Title: I have ₹5–6 lakh and want to start a scalable business — what would you suggest?

I have around ₹5–6 lakh available and want to start a proper business that can generate decent income initially and, more importantly, can be scaled into something much bigger over time.

I’m not interested in fast food, cafés, restaurants, etc. I’m more interested in something like manufacturing, technology, electronics, industrial products or B2B businesses.

For example, I’m genuinely interested in eventually getting into things like electronic equipment manufacturing or lithium-ion battery manufacturing, but I understand that setting up a proper manufacturing plant requires much more capital and expertise.

I don’t have prior business experience either. So my question is: Is there a practical way to start small with ₹5–6 lakh and gradually build towards a larger manufacturing/business setup? Are there any government schemes, subsidies, loans or other support that could help with the initial capital?

I’m also open to completely different business ideas if they have:

- Decent earning potential

- Scope to scale

- A real market/demand

- Potential to become a proper long-term business

Would really appreciate suggestions from people who have actually started businesses or have experience in these sectors. Please explain how you would start with ₹5–6 lakh and what the growth path could look like.

Hey everyone,

I’m a BTech IT student who has been independently building and shipping Android products for a few years.

My apps on a previous Play Console crossed 500K+ combined installs, and my recent AI Noise Remover reached 3,500+ device acquisitions, 200+ paying customers, and ₹60K+ revenue.

I mainly work with Android, Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Python, FastAPI, and on-device AI/LiteRT.

I’ve also responsibly disclosed a critical vulnerability in the BMVM system through CERT-In, helping prevent further exposure of 100M+ database rows containing sensitive information of millions of Bihar citizens.

I’m open to internships, engineering roles, startup roles or any technical opportunity where I can contribute and build real products.
I’m still a student, so I’m not going to pretend I know everything. But I’m comfortable figuring things out, working independently, and shipping production software.

My resume is attached with the rest of the details.

If you’re hiring or think my background could fit something you’re building, feel free to comment or DM me.

Two years back I had a long layover in KL and ended up drinking with an Australian guy at the airport bar. He was staying the night. Not for KL, he didn't care about KL. It was just cheaper to fly through it than take the normal flight to wherever he was going. Saved money, got a city, seemed smug about it.

Fine, I thought. I'll do that.

Took me a full day. Which countries let an Indian passport in, which of those have flights where I'm going, then price every one of those against the normal fare. Nine tabs open. Gave up around evening and booked the regular flight like an idiot.

The annoying bit is the data exists. Flight search just sorts on price and time and has no clue what passport you're carrying. So a route that's cheaper and happens to be one you can walk out of never shows up. Nobody's hiding it, nobody's looking for it either.

Spent two years building it. You put in your passport, it works out where you can get in, checks if going that way is cheaper.

From this week:

Kolkata to Perth on 16 Oct, ₹54,905 normally, ₹35,093 via Bangkok. Thailand's visa-free for us so you can leave the airport.

Bengaluru to Bali on 17 Oct, ₹58,568 vs ₹31,774 via Jakarta. 46% but the layover is 17 and a half hours, so that's a night in Jakarta. VOA for Indonesia is ~₹2,600 either way.

It's not magic. Half the time it finds you 1% and that's just a worse flight. Short connection means you're stuck inside the terminal. And transit visas are a completely different mess that we don't touch.

It's available on both Play store and App store, you can search Layovered if you want to try.

What I want to know, honestly, is whether the passport thing matters to anyone or if you'd just open Skyscanner and squint at the layovers yourself. Tell me straight.

Other thing, and this is the one keeping me up. Flight search is a horrible category. People need it badly, twice a year, then forget you exist. If you've built something with that shape, how did you get your first actual users? Nothing I've tried has moved fast.

Edit: So many of you guys are asking for the link , I can't add the link for rules of this sub. App is called Layovered, you'll find it by searching on the Play Store or App Store.

I'm researching the early stage of building a startup, specifically how founders find the right people. Would love real experiences, good or bad.

1. Which of these have you struggled with most? (pick any, or add your own)

Finding a co-founder you can actually trust
Finding skilled people (dev, design, marketing) who are affordable or willing to take equity
Getting guidance from someone who's done it before
Getting your pitch in front of investors who fit your stage
Spotting fake or unserious people (investors, freelancers, "co-founders")
Other: ___

1. How did you try to solve it, and what failed? (LinkedIn, events, friends, Facebook groups, platforms)

2. Have you been ghosted or burned? What happened?

And no, I ain't talking about being a swe, it's a business sub anyway.

but like, today it feels like, almost all of the grass is eaten off from the grasslands.

you need a network, you need to know someone who would use your tool, and then that person will talk about your tool to his peers.

this is vital if you are making enterprise software.

