Pulla Madhu, 30, is a talented young man from Mandi Bazaar of Warangal. Married, and with two school going kids, his main source of income is from his mobile shop in the city called SH Mobiles. He sells and services a variety of mobile phones and his advice to customers is that touch-screen phones are not sturdy. 

Not content with the earnings from his mobile shop, Pulla Madhu is involved in three more ventures. There's a chit-funds business, a travel agency, and a business dealing in daily finance. “My travel agency can very well cater to your needs when you come next time to Warangal”, he tells us with evident pride.  

The Chits business has 80 members divided into three groups with subscriptions of Rs.10,000, Rs.50,000 and Rs.1 lakh each. The chits run for a term of three years and the annual turnover is about Rs.15 Lakhs which enables him to make a profit of Rs.1.5 Lakhs. Besides, there is the income from daily finance and the travel agency. All put together, his earnings permit him the luxury of a decent lifestyle, with ownership of a house and car.

How has Madhu, a 10th standard dropout, found the resources to run all these ventures for the past 12 years? Initially, he reveals, he used to depend on local moneylenders, but they were costly. His profits were low and he was on the lookout for some other source when he came across Manappuram Finance. For the past three years, he has been a regular customer of its Desaipet branch which he visits often, for pledging or releasing gold as required. 

Anil Kumar M.R., 45, has been running “Edit Creations”, an advertising firm in Thrissur, for the past eight years. He has a small office in the town from where he runs the show. He has two school going children. He earns about Rs 50,000 per month and his venture clocks an annual turnover of over fifteen lakh rupees a year. 
The business comes from 200 odd customers for whom Anil Kumar designs and delivers the art-work for advertisement in the print media. 

​Anil Kumar is an active member of the Small-scale Merchants' and Manufacturers' Association. He points out that in the ad agency business it is most important pay your service providers on time. He has to deal often with artists, photographers, printing press owners, creative writers etc. And he is required to clear their bills well before customers make the payments for his services. Not surprisingly then, he is frequently in need of cash for short periods, and it has to be readily available. 

He affirms that the Manappuram branch is an excellent place to raise cash free of hassles which he can repay at his convenience. In fact, over the past two years he has approached Manappuram more than 50 times, though presently he has only two live pledges. On Nov.30, 2012, the Economic Times had carried a news report on its front page with the title, “Gold Helps Fund a Thousand Entrepreneurial Dreams”. It was about how gold loans were helping ordinary people become entrepreneurs and it carried this quote from Anilkumar:  "I have been taking gold loan for the last seven years," says MR Anilkumar, who runs an advertising unit in Thrissur, also in Kerala. "Unlike banks where there are a lot of procedures, the process here is fast. Since these are sudden requirements, I don't bother much about the interest rate," he adds.

Viswanatha Babu, 39, is a high school dropout who took up farming following in the footsteps of his father and elder brother.

A resident of a remote village eight kilometers away from the nearest township of Malur in the Kolar District of Karnataka, Viswanatha Babu has been in the field for the past 1Oyears. He cultivates five acres of land irrigated by ground water, where he grows grapes, gherkins (a variety of small cucumbers), brinjals, tomatoes and corn.

He uses modern technology for farming, viz. hybrid seeds, mechanized operations, and integrated pest and disease management. Intensive farming requires investment and working capital and Viswanatha Babu, like other farmers of Kolar, used to rely on local money lenders. With their interest rates being high, farming was not a particularly remunerative business. Sharp fluctuations in prices for the produce added fuel to the fire.

However, for the past two years, Viswanatha Babu has been a regular customer of the Malur branch of Manappuram Finance Ltd. He approaches the branch as and when he requires cash, and has had transactions with the branch worth more than 15 lakhs rupees during the past two years. He has since expanded the area under cultivation, introduced crops like gherkins, built a new house and now plans to send his only daughter to an English medium school.

"I owe a part of my success to Manappuram, for their quick and easy service", he says, while talking to Manappuram's study team over a cup of tea in his newly constructed house.

