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Business motivation

GST: What Is Goods And Services Tax And What Are The Benefits It Offers?

The change that is now recognized as one of the biggest reforms made in India that changed the entire game of how and what taxes are paid. Yes, We are talking about GST, goods and services tax, that includes many indirect taxes which were imposed by the central government such as excise, VAT, and service tax. GST has helped the MSME sector a lot by simplifying the process of filing returns, hence, decreasing their dependence on the experts who used to help them earlier with filing their taxes.

Components of GST
  • State Goods and Services Tax (SGST): Tax levied by the State Government
  • Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST): Tax collected by the central government
  • Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST): Tax applicable on inter-State supply of goods and services by the central government

There are many such benefits and advantages that GST offers, and anybody who is an aware and responsible citizen of India should know about it as it affects not only the entrepreneurs but the customer as well. Some of the main benefits are

Technical Advantage It Offers

The best thing about the introduction of GST is the technology that is involved in the process which is playing to its strengths. It is now way easier to register and to file the returns. There is an online GST portal that will help you with

  • Registration
  • Return filing
  • Application for refund
  • Response to notices
  • Consumer grievances

Uniformity In Taxes

Earlier, when GST was not in existence, there were several other taxes that unintentionally increased the cost of goods and services. However, GST has not absorbed all these taxes such as VAT, Excise, and service tax to rescue the cascading effect they had on the entire process. GST has brought that uniformity that much required and has ultimately resulted in the reduction of the total cost.

The Composition Scheme

GST offers a composition scheme under which small businesses that have a turnover of up to 75 lakhs can benefit by lowering their taxes by making the required changes. This has helped so many businesses with the unnecessary burden of tax and compliance.

Higher Threshold

According to this very beneficial reform, businesses that have a turnover of up to Rs. 20 Lakhs will be exempted from paying the GST. Earlier, with VAT, businesses that had a turnover of more than Rs 5 lakhs had to pay this tax. This change is speaking for the evident relaxation that has been provided to small businesses.

These are only a few of the many changes that were brought into existence to ease up the burden on the needy and to bring transparency in the whole system, Sure, which reform of this magnitude, there were some difficulties that were introduced, but the number and magnitude of the positives it brought can any day overweight the negatives.

 

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Business motivation

Distribution Business: The Business Trend That Has Been Winning The Hearts Of Budding Entrepreneurs Over The Years

Distribution business ideas or as many would call it wholesale business ideas, is one business trend that never lost its charm over the years and has continued to solidify its significance in the Indian market. All entrepreneurs who are trying to build a business from the scratch and have a budget that is a bit stretched could start this business without worrying about the overhead expense/costs that a manufacturer or a retailer has to bear. 

In this article, we will introduce our readers to 4 such business ideas where they just have to carefully strategize, execute, and plan along with keeping eye on the product demand and the capital.

Business That Involves Distribution Of Medical Equipments

The most important thing that this global pandemic of COVID-19 has taught us is that the healthcare system needs to be more organized and needs to be well equipped. Medical and healthcare equipment will always be needed by hospitals as well as patients. Hence, if you have good connections with a good supplier as well as a medical organization, this business will be a profitable affair for you.

Cosmetic And Personal Care Distribution Business

The majority of the population in India that is 65% is below the age of 35.  The millennials in our country, who are all very aware of the beauty and personal care regardless of their gender, have made this business this popular. If you are someone who has an interest in selling these kinds of products and know-how and where you can find your potential retailer, this is the best business to be in. Just remember to be associated with a supplier that only and only makes high-quality products.

Automobile Distribution Business

This has been a popular choice and is continuously growing as a market. We all as a nation are witnessing the development and can clearly see better connectivity in the form of roads in semi-urban and rural areas. With better connectivity, emerges the ease to have your own vehicle for communion. With the growing demand for vehicles, this business is topping the chart as one of the best distribution businesses. However, it will require you to put in a large capital.

Home Appliance Distribution Business

This distribution business has always been in demand and has always experienced good profits because home appliances are something that is now a very common thing to be seen in every household. With new models coming in every now and then, people tend to replace the old with the new and better ones. This cycle has proved to be extremely profitable for the people who are in this business. If this is something that excites you, go for it.

There are sure goods and services that are greatly sought after and one needs to distinguish that item and sell it remarkably. In case that the item wins the hearts of your customers, they will be prepared to follow through on an excellent price for it.

 

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Business motivation

The Key To Successful Marketing Business: How To Make Your Marketing Agency Number One In Market

Very fondly we write in big bold letters in the tagline “the best marketing agency in the market”, but do you agree with this statement? Deep down you know it is very hard to live up to your words and make your customer believe in you and your business. Nonetheless, there are a few traits that make a marketing agency stand out and be known for something it is best at doing. 

