Your small business starter kit.

These business ideas and guides are for anyone in India who wants to start something of their own, or grow what they already have. You may be a student, a homemaker, a person with a job, or someone in a small town who wants to earn closer to home. You do not need a big degree or big money to use this site. You need a clear head and the patience to start small.

What you will find here

We have kept everything in one place, in the order a new founder usually needs it.

• Ideas with real costs. Every idea card shows the rough money you need, where you can run it from, the skills it asks for and the licences you may need. Start with business ideas, or go straight to low investment ideas, ideas from home, ideas for women or village business ideas.
• How to start, step by step. Our guide on how to start a business walks you from idea to first sale.
• Registration in plain words. Learn which papers you really need with our guides to business registration, GST registration and Udyam registration.
• Planning tools. Fill in a business plan template and download it, or map your idea on a one page business model canvas.
• Name and brand. Try the business name generator, make a simple card with the business card maker and read our logo ideas.
• Money and loans. Understand business loans, read about government loan schemes such as Mudra, PMEGP and Stand-Up India, and work out your instalment with the EMI calculator.

How to use this site

If you are just starting, follow this simple path. It is the same path most small shop owners walk, only with fewer mistakes.

1. Pick two or three ideas. Use the idea pages and note the ideas that match your money, your time and your skills. Do not pick only on what sounds exciting.
2. Test before you spend. Sell to 10 people you know, or take a few orders on a chat app. Real buyers teach you more than any article.
3. Write a one page plan. Use our plan builder or the canvas. Write down your costs, your price and how many sales you need to cover your monthly costs.
4. Choose a name and register. Check the name for trademarks, then do only the registrations your business needs. Many small businesses begin with Udyam registration and a bank account in the business name.
5. Arrange money carefully. Use savings first if you can. If you borrow, borrow only what the business can repay from its own earnings.
6. Keep records from day one. Write down every rupee that comes in and goes out. This habit alone saves many small businesses.

Who writes these guides

We write like an elder sibling who has run a shop. We tell you what it costs, what can go wrong and what to check before you sign anything. We do not promise income, because no honest person can. Profit depends on your price, your costs, your location, your effort and some luck.

Rules, fees and limits for GST, Udyam and loan schemes change from time to time. We check them on official portals, but always confirm on the official website before you apply. Never pay an agent for a free government registration without first knowing what the official fee is.

Start with one small step

You do not need to read every page. Pick one idea, one guide and one tool. Spend a weekend on them. By Monday you will know more about your business than most people who only keep dreaming about one.