Are K-Startups Built to Last?

From apple-tracking apps to tech cafés, Kashmir's young businesses are growing fast, but many are ignoring a basic rule that could break them: compliance.

- Syed Arsalan Abid

Across Kashmir, a startup wave is gaining ground. In Srinagar, a young founder is helping saffron farmers reach markets across India. In Shopian, two brothers are building a tech tool to trace every apple's journey. In Baramulla, a café has turned into a buzzing hub for freelancers and founders.

These are exciting times. Local ventures, once rare, are now springing up in towns and villages. Young people are now moving beyond government jobs and trying to build something of their own.

But in this rush to create, one important thing is being ignored: the rules that make a business strong from the inside.

It’s called compliance, a word that might sound boring, but it can decide whether a business survives or shuts down.

When you start a company, you don't just build a product or service. You also create a legal identity. And that identity comes with responsibilities: paying taxes, filing paperwork, renewing licenses, protecting customer data, and keeping proper records of your finances and team.

Skipping these steps may not hurt right away. But when the problems come, they come hard.