Mumbai is a city that thrives on speed. Industries and businesses rise and fall in quick succession. In the middle of all this urgency, some stories stand out, not for their speed, but for their endurance. Vikram Seth’s 34-year journey with Software @ Work is one of them. While much of the tech world is defined by hypergrowth, Vikram built a company that has stayed relevant across decades. Adapting to both software and the needs of Indian SMEs.
Back in 1991, when business software was still new to India, Vikram founded Software @ Work. Over the next three decades, the company worked with hundreds of customers. First through Tally and now focusing on ERPNext. This month, S@W became Frappe’s newest Gold Partner. This milestone reflects success, but also proves the unique values that the company upholds.
Vikram grew up in the heart of Mumbai, surrounded by energy and diversity. Like most locals from the city, he too was inspired to look out for more. His father encouraged him to pursue chartered accountancy, so that was the path he chose. But alongside, there was an itch he couldn’t ignore: programming. Although he never looked at it as a career, his passion for learning software kept him wanting more. Right before his CA articleship, Vikram enrolled in a summer course in the US to learn programming. This experience confirmed his belief that software would play a transformative role in business.
“In the 80s you had to hire computers by the hour to learn programming. That’s how much I wanted to do it. To sit for a few hours, code, and then carry the ideas till next time. I believed that it was important to try out many things to figure out what actually clicked.”
Celebrating 100 implementations with the Frappe team in 2022 When he returned, Vikram joined Ferguson & Co. (Now Delloite) as a part of his CA articleship. Surrounded by repetitive processes, his work left him restless. Auditing felt too post-transactional. He wanted to be in the middle of the action, shaping how businesses ran. Yet, he committed to pursuing his CA final exams. After clearing them, Vikram got a job as a auditor at a local firm. After three months, when the opportunity to implement software for the same company arose, he jumped right in.
“I cleared my CA, but I didn’t want to spend a life looking backwards at transactions. When I got the opportunity to implement the software for my company, I knew that I wanted to do something that I was more passionate about. Stability was important, but for me, so was this risk.”
The Software @ Work team So there it began. The first software Vikram tried to implement was a TCS accounting solution that he gave to his neighbour. It failed. Instead of being discouraged, he figured out why it failed. His CA training was handy in understanding the business side, which helped him approach implementations with a consultant’s perspective. Consequently, he found Tally, which worked for his neighbour. By 1992, he became an official Tally Partner. The software was simple and reliable, a perfect match for India’s small businesses. For all these years, Tally has been the core business for S@W. But even then, Vikram sensed that SME’s would need more.
“At that time, Tally was perfect because accounting never changes. It is core for all businesses, and in India, it wasn’t automated at that time . Accountants are usually reluctant to change their way of working so use some new software, I knew that. This was a chance to change that and provide a solution to thousands of files and manual work.”
By the late 90s, it was clear that many of S@W’s biggest customers, like Samsonite and Jet Airways, were outgrowing Tally. It was time to find a better solution that covered more than just accounting. Vikram experimented with Microsoft Dynamics, SAP B1 and even CRM tools like Goldmine. But these tools weren’t built with SMEs in mind. Around 2007, Vikram was introduced to Frappe & ERPNext. At that time, he wasn’t sure of the product’s sustainability or its open source nature. So he continued with more established software.
A decade later, Vikram reconnected with ERPNext and began exploring it seriously. The product had grown; the more he studied it, the more he felt like it was the right fit. Open source, affordable and flexible. By 2020, S@W was fully committed to ERPNext and established a dedicated team alongside its Tally team. Over the next four years, they did over 200 ERPNext implementations, switching many over from other software.
“ERPNext felt like India’s best-kept secret. Open source gave us flexibility and gave smaller companies the opportunity to adopt good software. ERPNext also stood the test of time. Since I discovered it, it hasn’t become redundant; it’s constantly evolving.”
Software @ Work's new office inauguration With this passionate need to provide good, affordable solutions, the S@W team kept growing. Now, a team of 75 with 12 focused solely on ERPNext. But numbers are only a part of the story. Vikram has built a culture where his team is trained to think like problem solvers. Most of his team is made up of consultants. Rather than focusing on endless customisations, S@W aims to effectively optimise the software for the customer’s benefit.
“With a company that operates for this long, we’re building a legacy. I wanted my team to be entrepreneurs, not employees. It takes time to change this mindset, but once it happens, confidence grows and decisions are easier.”
Diwali group picture: Software @ Work team These values move into the way S@W does everything. Through all these years and products, Vikram and his team have stayed clear about one thing. That success comes from fit, not force. The team has built a sense for the right projects and customers. They often turn down projects that seem unattainable. For them, this is a better option than stretching beyond capacity or promising what can’t be delivered. This restraint has defined their reputation. They don’t chase every lead, and they don’t compete on features. Instead, they deliver benefits early and build long-lasting trust.
“This might be counterintuitive, but we reject customers, too, sometimes. If the mindset, fit, goals aren’t right, then saying no becomes more important than saying yes. Always under-promise and over-deliver”
GST training session for customers S@W has survived three decades of technological change, but the biggest challenges are often not about the software. SMEs are difficult to convince, they believe the job is done when the books are balanced. Convincing them that an ERP goes into the entire process of the business is an uphill battle. More so ERPNext, which is free, requires more defence than most would expect.
Another challenge was finding the right people. Vikram believes that doing work even without being paid shows that it’s actually enjoyed. The ERPNext team at S@W operates very uniquely. They’re all extremely passionate about the work they do. Finding people with the same motivation had always been tough. The best solution they found was to hire freshers and enable them to believe in the product as strongly as the rest of the team. Now, the ERPNext team is stronger than ever and believes in a customer-first, business-later mindset.
“As an entrepreneur, the journey is lonely. Sometimes when I lost interest or was tired, my team kept on going and believing in the work that they were doing.”
ERP session for business owners Vikram and Software @ Work’s journey is not about quick wins. It is about patience, steady growth and trust. We’re used to assuming that every business is only focused on fast growth. But this wasn’t always the case. Although based in the bustling city of Mumbai, he wasn’t in a rush to scale the company overnight. In the same way, S@W has grown sustainably, and the patience has paid off. Vikram is the first to attest that it’s not an easy journey, but the values that carried them through 34 years are the same ones that will carry them forward.
“Of course, there’s always a need to adapt and stay relevant. But along with that, it is also about staying steady while the world is rushing past.”
What makes Frappe products worth it?
Frappe products have the right balance of functionality, affordability and openness, which is the ideal combination needed for growing businesses.
Why should customers choose Software @ Work?
Over the past 34 years, we have retained our focus on solutions that are affordable and match the needs of growing businesses, which is evident in the 20,000+ customers we have already served.
One lesson you’d want to share with the world
About our ERP business, there is a secret to growth which is, ”Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. Deliver more than you promise." The first part is the most important secret for growth in the ERP services space.