To take pride in your business and to make it more successful than ever, we are presenting to you some traits that are often observed in some of the very successful marketing agencies regardless of the scale they operate at. Brace yourself and walk this journey with us to become a part of the successful lot.

The Abundance Of The Creative Juices

The success of a great marketing strategy heavily depends on how creatively the campaign has been designed. Yes, creativity holds the same importance for a marketing firm that marketing holds for any business, You can not survive without it. It is important to have that creative eye to be thriving in this business and to make your marketing strategies not fall into the same old stale ideas that have been used to date.

Execution Is Key

Just imagine you coming with a solid plan that nobody has ever thought of, but the catch is that nobody is experienced enough to execute that idea and turn it into reality. To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, work on coming up with some tried and tested processes that have never failed you in the past and with the help of which you can

Market Yourself Before Marketing Your Customer

How exactly do you think your customer will trust you with marketing their business if your business lacks it in the first place. To help your customer develop faith in you and your business, work on marketing your business first. Let the world know that you are all about setting an example for others. Work tirelessly on building a strong online presence and let the word of mouth work its wonders.

Flexible And Fluid With the Media

Why do you think a client comes to expect of you when he asks you to market his business? He wants his business to market via all kinds of mediums, be it print media, electronic media, social media, radio, and whatnot. It’s okay to have expertise in a particular medium but you should be fluid with working on others as well and kill all the reasons for your customer to get disappointed.

Most of us think that marketing is all about posting social media creatives and increasing brand visibility. No, marketing is much more than that as there is a lot to it than meets the eye. It demands a lot of attention, creativity, execution, and awareness. Although success is mostly driven by your hard work, these traits will surely help you solidify your credibility and image.

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MSME

Credit Guarantee Scheme For MSME Sector Unlikely to be Extended Beyond October 2020

New Delhi, October 19: The Narendra Modi government is unlikely to extend the Rs 3 lakh crore-Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSME sector beyond October. According to a PTI report, this scheme is meant to provide financial support to businesses, primarily Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), impacted by slowdown triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

As per sources quoted in the report, the decision to not extend the ECLGS scheme has been taken even though the sanctioned amount so far is only nearly 65 per cent of the target.

On August 1, the government widened the scope of the Rs 3 lakh crore-scheme by doubling the upper ceiling of loans outstanding and including certain loans given to professionals like doctors, lawyers and chartered accountants for business purposes under its ambit.

The objective of the scheme is to provide support to all those affected in the coronavirus pandemic and if there are no takers for the scheme, then the scheme won’t be extended even though there is some room left.

On August 1, the government widened the scope of the Rs 3 lakh crore-scheme by doubling the upper ceiling of loans outstanding and including certain loans given to professionals like doctors, lawyers and chartered accountants for business purposes under its ambit.

 

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MSME

MSMEs in India Get Big Relief! Govt Ready to Waive ‘Interest on Interest’ on Loans Up to Rs 2 Crore During Moratorium

New Delhi, October 17: In a major relief to thousands of individuals and MSME borrowers in India, the Modi government announced that it is ready to waive ‘interest on interest’ on loan up to Rs 2 crore during moratorium. In an affidavit filed on October 3, the government informed the Supreme Court that it has taken a decision to waive ‘interest on interest’ on loans up to Rs 2 crore during the six-month moratorium period. The affidavit said that the only solution is that the government should bear the burden resulting from waiver of compound interest.

The retail borrowers and small businesses are the ones who have been worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. After the Centre expressed its willingness to waive off ‘interest on interest’ charges on loans up to Rs 2 crore for six months through August, the benefit will now be extended for loans availed by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), education loans, housing, consumer durables, credit card dues among others.

The categories of loans up to Rs 2 crore include- MSME loans, education loans, housing loans, consumer durable loans, credit card dues, auto loans, and personal loans to professional and consumption loans. The Centre said, “After careful consideration and weighing all possible options, the respondent Union of India has decided to continue the tradition of handholding the small borrowers”.

In the affidavit, the Centre added saying that it is impossible for the banks to bear the burden resulting from waiver of compound interest without passing on the financial impact to the depositors or affecting their net worth adversely, which would not be in larger public interest. “The government, therefore, has decided that the relief on waiver of compound interest during the six-month moratorium period shall be limited to the most vulnerable category of borrowers”, the affidavit said.

According to a report by IANS, after the recommendations of an expert committee, the Centre has altered its stand. Earlier, the RBI and Centre had argued against waiver of interest on interest, as it would be against the interests of other stakeholders, especially depositors, and also unfair to those who have paid their dues.

Background:

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, RS Reddy and MR Shah had requested the Centre to have again consider its decision in the backdrop of financial hardship faced by many amid the coronavirus pandemic. Although, the top court had agreed to not waive interest altogether. The Centre said that the top Court would be satisfied that the government bearing this burden would naturally have an impact on several other pressing commitments being faced by the nation, including meeting direct costs association with the pandemic management.