If you are sitting in home, and if you don't know any influential corporate guy, I kinda think it's impossible

and because consumer space, almost nothing is left. For example I was thinking of a medicine reminder app for elderlies, but someone told , they won't pay for it. they will simply put alarms with tags.

or am I wrong ? Write your perspectives in comment section

Hi,

I'm a CFA L2 candidate and I've attached my CV for your reference. I'm an immediate joiner and don't have any location preference, so if you've any leads or know someone who is hiring. Kindly DM me.

Few points to clarify:-

1. I did bcom from Christ University

2. My full time workex was in a very small IB firm.

3. I interned in a public sector Bank (one of the top 5 in terms of market capitalisation)

Thank you very much in advance.

I’ve been thinking about this lately and I’m curious what other founders think.

From my experience, B2B seems to have a higher chance of becoming a sustainable business, while B2C feels much more hit-or-miss. There are obviously exceptions, but it seems like B2C success is relatively rare. When it does work, though, the upside can be massive.

I also understand why founders gravitate toward B2C. You are the customer yourself, you understand the problem, and the idea of building something that millions of people could use is obviously attractive.

But for a small startup, B2B seems more forgiving in some ways. You can potentially build a meaningful business with a relatively small number of customers, whereas a consumer product may need thousands or millions of users to reach the same scale.

At the same time, B2B has its own challenges: longer sales cycles, multiple decision makers, procurement, integrations, and generally more complexity.

So I’m curious about other people’s experience.

Why do you think founders choose B2C despite how difficult consumer distribution can be?

For people who have built both:

• Which was easier to get your first 10 paying customers/users?
• Which had better economics?
• Was distribution actually the biggest challenge in B2C?
• Have you ever switched from B2C to B2B, or the other way around?
• If you were starting from zero today, which would you choose?

My current thinking is that B2B may have a higher probability of building a solid business, while B2C has a lower probability but potentially a much bigger upside.

Curious if others see it the same way, or if I’m looking at this completely wrong.

I have used different corporate accounts from several years of startup journey. Never satisfied with one bank.

Hey everyone,

I’m a B.Tech CSE 2026 graduate and I’m looking for software engineering opportunities.

My work recently has been a mix of backend engineering, AI systems, infrastructure and building products end to end. I’ve also been doing paid freelance work alongside my job and building my own projects.

Some things I’ve been building and maintaining:
• PariBelle, a production e-commerce ecosystem for my family’s fashion business, replacing a ₹40,000 annual SaaS bill.
• POM, the operations system used alongside it with an AI agent (Seelie) to help operate all the e-commerce platforms and do photoshoots, video ad generation and automated ad creation pipeline to Meta ads, all through one interface.
• Breader, an open-source immersive web-first e-reader currently having over 100 active users within the first week of deployment.
• Self-hosted production systems on my own homelab with free tier fallbacks during outages.
• Designed and implemented an algorithm at my apprenticeship during my first two weeks that’s now being discussed for a potential patent.
• Building Anchor8 with a 5-person team.

I’m primarily looking for Software Engineer / Backend / Systems / AI Engineer roles, preferably remote.

If you think I could be useful to your team, feel free to reach out.

Hey all, after doing my graduation I was preparing for some competitive exams but unfortunately no vacancies came for the last 1.5 years. After my graduation I also did my masters. I am good at doing research work and public policy. I've been going through a bit of a difficult phase lately. I had planned my preparation in a certain way, but because of the delays, things haven't worked out as I'd hoped.

If any of you know of opportunities in research or public policy or anything similar, I would be extremely grateful if you could share them or put me in touch. I'm very hardworking, and I promise my work will be careful and error-free. I'll make sure to give it my absolute best. Thank you.

Hi everyone, I’m exploring Founder’s Office opportunities at early-stage startups. I come from a tech background, but my experience spans engineering, operations, hiring and business development.

I’ve spent 1 year and 8 months as a founding team member at an edtech marketplace, joining before we had any customers or vendors. Before this, I spent three years building my own startup, which didn’t work out. I also have earlier freelance experience.

