NOT Easy to Do Business
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| # | Submitted | User | IP address | It was | Sector / Industry | State / UT | City | Response-time of officials | Number of documents to be submitted | Availability of information about the process | Overall Rating(desc) | It was an attempt to | Other | The problem was | Other cause | Details of experience | Advice for others | Share my story with | Name | Contact no | Privacy Policy | Contact me | Display it | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 16 Nov 2016 - 17:18 | Anonymous (not verified) | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Social Sector,Non-profit | Karnataka | Bengaluru | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 |
Register the business Trade outside state/ country |
They keep asking me to submit some new document every time |
I helped to register a non-governmental organisation in the social sector in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The number of documents required to do the work was boggling, and very troublesome. It was quite a task to get a VAT certificate for our social enterprise. It took close to a year, as the process was lengthy and the officials kept asking for newer documents at every visit. |
An advice to younger entrepreneurs would be that if you are not ready to bribe the officials, you should be ready to go through a lengthy process to get necessary certificates and documents. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | 9916967853 | nitin.anjaneya@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Keep me updated about responses to my report and experience. | Yes | ||
| 29 | 16 Nov 2016 - 17:44 | Anonymous (not verified) | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Branding | Gujarat | Ahemdabad | 2/5 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Other | Didn't know anything about bureaucracy |
In my opinion, it is absolutely not easy to conduct business in India. I tried to establish a brand that produces sunglasses in Ahemdabad, Gujarat. Aside from the total lack of information, I had to submit completely unnecessary documents. I fail to understand as to why my phone bill was required, when I’m already submitting another documents for address proof? I still don't know why they need so many documents. I did not have any foresight, and it was made worse by the bureaucracy at the government offices, where nobody really knew anything. I had to go to various offices and stand in the queue to figure out which document is required by which window. I also did not have a team, and thought I could do everything by myself - one can't fight the bureaucracy alone! |
I acted a bit prematurely in terms of starting a business, but I advise other budding entrepreneurs to establish a team from the start, and trust them. I thought I could run around and do the paperwork myself, but one requires legal help in establishing a business in this country for sure. You cannot do everything on your own even if you are of the idea that you know the procedures. If you want to excel in a certain sector, you need to know the sector in and out. | Media | Siddhant | 9033227176 | sjgupta010@yahoo.in | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||
| 31 | 16 Nov 2016 - 17:52 | Anonymous (not verified) | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Financial Advisory | Maharashtra | Pune | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | Other | Filing tenders | Can’t find information |
I was told it would take five years for me to get a permanent certificate for my financial services company and until then a temporary certificate would be issued. I bribed Rs. 6,000 and got the registration certificate in three days. My father already had one manufacturing business and intended to open a new business. Since he did not have the time to run around for completing the formalities, we had to hire an accountant and he charged us Rs. 40,000. Like most of the other entrepreneurs, even I had experienced what it really meant to go to bureaucrats and experienced red tape. I had to go various people for ‘n’ number of signatures and stamps. There were so many corrections I had to make in multiple documents to get my company registered. I don’t think there is anything called as – ‘single window clearance’. My father had to set up a chemical plant and had to wait for a year to get environmental clearances. He also had to pay bribes along the way and despite wait for a year. How do we make in India if we are not allowed to make in India? There is no clear knowledge about how to start a company. Most of the people are of the opinion that a lot of money is required to start a company. I started my company with Rs. 8,000 out of which Rs. 6,000 was a bribe. Even if people have some really fascinating ideas, they don’t start a company because they think that it will cost them a lot. The tendering process of the government is flawed and corrupt. It is always given to people who are ‘known’ to the government officials. Once when we managed to get a contract on a fair basis because we really did quote low prices, we were called and blasted by an official. He asked us how we could take up the project when we had no clue about the place where the project was going to start. He finally introduced us to an agent who had taken care of all the previous people who had managed to get the contracts. This is my experience of Pune, Maharashtra. I have no clue how does it work anywhere else in the country. |
