Glossary
The India–GCC Business Glossary.
Plain-English definitions of the terms we use across operations, market entry, and compliance, so nothing gets lost in jargon.
Operating Model
How We Work
- Fractional COO / CMO / CFO
- A part-time or shared senior executive who brings leadership-grade operational, marketing, or financial expertise without the cost of a full-time hire. See Growth & Execution.
- 1% Topline Model
- Stratisian's execution-partnership model: compensation tied to a small percentage of your revenue rather than billed hours, so our incentives align with your outcomes. See how we work.
- Operating System (business)
- A connected set of SOPs, dashboards, and governance frameworks that lets a business run on systems rather than the founder's daily involvement. See the Stratisian Operating System.
- SOP
- Standard Operating Procedure, a documented, repeatable process so quality doesn't depend on a single person being in the room.
- Skin in the Game
- An engagement structure where the advisor shares in the risk and reward of results, rather than being paid regardless of outcome.
- Venture Studio
- A model that builds companies from 0 to 1 using in-house operators and resources. Stratisian Foundry is a pro-bono venture studio that takes no equity.
India–GCC Market Entry
Crossing the Corridor
- GCC
- Gulf Cooperation Council, the economic bloc of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.
- India–GCC Corridor
- The trade and investment relationship between India and the GCC, bilateral trade of $85B+ today, projected toward $200B. See India–GCC market entry.
- CEPA
- Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the India–UAE trade pact that cuts tariffs and streamlines cross-border trade.
- Free Zone vs Mainland
- A free zone offers 100% foreign ownership and tax incentives, geared to international trade; a mainland entity can trade freely within the local market. The right choice depends on your customers and activity.
- WOS / JV / Branch
- Common entry structures: a Wholly Owned Subsidiary (full control), a Joint Venture (local partner), or a Branch (extension of the parent company). Each has different liability and compliance trade-offs.
- RHQ Program
- Saudi Arabia's Regional Headquarters program, which requires multinationals to base their regional HQ in the Kingdom to remain eligible for government contracts.
Compliance & Regulatory
The Rulebook, Decoded
- GST
- Goods and Services Tax, India's unified indirect tax on the supply of goods and services.
- Udyam
- India's official online MSME registration, which unlocks access to MSME schemes and benefits.
- ZATCA
- Saudi Arabia's Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, administers VAT and the Fatoorah e-invoicing mandate.
- QFZP
- Qualifying Free Zone Person, a UAE corporate-tax status that allows a 0% rate on qualifying free-zone income when conditions are met.
- WPS
- Wage Protection System, a government-monitored framework (UAE and Saudi Arabia) ensuring employee salaries are paid correctly and on time.
- MOHRE / Qiwa / Nitaqat
- Labor authorities and programs: MOHRE (UAE Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation), Qiwa (Saudi labor platform), and Nitaqat (Saudi workforce-nationalization program).
Operations & Finance
Day-to-Day Mechanics
- MSME
- Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise, India's classification of businesses by investment and turnover, and Stratisian's core client base.
- P2P (Procure-to-Pay)
- The end-to-end workflow from raising a purchase order to paying the supplier, a common source of leakage when undocumented.
- MBR (Monthly Business Review)
- A standardized monthly review of metrics, risks, and decisions that keeps leadership aligned on what matters.
- CAC
- Customer Acquisition Cost, the total sales and marketing spend required to win one new customer.
- MIS Dashboard
- A Management Information System dashboard, the single view of the numbers leadership needs to run the business. See financial controls & governance.
- Delegation Matrix
- A documented map of who owns which decisions and approvals, the tool that lets a founder step back without losing control.