Apple profits in sum, this man in part

Bengaluru: Dreams always have room in the City of Empowerment. Harish Agarwal only studied upto the eighth standard, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking a bite out of the now proverbial Apple.

As any Apple user will tell you, repairing a product is so expensive that it’s easier just to throw it away, which is what the guys at the showrooms will tell you! Agarwal has done away with these woes, for he is now a defining authority on all things Apple — his startup boasts a turnover over Rs 3 crore, with five centres in Bengaluru and Indore. He has 18 qualified engineers working under him, all of whom are experts on Apple devices. Whatever Harish is today, he says he owes to Apple. “We repair, we don’t suggest replacement. If we can’t repair, we replace and the cost difference ranges between 50 per cent and 70 per cent! Apple has a beautiful range of products and most of the damages are physical or liquid. While Apple gives a three-month warranty, we give it one year. All parts are genuine and billed,” Harish says.

How does he operate? Harish has no qualms revealing his trade secrets. “I buy Apple devices on a large scale, from MacBooks to iPhones to iPads. We dismantle and make an inventory of all the parts, from screens to motherboards, cameras, push buttons and batteries — every little component including the screws. Everything in Apple device is retrievable and has great value. Sometimes I import parts from Singapore and Hong Kong too. While a screen replacement for MacBook in an Apple store costs Rs 38,000, we do it for Rs 22,000! While an iPhone 6 costs Rs 50,000 I make over Rs 1 lakh by dismantling and selling it! Of course, all this takes technical expertise and high-end equipment,” says Harish.

His is a short but tremendous success story. His family couldn't afford education for a second child - Harish's older brother had used up most of the resources, but was unable to find a job. He dropped out of school and started work as a technician in a computer hardware service centre in Indore. Gradually he started his own hardware sales, only to realize that there were too many players in the game before he gave up.

In 2011, he boarded a train to Bengaluru. He started work as an apprentice in a startup for a paltry Rs 2,000. Survival was so hard that Harish considered giving up and becoming waiter in a hotel, as they make Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month. Meanwhile, his brother had landed a job in Cisco and told him to join a mobile retailer in Indiranagar.

Simultaneously, he cleared his MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT professional) and CCNA programmes. From mobile servicing, he graduated to computers. He rose from being an employee to becoming a partner in the mobile store, which dealt with computer repairs.

Low cost repairs were his USP and the business gathered steam. When the partner demanded more shares, he knew it was time to go solo. By then, he had achieved his mastery with Apple devices like MacBooks, iPhones and iPads. He had realized that Apple repairs were his forte - he had already developed a cult following.

With a few lakhs in hand he hired a place in Koramangala in December 2013. By word of mouth, Harish is now a known name among Apple users who make a beeline to his store to have their computers and other devices repaired. He is often seen advising people on how to use the device for optimum output and also on upkeep.

“Sometimes we are flooded with requests and it becomes difficult to cater to all of them,'' he adds. Harish now has four centres in Kormanagala, Marathalli, Cox Town and Gotigere apart from one in his hometown, Indore. He plans to open a corporate office soon, start a training centre and expand his business to other metros.