Step-by-step: setting up a GCC in India
A clean setup sequence beats a hundred vendor decks.
The sequence
- Charter: What India owns in twelve months.
- Model: EOR, BOT, own entity, or hybrid.
- City: Based on roles, not only rent.
- Leadership: Site lead and HQ sponsor with calendar time.
- Compliance rails: Counsel, payroll, IP, data, banking as needed.
- First hires: Seniors who can shape the team.
- Office: Right-sized; delay monuments.
- Operating cadence: Rituals with HQ from week one.
- Scale: Only after proof.
Common skips that hurt
- Hiring before charter
- Entity delays that freeze offers with no EOR backup
- Multi-city announcements before one pod works
30 / 60 / 90
- 30: Charter, model, city drafted.
- 60: Partners and first role slate live.
- 90: People in seats against the charter.
Takeaway
Setup is a project plan.
Run it like one. Book a discovery call if you want a Bengaluru-shaped version.