Started From home, How a Bangalore Entrepreneur Turned Startup Compliance Chaos into a ₹3 Crore Business.

For most first-time entrepreneurs, enthusiasm often fades when they face India’s maze of startup paperwork and bureaucratic hurdles. From tax registrations and company incorporation to endless filings, every small step feels like a roadblock.

Back in 2015, Sharath Shyamasunder, a Bangalore-based entrepreneur and the founder of The Startup Zone, faced this same struggle. Instead of giving up, he transformed that frustration into a business idea — one that now simplifies the company compliance journey for thousands of Indian startups.

A Chaotic Beginning

Sharath’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2011 with an event management venture called The Invitation Store. Like many first-time founders, he learned the hard way how confusing India’s complex company paperwork can be.

“We didn’t even have a turnover necessary for a service tax registration when we started,” he recalls in an exclusive conversation with Startup Pedia.

“But someone told me to get a service tax registration, even though it wasn’t required. I spent time and money on something I didn’t even need.”

That single mistake opened his eyes to a larger truth — how confusing and costly India’s startup compliance system can be for small businesses. Many new entrepreneurs are misled and overcharged simply because they don’t know what’s actually required.

Learning the System From the Inside

After winding down his first venture, the Bangalore-based entrepreneur, who is an MBA graduate from MDIS Singapore, joined Vakil Search, a legal-tech startup, as Head of Sales and Partnerships.

There, he witnessed firsthand the struggles startups face with legal filings, tax registrations, and documentation. Founders were losing precious time dealing with compliance instead of growing their businesses.

Later, during a stint at PayU, he learned how digital systems could automate traditional, paper-heavy processes — sparking an idea that would soon become his life’s mission.

By late 2015, Sharath had seen enough. He wanted to simplify the chaos for good.

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The Spark That Started The Startup Zone

“I realized entrepreneurs were spending more time dealing with compliance than building their vision,” says Sharath. “Someone needed to simplify this chaos.”

That thought led to the birth of The Startup Zone — a Bangalore-based startup founded in 2015 to help entrepreneurs handle all the tedious parts of starting and running a business.

Building a Startup to Help Startups

The mission was simple yet powerful:

“Our goal is to empower entrepreneurs so they can focus on scaling their ideas instead of drowning in compliance,” says the founder of The Startup Zone.

The Bangalore-based startup brought together experts from chartered accountancy, company secretarial, and legal backgrounds — all under one roof.

Instead of hiring multiple vendors for tax, legal, and accounting, founders could now get everything done seamlessly in one place.

Starting From Home With ₹2–3 Lakh and a Big Dream

The early days were humble. Sharath started from home with just three to four people split between Bangalore and Chennai, operating on a modest investment of ₹2–3 lakh.

That small sum went toward building a basic website, buying second-hand laptops, and running Google Ads. Their first offering was VAT and service tax registrations.

“We didn’t even know how to incorporate companies or handle IP filings back then,” Sharath laughs while narrating his journey to Startup Pedia. “But we learned everything as we grew.”

That “learn-as-you-grow” attitude became part of The Startup Zone’s culture. Each year, new services were added — company incorporation, accounting, intellectual property, and later, fundraising support.

By 2021, the Bangalore-based startup had evolved into a comprehensive compliance partner, managing everything from bookkeeping to investment paperwork for early-stage companies.

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What The Startup Zone Offers Today

The Bangalore-based startup now provides a full suite of startup compliance services, including:

• Company Incorporation: Private Limited, LLP, OPC, and Partnership registration — 100% digital.
• Post-Incorporation Compliance:Accounting, GST filing, income tax returns, and ROC filings
• Intellectual Property: Trademark and IP registration for emerging brands.
• Investment Advisory: Assistance with documentation and due diligence for fundraising

“Setting up a company is easy. The real challenge begins after that — monthly filings, audits, and maintaining records. That’s where we come in,” the founder of The Startup Zone explained during the Startup Pedia conversation.

For instance, incorporating a Private Limited company through The Startup Zone costs around ₹25,000, inclusive of government and professional fees.

And unlike many firms, they don’t believe in one-size-fits-all pricing.

“A real estate firm and an e-commerce startup can’t be treated the same. We customize pricing based on the business type and effort involved,” Sharath says.

The GST Revolution: A Turning Point

The introduction of GST in 2017 became a major breakthrough for The Startup Zone.

“We started advertising even two days before the GST portal went live,” Sharath recalls during the Startup Pedia conversation. “We didn’t know exactly how it would work, but we were confident we’d figure it out.”

That confidence paid off — on the first day itself, they received nearly 100 calls, becoming one of India’s earliest GST service providers.

From there, the business scaled steadily through trust, adaptability, and client satisfaction.

“We’ve always grown organically. Every new service we launched came directly from what our clients needed,” says the founder of The Startup Zone.

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From ₹5 Lakh to ₹3 Crore: The Journey of a Bootstrapped Startup

Like every startup, The Startup Zone had humble beginnings.

In its first year, the company earned around ₹5 lakh. The second year brought in ₹12 lakh, and the third, ₹19 lakh. But the next year changed everything.

With the introduction of GST, revenue jumped to ₹45 lakh, followed by ₹60 lakh and ₹65 lakh during the pandemic years. Despite the lockdowns, the team managed to pay full salaries — a rare feat for a bootstrapped business.

By 2022, they crossed the ₹1 crore mark, followed by ₹1.2 crore in FY 2022–23, ₹1.7 crore in FY 2023–24, and ₹2.2 crore in FY 2024–25.

This year, they’re targeting ₹3 crore in revenue — all without external funding.

The company has now served over 5,000 clients, with 400+ retained on long-term contracts. Their team has grown to 20 full-time members, along with interns from various colleges.

Milestones That Made the Journey Worth It

Sharath recalls three defining moments in his journey:

1. Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) choosing The Startup Zone for labour compliance
2. Helping personal care brand Anveya with its first fundraising documentation
3. Managing a ₹300 crore raise for India’s largest millet chikki manufacturer

“All of this came through word of mouth and client trust — not paid marketing,” the founder of The Startup Zone adds in the Startup Pedia conversation.

Challenges That Tested the Team

The path wasn’t smooth. In 2018, Sharath and his co-founder amicably split operations between Chennai and Bangalore, leaving him with just two employees and dozens of clients to serve.

“It was tough,” he admits. “We handled sales, filings, and support ourselves, working day and night.”

The COVID-19 lockdowns were another test, but The Startup Zone stood firm, without layoffs or salary cuts.

Today, the main challenge is hiring and retaining skilled talent, but Sharath proudly says, “Most of our senior employees have been with us for years. They’re the backbone of our growth."

Business Beyond Boundaries: The Next Chapter

Looking ahead, Sharath and his team are building Business Beyond Boundaries (BBB) — an initiative to help foreign entrepreneurs set up operations in India effortlessly.

The Startup Zone already manages 30+ foreign subsidiaries, and BBB aims to create an entire ecosystem — from virtual offices and HR support to banking and legal partnerships.

“We’ve tied up with coworking spaces, HR firms, and banks like HDFC, ICICI, IDFC and HSBC,” Sharath shares. “The goal is to make India entry smooth for global founders.”

Alongside, the team is investing heavily in automation and AI to make company compliances faster, more accurate, and secure.

“The future is about speed, accuracy, and scalability. Our job is to handle the paperwork so founders can focus on their passion,” concludes the founder of The Startup Zone.

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