I'm not a finance person, what books/records do I actually need to keep from day one?
The short answer
At minimum: a sales register (every order, with GST split if applicable), a purchase/expense register (raw materials, ads, shipping, software), a bank reconciliation, and inventory records (what you bought vs what you've sold vs what's left). Almost every founder can skip spreadsheets and go straight to a proper accounting tool (Zoho Books, Vyapar, Tally) from month one, GST invoicing and return prep alone make it worth the Rs 500-1,500/month. The real discipline isn't the tool, it's doing it weekly, not saving three months of receipts for your CA at year-end.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
Why we picked it
A CA firm's practical picks rather than a vendor's self-promotion, useful second opinion when deciding what to actually implement versus what a software company wants to sell you.
Why we picked it
A neutral, feature-by-feature comparison of the three tools every Indian founder actually considers, saves you from three separate sales pitches.
Why we picked it
The easiest on-ramp into proper bookkeeping for a founder with zero accounting background, free under Rs 25 lakh turnover and GST-compliant invoicing out of the box.