Viswanatha Babu is a customer of Manappuram's Bangalore Road, Malur Branch, Kolar District, Karnataka

On Nov.30, 2012, the Economic Times carried a news report on its front pages about how gold loans were helping ordinary people become entrepreneurs. It featured very prominently the example of Aneesha Binu, a housewife belonging to Rajakumari in the hilly district ldukki, who runs a beauty parlour. Aneesha, 40, had set up her business with money obtained by pledging her gold jewellery at Manappuram's Rajakumari Branch. Her story is interesting and worth recounting. A graduate in Commerce, Aneesha was born and brought up in Perumbavoor. She underwent a beautician's course and started a beauty parlour in Perumbavoor. When she got married to a spices dealer in Rajakumari, she shut down her beauty parlour choosing to become a traditional housewife.

After her children began going to school, Aneesha had more free time on hand and was keen to engage herself in a productive vocation. The thought of a starting a beauty parlour in Rajakumari came to her mind. Her close friend Preetha Joy joined hands with her to combine a tailoring unit with the beauty parlour. However, to make her dreams come true she needed money, and it was not easy to come by.

That was when she saw an advertisement for Manappuram Gold loan, and she knew she had an answer. This was the time a new branch of Manappuram Finance had come up in Rajakumari. Aneesha went to the branch and pledged her personal jewellery to raise capital for her venture. She hired a shop just below the Manappuram branch and launched her beauty parlour. Hard work, dedication, and a customer friendly attitude have enabled her to clear 80 percent of the loan within months. Today, she's grateful to Manappuram, that she was able to take advantage of the gold lying idle at home, and seek out a meaningful alternative in her life.

Aneesha Binu is a customer of Manappuram’s Rajakumari Branch, Idukki District, Kerala

Adimali, in ldukki District, is where the central high ranges start. It is a hub for the spices trade in Kerala and a transit point for tourists. As the Taluka HQ, there is also a large floating population thanks to which the hotels, restaurants and fast food joints do good business.

That was one reason why Ms. Muneera M.P., 31, decided to start a bakery in the town. Hailing from the well-known Panakkad family in Malappuram, Muneera came to Adimali10 years back because her husband was running a wholesale shop in spices here. As her children grew up, Muneera was left with free time and she was keen to get going with some business of her own.

Back in Malappuram, her relatives are running a bakery business. Therefore, she too decided to venture into bakery business in Adimali. However, she needed money to start the business. She made a round of the banks first. They were willing to give her a loan but they wanted a project report and financial feasibility statements.

That is when her thoughts went to the gold she possessed. Muneera boldly approached Manappuram Finance and converted her gold jewellery into cash. It is now four years since the bakery was set up. She gets good quality sweetmeats from Manjery that have a predominantly north Kerala taste and which have a high demand in Adimali.

She has already repaid over 60 percent of the loan and is confident that within a few years her business will become debt free. What is more, she is able to contribute nearly Rs. 50,000 from the bakery to the household kitty every month.

As an entrepreneur lucky to have got off to a good start, Muneera has no hesitation in thanking Manappuram Finance for timely support and fully expects to continue her association with the company.

Muneera M.P. is a customer of Manappuram's Adimali Branch, ldukki District, Kerala

Up in the high ranges of ldukki, in the cardamom county of Rajakkad, the Manappuram Study Team ran into Samson Jose, 40, a farmer turned merchant. He had inherited his father's land and was cultivating cardamom and coffee for many years. The returns from the farm were not sufficient to take care of family needs once he got married and became a father.

Rajakkad township was expanding rapidly and Samson decided to establish a retail footwear outlet. And thus was born "Mary Matha Shoe Mart", which soon became one of the two leading shoe marts in Rajakkad. Today, Samson's shop has a turnover of Rs.40 lakhs per year for which he has to maintain a stock worth at least one crore rupees.