It doesn’t take a lot of money to start up a business. So don’t be hesitant if you are thinking about the money and finances are your only concern. | Senior Department Officials | Jason Richardson | - | slamdunk2003@yahoo.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||
| 39 | 23 Nov 2016 - 18:05 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Hotel | Maharashtra | Murud Janjira | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
Register the business Get construction permit Get registration and licenses under labour laws Get electricity connection Get water connection Pay taxes Resolve the court dispute Get through bankruptcy |
Other | Getting a license to serve alcohol was a problem | It was a tough time getting licquor licensed to put up a bar in the restaurant. It was a fight we fought for so many years | Follow your instinct and do a strong market study. Don't do what everyone is doing. In our time we were the pioneers in the business in our vicinity. However today, we are facing a lot of competition | Both | Kumudini Tavsalkar | 9769564269 | tanvi.tavsalkar@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Keep me updated about responses to my report and experience. | Yes | |
| 42 | 23 Nov 2016 - 18:40 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Management Consultancy | Delhi | Hauz Khas | 4/5 | 3/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Can’t find information |
Coming from the UK, the whole procedure went a little quicker than I expected. We hired a lawyer who handled all of the legal work. As per the experience, the lack of information regarding how to set up a business here is terrible. In the UK, every piece of information is on the government’s website, which makes the whole procedure very simple, whereas in India, it is so difficult to understand on your own! I would count this alone as a barrier to entry. Every step had to be explained to me by the lawyer or the accountant. And I had no option but to trust my lawyer. There are many grey areas regarding taxes and you don’t know surely what you need to do. Some of our clients are international and we receive certain fees for our expertise in dollars. Hence my accountant advised me to pay certain taxes since but he said it wasn’t a rule and I wasn’t sure whether I needed to pay that tax or not. The procedure could be set up online and that way it could be much easier and less complicated for people like me to go through the procedure. |
To newer entrepreneurs, I would advise you to pick out good lawyers and accountants, and trust them. They know this system best, and work very well with it. In India, such services are quite reasonable in terms of costs – back home; the legal fees alone are too high! Lastly, I’d advise them to get all their paperwork in order before they start, which would make the registration and paperwork a lot faster. |
Both | Laura Quinn | 98107 76929 | laura.quinn@doonething.in | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Keep me updated about responses to my report and experience. | Yes | ||
| 46 | 24 Nov 2016 - 17:02 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Labour | Karnataka | Mysore | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | Get registration and licenses under labour laws | Other | Labour issues |
For me the problem was dealing with the labour. The problem is that they deserve better, but I cannot pay them more than the market for the fear of being noncompetitive and losing business. But then they don't care much for the money they are paid. Timelines, work ethics, etc. mean nothing to them. But I don't blame them. Right now it's Modi ji's kripa. My business is dead for next few months. No new projects are going to come in, as people are going to hold onto their money now especially if their net worth is less now maybe due to black money, or maybe due to crashed property. The future is uncertain. This policy is really anti-small trade business. People like Ambani selling the daily essentials to common men will not be affected, since demand will never drop. Then, there is also the fear of being prosecuted for something you haven't done wrong. For example, not deducting the right TDS, or putting the wrong tax. Kejriwal had come out with a system of code for each item. Nobody implemented it! We do our work, but need to keep up with stupid compliances, which are subject to whims and fancies of illiterate politicians- most of whom haven't seen a business meeting in their lives, I am sure! It just takes up so much of your time. Harassment by officials is a valid and certain threat. |
Have contingency plans. Be prepared to run around offices, and be harassed by the ones who run them. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | - | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | ||
| 47 | 28 Nov 2016 - 12:47 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Media | Delhi | New Delhi | 3/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Submitting the same document to different departments |
