Marwah Financial stands high with the belief of delivering authentic financial advisory services to its client-base. On realising the necessity of financial planning, across societal strata, Abhishek Marwah, co-founded Marwah Financial in 2008, and currently boasts to have 600 plus clients

By Srilagna Saha

Need for financial planning
Around the time when companies were misinterpreting the real value of financial planning, especially among the mid-level segment, Abhishek Marwah spotted the importance of delivering “authentic” financial advisory services. “It’s something which everyone needs, right from the service class employee to the high net worth investor. I could immediately spot an opportunity to create a customer focussed firm in the sector,” states Abhishek. On learning the need of the hour, he decided to offer personalised financial planning services to each individual, rather than something generic. This very idea was enough for him to launch Marwah Financial.

Behind the scene
Abhishek Marwah didn’t inherit the entrepreneurial vision. However, the desire to make a name in the financial market was long known. While growing up, Abhishek had only two passions – starting his own venture, and stock markets. Owing to his ability to understand the financial market from its root, he went ahead and acquired several certificates including Certified Personal Financial Advisor (CFPA), NSE Certified Market Professional (NCMP), and AMFI Certified Mutual Fund Advisor.

“I have been closely following and investing in the Indian financial markets since 2004. I believe a combination of practical experience of investing money across different asset classes coupled with theoretical knowledge of financial concepts is crucial for any investment advisory professional,” confirms the entrepreneur.

Understanding business
Considering the ongoing volatility in the equity market, financial planning has become a mandatory exercise for all. Financial planning not only helps one to maintain the current expenditure, but assures a definitive balanced budget for future as well. Marwah Financial believes in a “defined process” for advising their clients and therefore, has tied up with renowned CFPs for constructing financial plans for different clients. Abhishek further states that transparency is the key for long-term sustenance. Clarifying this statement, he adds, “An engagement letter is signed by the client for initiating the FP process. Post data collection our professionals analyse them, on the basis of which they prepare the financial plan. The entire process is transparent, as the client knows at every stage what we are recommending and the reasoning behind the same.”

“Our focus is to offer product and services which are suitable to the financial situation and risk appetite of the client and not just push any product for the sake of selling.”

People and funding
Abhishek along with his brother Amit Marwah and six core team members do the day-to-day follow-ups with clients. Where on one hand Amit is involved into the strategy and business development, another partner Dipin Kwatra, a management graduate, heads the broking business for Marwah Financial. The partners’ cumulative experience, their competency to locate experienced professionals, and added support from senior mentors, has brought Marwah Financial to its current state of being.

Founded in 2008, Marwah Financial has managed to overcome the initial hurdles and with over 600 clients they are confident of getting further prominence in days to come. In his words, “The biggest challenge was to find good professionals who can mirror the kind of enthusiasm and motivation you have about your venture.”

Partly from his college-day earnings and partly from few other ventures he secured, Abhishek gathered Rs 5 lakh, which was enough to sail through the early days at Marwah Financial. “The revenue model is based on Services (Broking, Mutual funds, Bonds & IPO’s, corporate FD’s, etc), and Advisory (Financial planning, wealth management, personal finance).” he adds.

With a robust management team guided by an advisory team of senior industry professionals, Marwah Financial has tie-up with leading brokerage house. While talking about branding and business promotion, he said, “I would say that our customers are our brand ambassadors. A satisfied customer is the biggest advertising for any business. We also organise timely workshops in corporate organisations in order to educate the value of financial planning.”

Future plans
Right from learning the basics, to understanding the customer requirements, Abhishek accepts that over the years he has learnt the tricks of trade, not only in building his organisation, but also in coordinating with professionals and understanding the quality infrastructure. With Y-o-Y growth of approximately 145%, Marwah Financial plans to create an online model for personal finance and financial planning in near future.

“It’s important to be clear about the product offering and believing yourself that your solutions can in fact add value to the clients. These small nuances sometimes distinguish an average business model from a strikingly good business model.”