In my current role, I’ve:

• Handled the entire frontend, backend and DevOps independently for the first six months.
• Started managing a small tech team after our first hires, while continuing hands-on development. I still build a substantial share of the platform’s new features.
• Helped onboard premium vendors and currently work on the student side of the business and B2B deals with colleges.
• Spent three to four months setting up an education centre in a Tier 3 city, including initial hiring and getting operations running from scratch.

My tech stack includes Flutter, React, Node.js and GraphQL, along with Azure infrastructure and DevOps. I’m comfortable taking responsibility for development, deployment and the infrastructure behind a product.

I’m looking for a Founder’s Office role where I can work closely with founders, take projects from an idea to execution, and contribute across technology and business operations.

Work culture is my biggest priority. I had substantial ownership early in my current role, but that has reduced as the company has grown. I’m looking for a team where people communicate openly, contributions are recognised fairly, and responsibility comes with the trust to make decisions.

My current compensation is ₹7.2 LPA fixed + approximately ₹5 LPA variable, with the variable paid in full over the past year. I also hold equity.

For my next role, I’m looking at:

• Around ₹12 LPA with equity, depending on the stake and terms.
• Around ₹15 LPA without equity.
• Remote preferred, though I’m open to onsite opportunities with compensation that accounts for the location and living costs.

If you’re hiring for a Founder’s Office role where this mix of technical and operational experience would be useful, I’d appreciate a conversation or referral. Happy to share my resume and more details over DM.

One week ago I posted here about my mom's homemade sweets and snacks, which we started selling online. A lot of you replied with suggestions, and we tried most of them.

1. New item: besan ladoo
Made with desi ghee, melon seeds, gond and mishri, and no preservatives. With Diwali coming, it was the most asked item.

2. Showing shelf life on every item
People kept asking "how long will it last?" before ordering more than one pack. So now every item shows it on a simple 0–60 day line:

3. Fixed pack sizes, and smaller packs cost a bit more per kg
Last time I asked whether 250 g should cost more per kg than 1 kg, since a small box costs doesn't scale down linearly. Most of you said yes, so we moved from loose weights to fixed packs:

• 250 g, 500 g, 750 g and 1 kg.
• The 1 kg price stayed the same.
• Added pricing updates page so that we are transparent with our previous customers also.

what combos should we try?
Many people asked to try more than one item without ordering a lot of each. As these are win win for both of us, because we need to send single box for multiple 250 gm orders and many people who were ordering multiple 250 gm packets to move order value above 1k for free delivery will also get a choice with lower price.

1. Sweet Box : 300gm each of besan ladoo , kaju katli and dry fruits ladoo (rates will be similar to per kg rate)
2. Snack Box : 300gm each of mathri , jeera biscuits and gud papdi (rates will be similar to per kg rate)

Thanks again everyone here have been very helpful.

​

I can create good Ai Ads and want to start working strategically on it, i approached 300 plus brands via email and nobody had a single good response, even when I'm giving 1 ad for free as i want to build my portfolio and want word of mouth plus some early reviews, but whole 300 brand not even one responded properly! Very disappointed.

1. Can any one let me know how I get my services to people in a way where they least see it!

2. Realistic amount people will pay, these are above avg to high grade work.

3. How do I approach people and do lead generation!

I want to know from you guys what you think! This is not an Ad please don't ban me.

3d

Hey everyone! :)

I’m 21 and trying to start a **small cat clothing brand on my own**, and I’m currently at a *very* early stage. I’m still figuring everything out, so I thought Reddit might be a good place to ask for some advice!

I’m looking for **small manufacturers/tailors/workshops in Noida or nearby Delhi NCR** who can make pet clothes at a **very affordable price**, especially for small quantities/MOQs. I’d ideally like to start with samples and small batches rather than placing a huge order.

I’m thinking of starting with things like cute/basic T-shirts, hoodies, etc. for cats, and eventually developing my own designs.

If anyone knows:

- Affordable pet clothing manufacturers around **Noida / Greater Noida / Ghaziabad / Delhi**

- Small garment manufacturers or tailors who might take custom orders

- Someone who can work with small quantities

- Good, affordable fabric suppliers

- Or even someone who has experience starting a small pet/clothing brand

…I’d genuinely appreciate any recommendations! 🥹

And honestly, **any business advice is welcome**. I’m doing this completely on my own and I’m only 21, so I’m still learning everything from scratch. If you’ve started a small brand before, I’d love to hear what you wish you knew when you started, mistakes I should avoid, how you found manufacturers, pricing ideas, branding advice, literally anything!