I did not know where do we start. The whole process took me about fifteen days, just to register a sole proprietorship. Now, I know it may not sound like a lot, but it is a lot when one circles a government office for two weeks, every single day. Every other day, they would ask me for a different document. Then, they would direct me to another desk, where the same procedure was followed. I was never asked for a bribe, but in retrospect, I wouldn't have minded if I paid a few hundreds here and there, if that meant my work would get done faster. There isn't even a proper parking space outside the offices. Thank god for Uber! One of the worst things about making rounds of these offices was that you had to wait there until your number or name is called for. I remember staying hungry for the first day. From the next day, my mother sent a tiffin with me! A lot of other people brought some food as well, so it was pretty apparent that they were accustomed to such a system. Lastly, I wish the system required less paper - not only for convenience, but also as a concern for the environment. It creates unnecessary hassles and wastage. How about starting an app, on which you can scan and directly send your documents? I think it would make everyone's work a lot more easier. |
Take loads of copies of all your documents when you go. Carry food. Try not to bribe them, in spite of how alluring it may seem! | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | 7767021676 | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | |||
| 50 | 5 Dec 2016 - 18:26 | Prashant | 203.122.16.122 | Not Easy to Do Business | Retail | Delhi | New Delhi | 4/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 |
Register the business Register property Get permits and licenses under environmental laws Get building plan approved Get electricity connection Get water connection |
Confusing laws that say different things |
I have been running this shop in Jungpura for fifteen months now, after I moved to Delhi on the recommendation of my cousin. I had a big shop in Baroda, which I sold and came here, since the profit margins are better. Buying the place itself was not much of an issue. My cousin had scouted the location beforehand, and found a nice accommodation for me. Back in Baroda, I had a bigger shop, but it was unregistered. So I wanted to get everything done properly this time. I undertook various permissions, because I had a wide list of requirements for the store. The first day, I was made to run around a little, but found the people responsible for the various departments. The next day, I got my two sons to help me out- they had to miss a couple of days of work, but then, we were looking at the long-term profit here! I am not aware of the rankings and numbers you mention [about Ease of Doing Business], but I can tell you the ground reality. Is it difficult to start a new store? Absolutely. There are a lot of documents that are required for the procedure, but thankfully Aadhar completes most requirements. The officials were really nice people, and understood my plight as a newcomer trying to establish business in this town. They always told me the precise number of documents to bring, and occasionally gave me a cup of tea. By my experience, I know that the people themselves aren't bad, but the system itself is crippled. The officials are given a bad name for being very corrupt and inefficient, but I firmly believe that they are good people, who actually want to help you out set up your business. However, they face the same issues as you - they are bound by the same system as everyone else is. |
The officials are your friends. I saw a lot of people shout at them, so I recommend you to treat them like humans. Do not go armed with hostility, and I am sure they will get work done faster. | Both | Jimit Shah | 8460748664 | abcd@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | |||
| 53 | 8 Dec 2016 - 14:57 | Anonymous (not verified) | 115.97.225.19 | Not Easy to Do Business | Hotel | Maharashtra | Thane | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Corrupt officials who asked for bribes |
My experience was not good at all in terms of starting my business. There are officials who will not ask for bribes directly but by the way the whole system runs and procedures are delayed for some or the other reason, you are left with no other option. The documents to be submitted were so many. It is high time that we go paperless and make it easier not only for the officials but also for us. It will reduce the time period as well. |
Government should not cheat people. Go with all the documents and carry extra copies of all the documents you carry. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | 8828172217 | abhishek.kharpude@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes | |||
| 54 | 8 Dec 2016 - 22:04 | Anonymous (not verified) | 115.96.27.41 | Not Easy to Do Business | Education | Maharashtra | Mumbai | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | Register the business | Confusing laws that say different things | There are no clear laws. There are so many laws that say different things. There are conflicting issues. A layman or common man cannot understand the procedure by himself/ herself and will need a lawyer or some expert to deal with the whole process. | Planning in advance is a must. Carry all your documents with you. Carry extra copies with you to be on a safer side. And if possible hire a lawyer or a CA or some expert who can help you out and make the process simpler and easier for you. | Keep it Anonymous | Anonymous | 9821225821 | littleflowersbloom@gmail.com | I have read and I agree with the Privacy Policy mentioned below | Yes |