The business has frequent requirements for cash, and often the money is required immediately. In such a situation, dealing with banks was not advisable, while falling back on the money lenders in the unorganised sector was both risky and costly.

Manappuram's branch at Rajakkad opened in 2010 and it came to his rescue.

Samson is a regular and valued customer who has already approached the branch more than 50 times during the last two years for business.

"I am on very good terms with Manappuram's Rajakkad branch". says Samson, with a smile of satisfaction when our study team bid good bye to him.

Samson Jose is a customer of Manappuram’s Rajakkad Branch, Idukki District, Kerala

Chandrasekhar K. V., 29, is an enterprising young man from Kottiganhally, an agricultural village located about 20 kilometres awayfrom Kolar.

Chandrasekhar is an unusual graduate who combines agriculture with a retail business. He is the owner of a clothing shop at Kolar, Venkiteshwar Textiles, which deals mainly in jeans and denim clothing. In his farm, one is face to face with modernity amidst a rural setting. It boasts of greenhouses where high yielding tomato, capsicum and hybrid corn varieties are cultivated. He buys the best quality seeds and combines it with modern fertilization methods and technology like drip irrigation.

The crop is sold on the spot to bulk buyers like Reliance and Godrej Agrovet. With an annual turnover of over 30 lakh rupees from both ventures, Chandrasekhar frequently requires ready cash to pay off suppliers of various services. During the past two years he has transacted over Rs. 37 lakh of business with the Clock Tower Branch of Manappuram (nearly 50% of his annual turnover). Chandrasekhar's farm produces tons of tomatoes and capsicum, a worthy contribution to the national economy that he can be proud of

And Manappuram Finance can claim to have had a small but critical say in that.

Chandrasekhar K.V. is a customer of Manappuram's Clock Tower Branch, Kolar, Kamataka

Ramanji Chikredappa, 27, belongs to the remote village of Royalpad that lies 18 kilometers off Gownipalli, a small town in the Kolar District of Karnataka.

Agriculture is the dominant activity in this village on the border with Andhra Pradesh. There are no banks and no institutions of higher education. Only a lower primary school is to be seen.

Ramanji is a matriculate who failed to clear his PUC. He is married with one child and his parents live with him. Although Ramanji belongs to the farming and farm labour community, he has now taken up tailoring as a better means of livelihood. He runs "Rama Tailoring Shop", where he is supported by his wife. To keep the business running and to purchase necessary tools and spares, he frequently requires cash.

Initially, he used to depend on informal loans or tried to manage without. But, business flourished when he modernised his shop with a gold loan from Manappuram. The shop provides him with a monthly income of about seven thousand rupees. Easy availability and the relatively low interest rate for gold loans from Manappuram Finance compared to the loans from moneylenders has improved life for Ramanji and his family.

Ramanji Chikredappa is a customer of Manappuram's Gownipally Branch, Kolar District, Karnataka

Venkataramana G.V., 35, is a customer of the Gownippalli branch of Manappuram Finance located in Kolar District near the Andhra Pradesh border.

Gownippalli is an underdeveloped rural area that boasts of just one high school in the vicinity. Venkataramana stays one kilometre off Gownippalli and has three school going kids. Agriculture is the major activity here, mainly cultivation of pulses and cereals.

The area has a few shops and tea stalls and the only supermarket in town, "Chinthamani", is owned by Venkataramana. He also owns a jewellery shop that he inherited from his father. Besides, off and on, he takes to farming on his six acre plot.

Venkataramana has been in business for over eight years and, in the past, depended on local money lenders for his financial needs. But these days, he is a priority customer of Manappuram branch where his aggregate borrowings in the last year alone stand at nearly Rs.40 lakhs. The cash is used mainly for the supermarket and jewellery business and also for the education of children. He is a regular visitor to the branch, marking his presence there at least once a month.

As interest rates have come down with the coming of Manappuram's branch, Venkataramana' s business has flourished. He relies on gold loans from Manappuram for immediate financial needs like paying off clients, bulk purchase of grocery and stationery, and also for meeting expenses related to his farm.

