What you need to register depends on how much you sell, how you sell and where your buyers are. This lesson does not tell you what to register. It gives you the list of questions to take to a chartered accountant (CA) and the offices to ask, so that one meeting answers them all.

What you’ll learn

  • The registrations a small Kasuti business is most often asked about.
  • What each one is for, in plain words.
  • Who to ask about each one.
  • How to prepare for a meeting with your CA so it is quick and useful.

The questions to take to your CA

Each of these is “ask whether this applies to you”. The answers depend on your situation and change over time.

  • Udyam registration. The government’s online registration for micro, small and medium enterprises. It is reported to be free and is used to show eligibility for some schemes and by some buyers. Ask: “Should I register, and what does it open for me?”
  • GST. Whether you must register depends on your turnover and on how you sell. Selling through online marketplaces, or to buyers in other states, can change the answer. Ask: “Do I need to register now, or when would I need to? Does selling online or across states change that?”
  • A trademark for your brand name and logo, once you have one worth protecting. Ask a lawyer or trademark agent: “Is my name free to use, and should I apply to register it?”
  • Artisan identity. The office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), under the Ministry of Textiles, issues artisan identity cards that can open some schemes, training and fairs. Ask that office: “Am I eligible, and how do I apply?”
  • Your local business licence. Shops and workplaces may need registration with the state labour department or the city corporation. Ask your CA: “Does a shop, studio or home workshop need a licence where I work?”
  • A bank account for the business. Ask your CA and bank: “Should I keep business money in a separate account, and what kind?”
  • For export – see Module 7, First steps to export.

How to prepare for the meeting

  1. Write down what you sell (products, commissions, charts, kits, classes).
  2. Write down how you sell (WhatsApp, Instagram, your own website, marketplaces, shops, fairs).
  3. Write down where your buyers are (your city, other states, other countries).
  4. Bring a rough idea of how much you sell in a year and how you expect it to grow.
  5. Bring this list of questions and write the answers down, with the date.

Note: rules on tax, registration and export change. Check the current position with a chartered accountant or the office named before you act – this lesson tells you what to ask, not the answer.

Worked examples

Example 1: a home embroiderer selling to local friends. She takes commissions on WhatsApp from people in her own city. Her questions for the CA: “Do I need any registration at this scale? What records should I keep? At what point would that change?” She writes down the answer and the date, and asks again if she starts selling online.

Example 2: a small studio starting a marketplace shop. The studio wants to list on an Indian marketplace. The marketplace’s seller sign-up asks for certain registrations. Questions for the CA: “Which of these does the marketplace require, and which does the law require? Does selling through a marketplace change my GST position?”

Example 3: a brand choosing a name. Before printing labels, the founder asks a trademark agent to search whether the name is already registered in the classes that cover textiles and clothing, and whether to apply. She waits for the answer before spending on packaging.

Tips, tricks and hacks
  • Keep one folder (paper or digital) with every registration certificate, number and renewal date.
  • Put renewal dates in your calendar with a reminder a month before.
  • Use official websites only for government registrations. Search results often show agents who charge for free services; ask your CA which site is official.
  • Ask other artisans which CA they use; a CA who knows craft businesses saves time.
  • Keep simple records from day one: sales, costs and payments, even if no one has asked for them yet.
  • Ask for answers in writing, or write them down and read them back to the CA.
  • Review the list each year or when anything changes: new channel, new state, new country, new staff.
  • Don’t register for things “just in case” without asking; some registrations bring regular filing duties.
Problems and how to fix them

You started selling and never asked.

  1. Book a CA meeting now; don’t wait for a problem.
  2. Gather your sales records so far.
  3. Prevention: review your position whenever your sales or channels change.

A marketplace asks for a registration you don’t have.

  1. Ask the marketplace’s seller support what exactly it needs.
  2. Ask your CA whether you should get it, and the steps.
  3. Prevention: read the seller requirements before you photograph and list anything.

Someone offers to “do all your registrations” for a fee.

  1. Ask your CA whether the service is needed and fair.
  2. Check that any site you use is the official government one.
  3. Prevention: never share passwords, OTPs or bank details with anyone who contacts you first.

You find another business already uses your chosen name.

  1. Stop printing and ask a trademark agent or lawyer.
  2. Consider a different name early, while it is cheap to change.
  3. Prevention: search before you design a logo or packaging.

You can’t find the right office.

  1. Ask your CA.
  2. Ask KSHDC or the handicrafts office in your region.
  3. Ask a cooperative or self-help group that already sells.
Mistakes to avoid
  • Taking advice from a forum or a friend as if it were a ruling. Their situation isn’t yours.
  • Assuming small means exempt from everything. Ask.
  • Missing renewals and filings once registered.
  • Mixing personal and business money so no one can tell what the business earns.
  • Printing a brand name before checking it.
What to ask your CA, lawyer or the office
  • CA: “Should I register under Udyam, and what does it change for me?” (Check current.)
  • CA: “At my turnover, and selling the way I do, do I need GST registration? Does selling on marketplaces or to other states change this?”
  • CA: “What books and records must I keep, and for how long?”
  • CA: “Does my studio or home workshop need a shop or establishment registration or any local licence?” (Check current.)
  • CA: “Is there any professional tax or other state duty that applies to me?” (Check current.)
  • Lawyer or trademark agent: “Is my brand name available, and should I register it? In which classes?”
  • Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts): “Am I eligible for an artisan identity card, and what does it open?” (Check current.)
  • KSHDC: “How do I become an authorised user of the Kasuti GI?”
Check yourself
  • Have you written down what, how and where you sell?
  • Have you asked a CA the questions above, and dated the answers?
  • Do you keep business money separately?
  • Do you know your renewal dates?
  • Have you checked your brand name before printing it?
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