The Centre also cited the example of waiving interest on interest for banks. “In case of SBI alone, waiver of six months’ interest would completely wipe out over half of the bank’s net worth which has accumulated over nearly 65 years of its existence”, the affidavit read. The Supreme Court will take up the matter on October 5 for further hearing. A clutch of petitions was filed in the top court seeking waiver of interest on interest on the deferred EMIs during the moratorium.

 

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MSME

Credit Guarantee Scheme: Banks Sanction Rs 1.86 Lakh Cr to 50 Lakh MSMEs Impacted by Slowdown Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

New Delhi, October 17: The Finance Ministry announced that banks have sanctioned loans of about Rs 1.86 lakh crore to 50 lakh business units under the Rs 3-lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector, those who have been affected by a slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report by PTI, over 27 lakh MSME units have received about Rs 1,32,246 crore till September 29.

Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme is part of the fiscal component of the Rs 20-lakh crore Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package that was announced to lessen the stress caused by the lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic.

The scheme will be applicable to all loans sanctioned under GECL facility during the period from the date of announcement of the scheme to October 31 or till the amount of Rs 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under GECL, whichever is earlier.

Categories
Startup

5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting Your Own Business

Mumbai, October 16: Often people want to start their own business because they feel they have a great idea. We don’t want to discourage anyone but would like to remind that starting a business is not a cakewalk it requires a lot of crucial planning in the backend.

Here are five questions which you need to ask yourself before starting your own business.

Try to Have a Unique Idea

The first and the foremost to any business is to have a plan for your business. Your idea should be unique and something which the customers want. Don’t try and launch something where already 10 players are fighting with each other. If you have an idea, keep your customer in the centre of it and think aloud that how will they be benefitted.

Do Adequate Market Research 

It is very important to do market research before you think of launching your product in the market. Understand if there is a demand for your product and then analyse your competition. Try and find out how will your product be different from the others and why should customers choose you.

Compare the Risks Vs Rewards

It is very important to analyse the risks associated with starting a business in comparison to the rewards which you may get to see if the business becomes successful. For e.g you may have a lucrative career, earning a handsome salary and thinking of quitting your full-time job to start your business. There are no doubt huge challenges and risks associated in the initial few years, so are you ready for it?

There can be two sides to your wanting to start a business. One being your idea may not kickstart and second, it may become huge and a successful venture.

Strategise a Plan

It is very important to plan and plan well if you want to start your own venture. Remember everything is new and will be in limited resources. Right from the budget to the people whom you will be able to hire to run your team. You need to spend every penny wisely. Crisis doesn’t come knocking at the door, for e.g. no one knew at the start of this year that the COVID-19 pandemic will lead to several businesses getting shut and people losing their jobs. Therefore, it is very important to plan for a time when things will not run smoothly.

Do you have the money?

Finally, do you have the money to start a business? Are your finances in place? According to a Forbes report, most startup founders use their personal savings to fund their businesses. It is therefore very important to not remember not to drain your bank account to raise funds for your business. Entrepreneurs should set aside enough living expenses to last them for a year. Most startups are not profitable for months after opening

 

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Finance

Gold Rate Today: Price of Yellow Metal Down to Rs 50,653 Per 10 Gram, Silver Slips to Rs 61,512 Per Kg

Mumbai, October 16: On Friday, gold and silver prices were down. On MCX, December gold futures were down Rs 50,653 per 10 gram while silver futures edged slightly lower to Rs 61,512 per kg. The rates of the precious metal this week have been volatile this week.

In August gold had hit a record high of Rs 56,200 per 10 gram while silver had inched closer to Rs 80,000 per kg. Talking about the global markets, the prices remained muted today amid a firm US dollar and uncertainty over US stimulus package.

Spot gold slipped 0.1 percent to $1,906.39 per ounce and it is down over 1 percent so far this week. Investors turned cautious after rapidly rising coronavirus cases in the United States and put safe-haven bets in the dollar again, suggest experts. The dollar index gained around 0.50 percent and pushed global equities and commodities lower.

The price of a 10-gram 24-carat gold in Mumbai is Rs 50,530. Customers in Delhi will be able to buy a 10-gram 24-carat gold at Rs 53,740.

Categories
Business motivation

The Yin To Your Yang: What Kind Of Marketing Agency Would Suit Your Business The Best

When you go all out wanting to put the wings of a perfect marketing campaign to your business that is ready to fly high, you often find yourself in the dilemma if you will be able to find the perfect marketing agency to cover all your needs. There are tons of marketing agencies out there who promise to be full service, however, they often end up focusing on/having expertise in a handful of areas in the marketing department. 

Now It is up to you to decide which marketing agency fulfills your needs and will help you grow your business beyond expectations. This article is all about bifurcating the different kinds of marketing agencies so that you get a little help shaping up your decision to place the last bit of that intimidating puzzle.

