Decide which warehousing you will do, because they are different businesses: an agricultural godown storing farm produce near mandis, or a logistics warehouse for brands and e-commerce near a city. Both start with land on the right road, zoned for the use, and a fire NOC. For farm storage, register with the Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority so the receipts you issue can be pledged with banks, and look at the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, which gives 3% a year interest subvention and credit guarantee on loans up to Rs 2 crore per project at one location. Storing food needs FSSAI: a Registration up to Rs 1.5 crore turnover, a State Licence (Rs 5,000) up to Rs 50 crore, a Central Licence above. Register on Udyam and for GST. Capital is the barrier, so many start by leasing a built shed and running it as a third-party logistics operator. What kills most is empty space: sign an anchor client before you build, since a half-filled warehouse still pays full rent or interest.
The FSSAI's current table of which food business needs which licence and what it costs a year, revised from 1 April 2026: most businesses up to Rs 1.5 crore turnover need only a Registration at Rs 100, a State Licence costs Rs 5,000 up to Rs 50 crore, and a Central Licence Rs 7,500 above that. Importers, merchant exporters and businesses registered as e-commerce need a Central Licence whatever their size, and hawkers pay nothing.
GST is the single compliance item a solo founder most often gets wrong, either registering too late or not knowing the threshold differs for goods (40 lakh) versus services (20 lakh). ClearTax is the canonical Indian reference on this: it walks the exact portal steps (TRN, Aadhaar authentication, document upload), the documents you need, and the penalty math for skipping it (minimum 10,000 rupees, up to 100% of tax evaded), so you register at the right moment and not a filing cycle late.
The threshold is not one number: roughly 40 lakh turnover for goods and 20 lakh for services (lower in special-category states), computed on aggregate all-India turnover under one PAN
You often need GST anyway to invoice business clients who want to claim input credit, regardless of your turnover
Skipping registration when required carries a penalty of at least 10,000 rupees or the tax evaded, so treat the threshold as a hard trigger, not a suggestion
The authority under the Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Act 2007 that registers warehouses so they can issue electronic negotiable warehouse receipts, with its registration procedure, fees, inspection and insurance rules.
The government's Rs 1 lakh crore financing facility for post-harvest infrastructure such as warehouses and cold stores, with 3% a year interest subvention and credit guarantee on loans up to Rs 2 crore per project at one location.
The government's only portal for registering a micro, small or medium enterprise. It states registration is free and lists the revised limits: a micro enterprise has investment up to ₹2.5 crore and turnover up to ₹10 crore, a small one up to ₹25 crore and ₹100 crore.
