I first wanted to make this a list of the top 50 business apps that would all be very useful for small business owners. But then, I just looked at the business apps whose notifications I have kept active, and I don’t see 50 – nowhere near that. There are only a handful of app … Continue reading “How to Use Whatsapp for Business”

Yomillio, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian MSMEs (CIMSME) recently organized an event called “Community Sales for SMEs.” Apart from sales experts who showed attendees how to break through the crowd and sell, the list of speakers also included two government officials from SIDBI and MSME Ministry who talked about how they help MSMEs … Continue reading “How to Get MSME Loan”

As a store owner or retail chain business, you have hundreds or maybe even thousands of products on the racks. How much is your profit margin on one unit of each product, and how much do you make on the product as a whole? Wholesalers typically double the manufacturer’s selling price, and retailers will go … Continue reading “Buyer’s Guide to Private Label Manufacturers and Suppliers”

The Facebook data privacy breach scandals are just beginning to pile up, with multiple ongoing investigations in the United States, England, EU, India and other countries who are just becoming aware of how lax the privacy features were on Facebook. It allowed Cambridge Analytica and its parent SCL Group to siphon data and make use … Continue reading “Sample Privacy Policy and Business App Best Practices”

Private label branding is where a line of products or brand is available exclusively to the customers of a specific store or chain of stores, instead of being sold publicly by the manufacturer through many different distributors and retailers. The retailer offering this private label may or may not be the manufacturer.   Private label goods … Continue reading “What is Private Label Branding?”

You’ll find books and web guides on how to brand your business, and you can go to business school to learn about marketing. But what they don’t teach you in school is that your business needs to have a social conscience, and that consumers relate to what they see as a “good” company, startup or … Continue reading “Brand Building Tips to Make Your Business Stand Tall”

March 8, we’ll be celebrating yet another International Women’s Day. It’s been 110 years now since the first Women’s Day in 1909, and the number of women-owned startups and entrepreneurs has risen steadily. As a matter of fact, women now regularly achieve the same incredible startup success and high-profile exits that every startup founder dreams … Continue reading “Women’s Day and Women-Owned Business Statistics”

The coolest startups to work for tend to be those that have raised funding, or have women as founders or at least cofounders. The work ethic and culture at both sets of startups seem to be significantly different, focused more on creativity and innovation – call it the freedom to innovate. What is it about … Continue reading “The 3 coolest women startups of 2017”

Hiring website developers is a tricky business. Unlike the jobs that your other employees or contractors do, this is something that we don’t know anything about. We don’t know what needs to be done, and we don’t know how it needs to be. For example, let’s say you’re looking for a developer as an administrator … Continue reading “Top 10 things to keep in mind while hiring website developers”

Finding a website designer is one of the most in-demand services that a lot of Yomillio members and non-members inquire about. In our quixotic quest to find the right designer who can serve as a partner providing the design services required, we have sat through endless interviews, project discussions and negotiations. The one thing that … Continue reading “10 things to keep in mind while hiring website designers”

B2B is a very well-known term, but how many services do you make use of that are designed specifically for this sector? In this article, I want to share with you two very important B2B services that will help you generate sales without spending more for marketing campaigns and large sales teams. I’m not just … Continue reading “B2B Services to Increase Sales Without Spending”

As a small business or startup, it’s critically important for you to know your revenue and costs. That’s why you create business plans and projections, and then do debit and credit ledger entries in your accounting software. You do cost analysis and breakeven analysis in order to set the right pricing for your products or … Continue reading “Do You Know How Much it Costs You to Get One New Customer?”

Prof. G Shabarinathan is an Associate Professor teaching Finance & Accounting  at the Indian institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB).  His interests are in the areas of SME finance in India, private equity, venture capital, and the regulation of the securities market in India. This post contains a summary of his lecture at a Demo Day Pitch event organized … Continue reading “Startup Financial Planning and Accounting Best Practices”

In this post, we are sharing with you excerpts from a lecture by Sorav Jain, CEO of digital marketing agency echoVME. Sorav was one of the speakers at the Demo Day Pitch event organised by Startups Club at the Taj Vivanta,  MG Road, Bangalore. He is an entrepreneur, digital and social media marketing consultant and coach, a published author, … Continue reading “Personal Branding on Social Media, by @SoravJain”

When you are running a small business or a startup, you have to spend heavily on marketing to reach the same customers that your competitors are already targeting.  How does a small warrior compete against well-established companies whose team size and budget can easily dwarf yours? These are 5 ways that startups can focus their resources … Continue reading “5 Ways Startups Can Compete With Big Companies”

If you have an idea for a startup, the first point of order is to raise funding, or at least get validation and find out if investors think your idea has potential, and whether your business plan to execute it is feasible enough for them to consider getting on-board. This is where a VC pitch … Continue reading “How to Create the Right Pitch Deck? 5 VC Pitch Decks For Inspiration”

Every business, however big or small, wants to go global and develop their market in every corner of the world.        Before thinking of growing the business in new markets outside the country, you need to do a little preparation in terms of regulatory compliance and risk management. Below are 10 critical steps for getting … Continue reading “Step by Step Guide for Getting Started With Exports”