The Ones That are experts In Public Relation & Branding

A PR firm or a branding agency is basically responsible to get your business a comprehensive consumer outreach, helps you position your brand in the market, advocates your brand, and plays an important role in crisis management. Most of the businesses turn towards these kinds of agencies in the nascent stage of business to get the perfect help in building personality and setting a tone. 

The Ones That Have expertise in Web development & Designing

These are the kinds of agencies that will help you build a site for your business considering how important it is in today’s day and age to have an online presence. These agencies will not only help you develop a website but also help you develop it further and host it as well. These agencies will help in the growth of your business by working on the functionality aspect as well as on user responsiveness. But there is only so much these agencies can do as they do not SEO acumen to drive more traffic to the site.

The Ones That Are Industry Specific

Now we’ll talk about the kind of marketing agencies that do offer all the services under one umbrella but there is a catch. These agencies will only market a business that belongs to a specific industry. These kinds of agencies are a godsend for those who want to make a name for themself in a particular industry such as recruitment. However, this quality might not all help those businesses who are looking to seek promotion outside the industry too. All in all, if you are looking to market yourself in a specific domain, these kinds of agencies are your go-to as they have tremendous experience in meeting success with other clients.

Full-Service Marketing Agency

Imagine a marketing agency that provides all services and promotes you via all kinds of media that is print, electronic, radio, digital, public relations. Too good to be true right? Kind of, because if an agency promises you a bit of everything, it will compromise somewhere. This compromise could be in the form of agency not giving special attention to the aspects that you want to be looked after thoroughly. Nevertheless, let’s not forget the best part about them that is wonderful for a business that has a lot of services to provide and can cover many industries.

Marketing agencies might be many, but the success of your business lies only and only in choosing the right one that meets all your needs and works as the perfect key to unlock your business for unlimited growth and success.

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Business motivation

How To Figure Out If You Can Bear The Cost Of Starting A Coffee Shop Business

The beautiful and comforting smell of coffee turns into a pungent smell when you realize that you can not fulfill your dream of starting your beloved coffee business because of the lack of funds. We understand it could be shattering to learn midway building the dream castle that you can not afford the cost after all. We have realized the importance of familiarizing you with the concept of calculating the overall cost of starting a coffee shop.

In this article, readers can expect us to include all costs that vary from rent or build expenses to all the cost of supplies. So, gear up to dive in deep into the pool of financial wisdom and crunch those numbers!

It Is Important To Narrow Down Before Calculating The Cost

Let s all establish a fact here that not all coffee shops operate at the same scale or have the same business model. Some coffee shops are full-grown cafes whereas others could be just in the form of more like a simple coffee cart. So, for your ease, kindly narrow down what your coffee shop would look like. Decide if you would like to be a kiosk, Drive-through, or a big coffee bar. Also, A major chunk of your money will go into renting a place or building a place of your choice from scratch. The location that you choose for your business or shop will make a huge difference to your overall cost, hence, it is advisable to narrow down your options for a perfect locale for your business.

The Location

One of the most intimidating costs, the cost of finding a place to let your dreams grow into a full-fledged tree loaded up with fruits of profits and contentment. While selecting a place for your business, you have three options, The first is to rent a shop, for which you will have to arrange amounts for advance payment and other expenses such as commission. If you choose to build a space from scratch, we suggest you consult an architect and discuss all the costs that you will have to bear to take off the interior and exteriors. You can also think of buying a good-to-to space for which you will have to look into the mortgage payment system. Always remember that your monthly expense for the place should not be more than 15% of the monthly profit.

Equipment

This is what will make for a solid foundation for your operations. Make this decision very wisely about choosing the best equipment for your cafe. The cost will vary depending on what scale you are operating your business. The cost to equip a bigger cafe will certainly be more than equipping a cart. 

Raw Material

These are the consumable supplies that will take you to spend double the amount in the initial phase as you would want to keep your shop all stocked and ready for business. We suggest stocking up, in the beginning, there are some supplies that will not exhaust anytime soon. 

Staff And Payroll

It is strictly for those businesses that are planning to hire help for running the operations. You need to figure out how much work and responsibility they will be given and how much you can offer them according to the market standards. Accordingly, calculate the staffing and hiring costs.

Marketing Is A Necessity

It is good to have confidence that you will increase brand awareness solely on the basis of word-of-mouth but we would suggest you to play safe and leave no stone unturned. Look after your online presence and promote yourself with the help of local media to let the world know that you live for business.

Shuttering Down . . . . 

It is difficult, if not next to impossible, to calculate the fixed price of how much it is going to cost to start a coffee shop. However, this guide that we have documented for our user, will definitely help them figure out a rough estimate of how financially prepared they need to be before structuring a solid plan.