Starting a business in India splits into two halves that people usually do in the wrong order. There is the paperwork half — registrations, a bank account, GST — and there is the found-by-customers half. Most new owners spend two months on the first and start the second only when the money runs low.
Do them in parallel. The paperwork lets you take money legally. The online setup is what decides whether anybody calls.
A CA will match this to your actual numbers in one conversation. It is worth the fee — changing structure later is more expensive than choosing right now.
Keep business money out of your personal savings account from day one — it makes tax time straightforward and it is what the bank will expect. Banks usually want two independent proofs that the business exists; ask your branch for their exact list, because it varies. Get a business UPI QR at the same time.
This is the part we do for a living, so here is the order we would actually follow, cheapest and highest-return first.
If customers come to you, or you travel to an area, this is the single highest-return afternoon of work available to a new business in India. It puts you on Maps, in the box beside your name in search, and in the "near me" results. It costs nothing. The full process is in our step-by-step guide.
Book the name before someone else does. A .in domain is roughly Rs 500–900 a year, and a business email on it — you at yourbusiness.in — is free on Zoho Mail’s forever-free plan. Writing from a business address instead of a Gmail changes how customers read your quotes.
Switch your business number to the WhatsApp Business app: catalogue, business hours, greeting message, quick replies, labels. For most Indian small businesses this is where the actual selling happens.
One clear profile photo, a bio that says what you do and where, your phone number, your link. Then post your work — real photos, not stock. Nine good posts beat ninety recycled ones.
Justdial, Sulekha, IndiaMART, Bing Places, Apple Maps. Claim them free and make the name, address and phone identical to your Google listing, character for character. Whether the paid Justdial package is worth it is a separate question — we went through it here.
Not on day one. Once you have photos of real work and settled prices, five pages is enough — and you can do it yourself for the price of the domain. Our website guide has the three routes and what each should cost.
Ask every one of them. A business with twenty reviews in its first year looks established; the same business with two looks new and risky. The method is here, and it costs nothing.
If you would like someone to look at what you have set up so far, our free 15-point check reports back on your Google listing within a day — no cost, no call, nothing to sign. For a new business that is usually the fastest thing to fix.
Not necessarily. A sole proprietorship is not a separate company and needs no incorporation — you trade in your own name with the relevant local registrations. A private limited company or LLP is a separate legal entity with its own filings and annual costs. Which one suits you depends on your turnover, your risk and whether you want outside investment, so confirm it with a chartered accountant before you register anything.
It depends on turnover and what you do. The widely applied thresholds are Rs 40 lakh a year for goods and Rs 20 lakh for services in most states, with lower limits (Rs 20 lakh and Rs 10 lakh) in special category states. Some situations require registration from day one whatever your turnover — selling through an e-commerce platform, for example. Thresholds and exceptions change, so check the current position with a CA rather than relying on a blog.
Udyam is the government’s MSME registration. It is free on the official udyamregistration.gov.in site, takes a few minutes with Aadhaar and PAN, and gives you a certificate that banks accept as business proof. Sites that charge you a fee for it are middlemen, not the government.
Yes. Banks generally ask for two independent proofs that the business exists — commonly a GST certificate, Udyam certificate, Shop and Establishment registration, a trade licence or a professional body registration. Requirements differ by bank, so ask your branch for their exact list before you go.
The Google Business Profile, if customers can come to you or you serve a local area. It is free, it takes an afternoon, and for most local businesses it brings more enquiries in the first month than anything else you could set up. Our step-by-step guide covers it.
Send your business name on WhatsApp. The free 15-point check tells you what is missing from your Google listing, within a day, with nothing to sign.
Message on WhatsApp