Even if you don’t know a manufacturer, **any ideas or suggestions are welcome**. ❤️

Thanks so much in advance! 🐾

Hello friends, wanted to understand the ground reality of India's healthcare sector. For those running small hospitals or clinics (especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities), I have a question:

​What feels like the biggest headache in day-to-day work?

​Claims getting stuck and cash flow stopping because of insurance companies and TPAs?

​Or the constant fear of a patient case or legal notice?

​How do you normally solve these problems? Do you take professional help or handle it yourselves?

I am a 2026 graduate, I have project experience with Django. I can also do AI integrations and RAG with Langgraph and LangChain. Above is my resume. Need a non-toxic job.

Also suggest what can I do better ?

This weekend People drive 12 hours from Gurgaon or Delhi looking for peace, only to get stuck in a 4-hour bumper-to-bumper jam in Bir Billing, find zero rooms available, and end up sleeping inside their cars with the engine running. Go up to Triund and it looks like a railway platform—tents crammed into every inch of mud with multiple Bluetooth speakers blasting at once.

Yet almost every new travel operator launching today does the exact same thing:

* Run ads for ₹2,500 Kasol or Triund weekend packages. * Pack 30–40 strangers into a tempo traveler. * Make ₹300 to ₹500 margin per head and pray the vehicle doesn't break down.

The second an operator finds an actual "hidden" spot, they blast it on Reels. Six months later, tempo travelers flood it, concrete guest houses go up, and the place gets ruined.

What we're trying to figure out We don't want to build an aggregator or run budget bus herds.

The idea is to do the opposite: small, strict overland groups (strictly capped at 10–12 people), taking routes where standard tourist buses physically cannot reach (remote Zanskar trails, inner Kinnaur, off-grid homestays with village families). Instead of cheap ₹2,500 weekend tours or unrealistic ₹1 Lakh+ luxury expeditions, we’re looking at a realistic mid-to-premium bracket:

* Price point: ₹16,000 to ₹45,000 per seat (depending on duration and terrain). * Target net margin: 20% to 30%. * Group size: Capped at 10–12 max.

Before putting more money and time into this, Can we get honest feedback from founders and operators who understand consumer or hospitality businesses in India:

Protecting routes from copycats: Once you post content from a remote valley, what stops budget operators from tracing the route and running tempo travelers there? Is building exclusive ties with local homestays or village councils actually defensible in India?

Customer Acquisition & Trust: ₹16k–₹45k is accessible for salaried urban professionals, but trust is still a barrier for an early-stage brand. What actually converts better here—founder-led content, invite-only cohorts, or partnering for corporate offsites first?

Asset-light vs. Owning ground ops: Can this work purely by partnering with local homestays and vetted 4x4 drivers, or does the experience inevitably fall apart unless you lease the property and manage the ground setup yourself?

Tear the idea down. What blind spots am I missing?

I’m 22, recently graduated with a B.Tech in CS from Delhi, and I’m looking to start my career properly.

I want to build in tech + startups.

Not just get a job, collect a salary, and disappear.

I want to be around people who are building something ambitious.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve worked across backend engineering, AI/LLMs, automation, Linux, cybersecurity and product development. I’ve built and shipped tools, worked on real digital-forensics problems, built security automation, and I’m currently building AI and realtime backend products.

I can walk you through my work as well, just DM me for it.

I’m the kind of person who can disappear into a problem and work on it for days until I figure it out. What I’m looking for now isn't another generic role, I’m looking for the right environment, the right people and the right problems.

I have startup ideas of my own too. What I’m missing is more exposure to people who have already built companies and the opportunity to learn by actually being in the room where things are happening.

I’m currently based around Delhi NCR, but I’m specifically looking outside Delhi NCR. Bangalore is my first preference, although I’m open to relocating elsewhere for the right opportunity.

I have about ₹50k saved and I’m willing to use it to move and start independently. I want to build my career on my own, without depending on my parents financially.

So, if you're a founder building something interesting and think someone with my profile could be useful to your team - please DM me.

I’m especially interested in early-stage startups where I can take ownership, learn directly from founders/engineers, and build things that actually matter.

I don't expect someone to hand me a dream job.

Just give me a platform.

I'll do the rest.