At its meeting held earlier this month, the GST Council approved tax cuts on nearly 200 items in the 28% tax rate slab. The rate cut is applicable as of November 15, after the Centre and states issued notifications for the same. The Prime Minister is also positive about the benefits these changes will bring for … Continue reading “GST Council Slashes Rates on Nearly 200 Items”

A common theme running through the Biz Summit event was a focus on how startups and SMEs in need of financing can connect with investors. Pitches made by both 21Dojo and Pitchdeck & Beyond were obviously about what they do – which is to provide startup businesses the tools they need to create a professional … Continue reading “Building Investor Friendly Businesses”

One of Yomillio’s core offerings is to help our members raise funding by providing you with the tools and resources you need to do it, in addition to direct connects and business networking opportunities to meet with investors.     This was a highlight of last week’s Biz Summit event, where one of the startups … Continue reading “Pitchdeck Pitches to Startups on How to Pitch to Investors”

If you’re thinking of expanding your business, the most important requirement is about how to fund the expansion. Should you raise funding? When to raise? How much to raise? What kind of funding, and from whom? It’s not necessary that you have to walk into a bank and take a small business loan for the … Continue reading “How to Expand Your Business Without Money”

  What does a customer remember when they think of you? Does a logo like “Coca Cola” or a slogan like “Just Do It” pop up in their mind? Or just a thought of something like coffee brings “Starbucks” to mind? This is branding. Branding in simple words is something that your existing and potential … Continue reading “Why is branding important for a small business?”

The survival rate for new startups in India is worse than a new born deer in the jungle. Startups can so easily be trampled, crushed or otherwise steamrolled by any number of dangers that could be lurking round the corner. It could be new regulations, competition, market crash, financial mismanagement, flawed business models or pricing, … Continue reading “Darwin’s Law of Startups – Survival of the Fastest”

One of the most in-demand strategic business growth services that Yomillio members need help with is digital marketing. Both SMEs and startups find it just as hard to create good websites that draw a lot of visitors, and generate online leads and sales. The general principles are the same, but there are subtle differences in … Continue reading “Digital Marketing for Startups vs SMEs”

The landscape for SMEs is increasingly looking more positive and promising. To build on and deliver this promise, the Government of India has recently launched several initiatives like Make in India and Standup India, with the primary objectives of making India a global manufacturing hub. The aim is to raise the contribution of the manufacturing sector to … Continue reading “Startup Brand Building Tools that SMEs Should Be Using”

If you are an entrepreneur or a professional and wish to be more successful and productive, it goes without saying that you should be on LinkedIn, unquestionably the world’s largest professional network. According to the latest stats published on Fortune, LinkedIn now has over 500 million users from more than 200 countries and territories, 10 … Continue reading “Top 10 Business Networking Groups on LinkedIn”

Adam Houlahan is the CEO of Web Traffic That Works, social media strategist, LinkedIn B2B marketing expert, and the brand ambassador of Microsoft in Australia. So far, Adam has owned and managed six companies. He is an expert in designing innovative social media strategies that deliver quality leads, and is a LinkedIn influencer who can … Continue reading “Adam Houlahan on The LinkedIn Playbook and B2B Marketing”

No denying the fact that the mood, at present, about GST is upbeat. GST has its own share of “naysayers,” as is usually the case when any new reform comes about but the below release from Moody’s Investors Service clearly highlights the over-all positive sentiments about GST. “Already FDI has seen a substantial increase and … Continue reading “What are the merits and demerits of GST?”

Every business should have it’s own customised sales training program that is in sync with their sales process. There are two parts to think of here, while designing a training program that works. One is to structure it in a way that incorporates best practices and steps for sales training. The second part is to … Continue reading “How to Train Your New Sales Team”

As a part of understanding all our clients and their wide range of needs, we did a persona exercise. One of the things that came to light was that many of our clients are facing problems in expanding beyond their present location. Specifically, how can I, a business located in Bangalore or other parts of … Continue reading “Top 5 Ways for Expanding Your Business Without Leaving the Comfort of Your Home”

The key benefit that sets Yomillio members apart from their competitors is that our AI matching engine is able to find the right buyers, sellers, distributors and service providers for your business. It works better when we have more data about what you do as a business, what you buy, make and sell. Today, I’m … Continue reading “Increase SME Sales by Targeting the Right Buyer Personas”

The most asked for service on the Yomillio platform is the connect that our members are asking to other SME businesses who may be their potential customers. In order to do this, the Artificial Intelligence engine that does the matching to find the right buyers needs data on what you sell, your sales channels, and … Continue reading “Online Sales Strategies for SMEs”

At the stroke of midnight, 1st of July 2017, India became one single market where there were no constrictive regulatory norms, where there is seamless movement of goods across the country in reduced time, and where many of the VAT regime challenges were obsolete. Although we are at a very initial stage of GST implementation, … Continue reading “Impact of GST on Startups in India”