Venkataramana G.V. is a customer of Manappuram's Gownippalli Branch,Kolar District, Karnataka

Suresh Kumar hails from Thodupuzha (ldukki District) and owns "Matha Medicals". A medical store right in the heart of the town.

At 39 years of age, Suresh comes across as a man with boundless energy. He is married and has two school going kids. He depends wholly on the medical store for his Iivelihood. The shop has a monthly turnover of over Rs 3 lakhs rupees and provides him with a net income of 30 to 40,000 rupees per month. However, to run the business smoothly, he has to keep a ready stock of medicines to the tune of Rs.6 to 7 lakhs. Moreover, he is often required to make immediate payments in cash to the wholesale dealers in medicine besides meeting other expenses viz., salary to staff. electricity etc.

Suresh Kumar asserts that he cannot always depend on his bank for such purposes. A delay in payments to the wholesale dealers can get his firm black listed, and once such a thing happens, the whole business can easily go off-track.

Therefore, for a ready and dependable source of credit, he has been dealing with the local Manappuram Finance branch located just a stone's throw from his medical store. He is a regular customer of the branch and frequently avails gold loans.

He is impressed with their service and he readily acknowledges that at least a part of his success is owed to Manappuram.

Suresh Kumaris a customer of Manappuram's Thodupuzha Branch, ldukki District, Kerala

Madhu M.C., 32, owns a factory making carbonated beverages like soda, leman soda, ginger soda and "jeera" soda under the brand name MVC Soda. He inherited the business from his father and the factory is located within his residential compound near Mullasery in the Thrissur District of Kerala.

The factory employs two and it has two soda making machines along with a bottle washing unit. He also owns a transport vehicle and an old Ambassador car.

Madhu's factory produces an average of 40 crates of soft drinks and the wholesale rate is three rupees per bottle. He is a regular customer of the Mullasery branch of Manappuram Finance and uses the money availed from pledging gold for the day-to-day requirements of the business, especially for meeting immediate needs like payments to suppliers of Carbon dioxide cylinders etc.

While the emergency and short term requirements are met through gold loans, the long-term needs are taken care of by borrowing from a bank. Thanks to the business, he earns an income of over 20,000 rupees per month on an average. In fact, during the peak season, his earnings often go up by half the amount.

Madhu M.C.is a customer of Manappuram's Mullasery Branch, Thrissur District, Kerala

Ramesh C.M., 42, hails from the Chittanalli village in Kolar District. He is a farmer who, of late, has taken up the poultry business with the help of a gold loan from Manappuram Finance. His venture bears the name of Sri Baireshwari Poultry Farm.

Ramesh maintains two rows of long cages where over 10,000 broiler chicks are reared on behalf of Godrej Agrovet Ltd. The Company provides the chicks and the feed free of cost. The farmer is required to spend on the upkeep and lighting charges besides the labour costs involved. By the 60th day, the company takes back the fully grown birds and pays him three rupees per kilogram.

Ramesh found Manappuram Gold loan Schemes most suitable for this business as he is able to release the pledged gold within 60days.

Sri Baireswari Poultry Farm fetches him an annual income of over two and a half lakh rupees with which he is able to maintain his family-wife. two school-going children and aged parents in reasonable comfort.

Ramesh C.M.is a customer of Manappuram's Brahmins Street Branch, Kolar, Karnataka

Abdul Rahman's family has been residing in the Andaman Islands for more than three generations.

Abdul Rahman, 53, has a family tradition in retail general merchandise. He owns three shops in Bamboo Flat town. His wife and the elder son are in charge of one shop each while Abdul Rahman manages the third. The shift from local pawn brokers to Manappuram Finance has improved his returns.

Abdul Rahman was a victim of the 2004 tsunami, but since then has managed to recover his ground. As is to be expected, he is quite happy to deal with Manappuram Finance.

Abdul Rahmanis a customer of Manappuram's Bamboo Flat Branch, Port Blair