It’s been 3 years since the night that the Govt. had declared demonetization on November 8, 2016. And in those three years, with the introduction of various laws such as GST and its digital returns filing policy, digital India and others, the Govt. has made a very vocal push towards the use of digital mediums for payment in place of cash. This digital trend can be easily embraced in urban areas where there is already an infrastructure readily available. However, in a diverse country like ours where most of the people live in small towns and remote villages, it is difficult to totally digital.
Companies like Vakrangee try to bridge this gap by establishing infrastructure in the form of a physical point of sale counter in such difficult areas so that people can avail of digital and financial services. The services provided are personal banking, ATM, insurance, and telecom like cable TV.
The business runs on a Franchise model, where you pay a fee to the company to receive a licensee to become a Franchisee. As a franchisee, you have to rent a space to establish a physical store that will house certain facilities such as an ATM, service counter and office.
Depending on the subscription model you choose – Bronze, Silver or gold, there has to be a minimum number of counters in the store, from 1 to 4; and also the minimum office space required shall also increase from 65 sq. ft. to 300 sq. ft. The store shall have to be designed according to the design specifications provided by the Company itself. The investment required also varies across the different plans. The Bronze scheme is the smallest in size and requires an investment of Rs. 3-4 lakhs depending on some sub-plans within the bronze scheme. The silver scheme is the mid-range option and requires investment of about Rs. 3.8 lakhs. Finally, the gold scheme is the most expensive option requiring an investment of about Rs. 4.6 lakhs. After the payment of the amount, the company shall send you the different machines required for services such as digital signature, customer display monitor, weighing scale, fake note detector etc., along with the software licenses for a limited time.
So, the bottom line is that you need to give 3.5 to 4.6 lakhs to Vakrangee to get permission to become a Vakrangee franchisee. On top of that, you have to spend quite some money to lease the store, get it ready, maybe advertisements or promotions, hiring help, etc. All these costs are not included in the 4.6 lakhs that you have already paid. Which may stretch your investment to 6-7 lakhs of rupees or even more if you choose the Vakrangee Gold Package.
However, what if you don’t have so much money to invest in one go. Or you are a young person looking for his first big opportunity to get a foot into the business world without much inheritance to back you up. Then, GST Suvidha Kendra is the perfect opportunity for you. It requires far less investment of Rs. 20,000 to 24,000 and also works according to the franchisee model of business like Vakrangee but without such steep capital requirements. The services offered by GST Suvidha Kendra are also strategically more likely to generate regular income for you, as discussed in detail below.