On 1st July 2017, India took a significant step implementing the biggest indirect tax reform since independence when it opted for a four-tier GST structure, 5% to 28%, which will subsume various state and central levies hitherto in place, to help create a seamless national market. Indian Industry’s reaction to the GST implementation were mostly … Continue reading “Impact of GST on Hospitality Industry in India”

ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಬೈರೆ ಗೌಡರು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಕೃಷಿ ಸಚಿವರಾಗಿದ್ದು ಇವರು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ವಿಧಾನಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಬ್ಯಾಟರಾಯನಪುರ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅವರು ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಕೃಷಿ ಸಚಿವರಾದ ಇವರು ಕೃಷಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನದ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಅಳವಡಿಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕ ವೆಚ್ಚ ಮತ್ತು ಕಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಕೊರತೆಯನ್ನು ನೀಗಿಸುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯ ಕರ್ಥವ್ಯಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. GST ಕೌನ್ಸಿಲ್ಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಹಿತಾಸಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿನಿಧಿಸುವುದು ಇವರು ಕೈಗೊಂಡ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಸನ್ಮಾನ್ಯ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯನವರು ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಬೈರೇ ಗೌಡರನ್ನು ಈ ಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಇತ್ತೀಚಿಗೆ ಎಕನಾಮಿಕ್ ಟೈಮ್ಸ್ನಲ್ಲಿ … Continue reading “GST ಕೌಂನ್ಸಿಲ್ ಸದಸ್ಯ ಶ್ರೀ ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಬೈರೆ ಗೌಡ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೋತ್ತರ ಅಧಿವೇಶನ”

Over the last month, Yomillio has been publishing a series of GST resource guides to help you with the transition to the new indirect taxation regime in India. As part of this continuing effort to assist our members with their GST implementation and compliance, we have compiled a comprehensive list of GST software and tools … Continue reading “GST Software and Tools – Free Downloads and Trials”

One India, One Tax became a reality on the 1st of July, 2017, when the Goods and Services Tax went into effect. This landmark moment in the history of modern India comes after nearly 20 years of debate and negotiations among states and successive central governments from different parties, members of Parliament and other interested … Continue reading “Timeline of GST in India”

To help our member businesses with the transition to the new Goods and Services Tax regime, Yomillio has published a number of GST related resources and expert interviews. Q & A session with GST Council Member Krishna Byre Gowda GST tips from PwC tax experts As part of this ongoing effort, we are publishing today … Continue reading “GST Courses in Bangalore”

Shri Krishna Byre Gowda is the current Minister of Agriculture for State, Govt. of Karnataka. He represents the Byatarayanapura Constituency, Bengaluru in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. As Minister for Agriculture, his focus areas include greater adoption of technology in agriculture and push for mechanization to overcome high labour costs and labour shortage, to name a few. … Continue reading “Q & A Session With GST Council Member Krishna Byre Gowda”

With the imminent launch of GST round the corner, India’s small business community is about to embark on the transition to this new tax regime. Yomillio is here to provide you access to whatever business support and services you need for GST registration, paperwork and compliance. As part of this effort, we want to share … Continue reading “GST Tips From PwC Tax Experts”

This article is in continuation of my earlier guides on applicable GST rates and GSTIN, and will be discussing the documents required for GST registration in India. Before going into the details, let’s take a look at some of the prerequisites you have to be ready with before your GST registration. Provisional ID received from the concerned … Continue reading “Documents Required For GST Registration”

Once again, for the first time since independence, India is heading forward towards another tryst with destiny. Implementing GST will bring about a lot of changes in its wake. With indirect tax contributing a staggering 34% of the total tax (direct+indirect) collected, it will change the face of India’s tax system. GST will transform the multiple value supply chain model … Continue reading “Who Should Apply For GSTIN Number and How to Get It”

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime is on track to be implemented in India with effect from July 1, 2017, after a long and arduous journey of about 13 long years when it was first discussed in Kelkar Task Force’s report on indirect taxes. On May 18, 2017, on the first day of the … Continue reading “Full List of GST Rates in India”

Around 90% of the 98,000 or so new small businesses that launch every year in India don’t survive. But the businesses who manage to get past the challenges have huge opportunities to grow in the world’s largest democracy with 1.3 billion people as your home market. The recent growth of Indian MSMEs and increasing number … Continue reading “How to Convert Small Business Challenges in India Into Opportunities for Growth”

Before we get to the list of pros and cons of debt funding vs equity funding, let’s take a minute to understand why this is so important. The problem is that at least 50% of new businesses fail inside the first five years, and the number increases to more than 85% by year 10.   … Continue reading “Pros and Cons of Debt Funding vs Equity Funding”

Demonetisation has crept into virtually every aspect of life and business in India. But it’s impact on SME lending has been phenomenal, in both the formal and informal channels. In order to understand the magnitude of this issue, and its short-term and long-term impacts, we need to look at four things: Share of formal vs … Continue reading “Impact of Demonetisation on SME Lending Through Formal and Informal Channels”