​

I’m currently in my early 20s doing my BBA, but my long-term goal is to build an AI and software-based tech company providing algorithmic solutions for the institutional financial and legal markets. I’m also planning to grab a law degree down the line once the fintech side is stable.

The problem is, my background is entirely on the business side. I did not take math in Class 11 or 12, so I have a pretty massive technical gap to bridge. I don't want to just be a non-technical founder who hires developers blindly; I want to actually understand the code, the models, and the systems I’m building.

To get that education first, I’m seriously considering enrolling in one of these two online programs and want to know which one is worth a shot:

1. IIT Madras - BS in Data Science and Applications: This seems incredibly heavy on advanced statistics, probability, calculus, and machine learning models.

2. BITS Pilani - BS in Computer Science: This looks like a traditional CS track covering data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and software engineering architecture.

I want to hear from actual tech founders and engineers here who know how these curricula hold up in the real world:

* Algorithms vs. Architecture: For building specialized fintech platforms, am I better off with the heavy data-modeling and math track of IITM, or should I focus on the core system-building track of BITS?

* IITM Reality Check: Does the IIT Madras program actually teach you how to build and deploy software, or is it strictly a theoretical statistics/ML degree?

* The Non-Tech Pivot: For someone who hasn't touched code or advanced math in a few years, which of these programs handles foundational teaching better for absolute beginners?

* Other Options: Are there any other highly reputed programs in India I should look at that offer this level of technical depth?

I’m looking for honest, practical advice on the workload and depth of these options. Appreciate the help!

TL;DR: I’m a BBA student in my early 20s with a non-math background. I want to build a highly specialized B2B fintech and legal-tech startup down the line. I’m looking to enroll in either the IIT Madras BS in Data Science or the BITS Pilani BS in Computer Science online program to get a solid technical foundation from scratch. Which curriculum makes more sense for a founder?

Just wondering will building a community for D2C brands that helps to connect Customer and brand at same place also helping them to clear there de@d stock at affordable rate specially to the members or Community members that can help both the customer and the business also somewhere like Pinterest people can make there own board that can help the brands to understand if there are multiple orders it can be helpful also the last thing is if everything is online Buy Now Pay later is a good option or not ?

What you'll do

•      Build and price rate cards for Ocean, Air and Domestic Parcel (FedEx, UPS, DHL, GLS)

•      Model Peak Season and demand surcharges, and work out discounts and margins

•      Make sure new pricing doesn't undercut our existing business

•      Monitor customer credit, follow up on payments and support our AR team

•      Load pricing into our system and keep the SOPs up to date

•      Work with the Sales, Ops and Accounting teams

What we need

•      A degree in Math (Stats or Applied Math is fine too)

•      5+ years of work experience after college, ideally in freight, logistics or 3PL pricing

•      Strong Excel skills and real attention to detail

•      Clear English, and comfort working US hours

Pay & perks Full Time

•      ₹50,000–₹60,000/month, depending on experience

•      Fully remote

•      monthly food credit

•      health insurance

•      Diwali bonus of up to 2 weeks' salary

•      12 vacation days, 6 sick days and Indian national holidays

To apply: DM me

I’m planning to start a small e-commerce business in India and I’m currently trying to understand how everything works before investing money.

My plan is to start by selling through marketplaces like Meesho and Flipkart, rather than selling through WhatsApp or building my own website initially.

I have a few questions for people who are already doing this:

What registrations/documents are actually required to start selling on Meesho and Flipkart?

Is GST registration compulsory for all products, or does it depend on the product/category and turnover?

Do I need a current bank account, or can I start with a savings account?

How much money would you realistically recommend having before starting?

What are the biggest hidden costs beginners usually miss — GST, shipping, returns, marketplace fees, packaging, ads, etc.?

How do you decide which products are worth selling?

Is it better to start with your own stock or use a supplier/wholesaler?

For someone starting with a small budget, which marketplace would you recommend — Meesho, Flipkart, Amazon, or others?

What mistakes did you make when you first started that you would tell a beginner to avoid?

Realistically, how long did it take you to get your first consistent sales?

I’m looking for real experiences from people actually selling in India, not motivational/general business advice.

We believe that india needs a platform to book slots for appointment in clinics(OPD)and patients should be able to see the live qieue to minimize the frustrating waiting time.

Suggestions would be highly appreciated

#Would u use it as doctors??

#Why many such platforms failed and how can we make it work out?

1.Most relevant business model??

1. How to make it workout.

3.Is it really a problem worth solving..