – In 2006 and in 2016. He also served as the M.P. of Kanyakumari constituency.
- Generally, a person who is interested in politics makes it big in politics and then becomes a businessman. Vasanthakumar’s career was quite the opposite. He entered politics after many successful years of running his business. But he made it a point to keep politics and business separate. This is another quality his customers liked in him.
- He has also inspired a lot of youngsters by narrating his success story at various lectures. He wrote a book on his success story and titled it ‘Vetrikodi Kattu’. This book was released by Rajinikanth.
- During the time when the advertising industry was mostly dependent on the use of actors or actresses to popularise a product, Vasanthakumar used a footage of himself in the ad and proved that a good brand doesn’t have to depend on the popularity of others. Even today, when one hears the name ‘Vasanth and Co.’ the image of a smiling Vasanthakumar, clad in coat and suit, turning around in his revolving chair is what comes to mind. Today more brand owners have started appearing in their ads, instead of hiring actors and actresses. So, it is not an exaggeration to say that Vasanthakumar was the one who started this trend.