With a paltry sum of Rs 1,500 Allan Da’Costa set up an electronic shop 26 years ago in Margao. He has the credit of starting many new ventures and offers one stop solution to all electronic problems
John wanted to buy one of the latest mobiles from theSamsung range but did not know which one to pick up.
Instead of surfing through the net and further confusinghimself over the choice of the handset, he drove straight to MargaoElectronics.
This is one place where the latest gizmo would find its wayon the shelf and eventually land in the hands of a satisfied customer.
Margao Electronics has earned its name and fame throughyears of loyal customer service.
Margao Electronics is the brain child of Allan Da’Costa, theeldest of the four siblings, who refused to follow the footsteps of his family.
“My father Tomas Aquino and all my uncles had settledabroad. But unlike my 25 cousins who went abroad, I wanted to stay back in Goaand be my own boss,” said Allan, the proprietor of Margao Electronics.
An electronics engineer by profession, Allan ventured intobusiness way back in 1986 and celebrated 25 years of Margao Electronics a yearago.
“It was a humble beginning,” recalls Allan who had nofinancial backing to start a business.
He worked for some time at Radio Bhavan in Mumbai beforejoining as an assistant technician at an electronic shop.
“I always dreamt of being my own boss and did not like towork under anyone. So with an initial capital of paltry sum of Rs 1,500, Istarted a repair shop in 1986 at Margao and named it Margao Electronics,” he recounts.
Slowly and steadily, Margao Electronics grew as years rolledby. Allan then ventured into many allied businesses and was one of the first tobring cable TV/ dish TV in the state.
They provide sales and service for all electronic items,gaming, CCTV, cable TV, hiring of electronic equipment, video recording andevent shooting.
Margao Electronics is one stop solution for those who comewith all kinds of inquiries.
“We never say no to anyone. Whatever is not available inGoa, we try to arrange it for our customers,” boasts Allan who started cable TVin Goa in 1991 along with his brother Richard and had plans to dish out Konkanientertainment through cable TV operations in Goa.
“We had a studio at Carmona and we had covered footage ofserials, dramas, tiatr and programmes for four years. But the cable operatorsasked for carriage fee which was unaffordable and so I had to drop the idea,”says Allan.
His brother, Richard takes care of the cable TV operationsand water sports.
Allan had opened a franchisee of Margao Electronics inPanjim to cater to the customers in North Goa. But he had to close it down asit was impossible to manage from his Margao base.
He faced many ups and downs while wading through hisbusinesses but never shied away from venturing into new spheres of business. At48, he says he still has a long way to go.
