The Industrious Magnate
MK Manikantan- Owner, Palette Communications & Palette Hill View Resort
Mr. MK Manikantan is an inspiring personality who has worked his way up the corporate ladder from square one and proved that nothing can stop you from being successful, if you have a clear dream and determination. Today, he owns a private property ‘The Palette Hill View Resort’ which is an eco- friendly green stay located opposite to ‘Moon Mala’, a perfect hiking spot with a spectacular view of nature. ‘The Palette Hill View Resort’ offers complete serenity to those looking for an escape into nature.
Manikantan shares the story about his journey so far: He hails from Trivandrum but flew to Cochin for work at an early age of 15, owing to the demise of his parents during his childhood. Being unsure about his future, he started working as a labor in an outdoor advertising company.
Manikantan shares “I have worked hard in all the areas including climbing the hoarding poles, working on the top of buildings, trees, carrying heavy iron rods, tying flex, supervising the projects, etc. While working with different advertising companies, I realized what it means to own a business & provide opportunities to people to help them make big transitions in their lives. Gradually, I saved all the money I earned and launched my own advertising company ‘Palette Communications’ in 1995 for my desire to make a difference. I wanted to work with others and offer them the perspective, structure, support and guidance they needed to excel in their own lives. I would be at the happiest place if my experience and skills could benefit others regaining their intellectual lucidity and passion.”
For Manikantan, the biggest challenge after launching his advertising company was to arrange finances and managing paperwork. His friends helped him set up his office and guided him about banking and account related tasks, for running such a business. Things went pretty well and he was able to achieve incredible growth in a period of 2 years. Today, ‘Palette communications’ has successfully completed 25 years in the hoarding business and is now one of the leading outdoor advertising companies in Kerala spreading across its branches in Cochin, Calicut, and Trivandrum.
He explains “Outdoor media is really quick and impactful because it reaches thousands of people who are by foot, mass transit, or by car. From billboard advertising, ‘Point of sale’ displays to advertising on places such as bus shelters, kiosks, telephone booths, the industry is as immense as you can imagine. Also the transit advertising on taxis, buses, subways, and trains, expressively catches people’s attention.”
He always swears by one thing in life: “Managing the struggles requires clarity to know whether your goals are feasible!” If yes, then you are heading in the right direction, and then comes the need to measure your progress, which eventually focuses on the fulfillment of your goals. “Instant success is a rare specie”, he asserts, adding, “but the patient and determined hunters get to catch it through their remarkable planning and purposeful execution”. “If you have a clear dream and determination, nothing can beat your success, neither your qualification not your age/ experience”, Manikantan iterates.
Shedding light on the venture, he shares that their aim is to create a sense of enthusiasm around everything through a mix of sales-and-marketing tactics through both online and offline mediums, to succeed in hospitality and hotel industry. He discloses, “Our tactics aim at informing guests about the off-the-beaten-path places, the oddball museums or unexpected landmarks while still highlighting the cornerstone of our success: service.”
He admirably presents his views when asked about his uniqueness, by saying that as no person has the same experiences in life, his story witness distinctive experiences, which he really enjoys a lot as they make him learn new aspects. He constantly seeks new learning opportunities that can be applied in the business. He shows gratitude to his staff without whom he couldn’t have achieved all this, though he states that he is never afraid of failure which is an essential part of the experimental process that takes you to success.
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