Guides
Plain answers to the questions that come up when you run a small business in India, with worked examples you can check yourself. Each guide leads to a free tool that does the sum for you.
Money and tax
- How GST is calculated: adding it and taking it out of a priceThe two GST formulas with worked examples, the current rates, and the mistake that makes people overstate tax on a price that already includes GST.
- What a GST invoice must show: a checklist for small businessesThe details a tax invoice has to carry, when a customer's name is required, and how a tax invoice differs from a bill of supply and a plain receipt.
- How a loan EMI is calculated, and why longer loans cost moreThe EMI formula worked through on a ₹5 lakh loan, how each payment splits into interest and principal, and how tenure and flat rates change what you pay.
- How to write an amount in words on a chequeWriting rupees and paise correctly using lakh and crore, with the small habits that stop a cheque being returned or altered.
- Why the exchange rate you get isn't the one you see onlineWhat a reference rate really is, how banks, cards and money changers add to it, and the one question that lets you compare any two forex offers.
Running a shop
- Margin vs markup: why 25% markup is only 20% marginThe difference between margin and markup, how to set a price for the margin you want, and how much a discount really takes out of your profit.
- How to set up a UPI QR code for your shopWhat is inside a UPI QR code, when to fix the amount, and how to print, test and protect the code on your counter.
- Barcodes for products in India: EAN-13, Code 128 and when you need GS1Which barcode to use, what the digits in an EAN-13 mean, how the check digit works, when you need a registered number, and how to print one that scans.
Growing your business
- How to ask for overdue payments without losing the customerA simple reminder schedule, messages you can copy in English and Hinglish, and what to do when polite reminders stop working.
- How to follow up with leads without being annoyingA follow-up rhythm for small teams, what to say at each step, and the few details worth recording about every enquiry.
- How to plan a month of social media posts in one sittingBatch a month of posts for a small business: what to post, how to choose times, and the file formats that avoid failed uploads.
Writing
Everyday
- How to scan documents to a clear PDF with your phoneLighting, angles and page order for phone scans that stay readable, and how to keep private documents private.
- QR code scams in India and how to avoid themHow QR payment scams work, the one rule that stops most of them, and what to do straight away if you lose money.
- BMI for Indians: what the numbers mean and where they fall shortHow BMI is worked out, why Indian guidance uses lower cut-offs than the global ones, and what BMI cannot tell you.
- Land units in India: acre, guntha, cent and why a bigha variesExact conversions for acre, hectare, guntha, cent and gaj, and why you should never convert a bigha without checking the state.
- How to split a bill fairly: tips, service charge and trip expensesEqual and unequal splits with worked examples, what to do about a service charge, and how to settle a whole trip's expenses in just a few payments.
- How to calculate your exact age for forms and exam cut-offsWork out your age in years, months and days on any date, read an exam's age limit correctly, and avoid the cut-off mistakes that cost people a chance.