Chandrajeet Rajawat

The company: Nurturing champions on a global chessboard

Kingdom of Chess, founded by Arena Grandmaster Chandrajeet Rajawat, began with his passion for chess and a handful of students with whom he decided to share his passion. Chandrajeet saw that his students were achieving national success and identified a need for high-quality, accessible chess coaching. His vision was to not only teach chess but also foster critical thinking in his students, which quickly established Kingdom of Chess as one of India's best chess classes.

The challenge: Scaling financial operations for a growing global academy

As Kingdom of Chess, widely considered by many to be the best chess academy for aspiring players, expanded its reach internationally, they soon realized they needed to enhance their financial operations.

"We were initially using Excel which wasn't scalable," CEO Rajawat recalled.

While evaluating accounting software, they came across options like Tally, but due to its "steeper learning curve" for non-accountants like their sales team, it was not a good fit. The manual categorisation of bank statements and invoice verification was, in Chandrajeet's words, "a very cumbersome process." As they began expanding globally, strong multi-currency support and streamlined invoicing became imperative.

The solution: A strategic move to Zoho's integrated ecosystem

Kingdom of Chess was no stranger to the Zoho ecosystem. They were already leveraging Zoho CRM, which made Zoho Books a natural fit to manage their increasingly complex financial landscape.

"We were already using Zoho CRM, and it made more sense to tightly integrate all of it because all Zoho products are very tightly integrated," Chandrajeet explained.

Zoho Books proved to be easier to use than Tally, too. Its intuitive interface, which Chandrajeet described as "fresh" and "modern," meant the team could get up and running quickly. This, combined with the seamless Zoho CRM integration, comprehensive multi-currency capabilities, and direct bank feeds, made Zoho Books the clear choice.

"It was more of a fresh start; there was not a lot to migrate," he added.

This allowed Kingdom of Chess to immediately benefit from a system designed for clarity, efficiency, and a significantly gentler learning curve for all users.

Benefits and ROI: Streamlined accounting, empowered teams, and enhanced visibility

The adoption of Zoho Books brought about incredible changes to Kingdom of Chess's operations.

Significant reduction in time spent on tasks

"Our bank account is just directly connected. It's much easier. I think it saves a significant amount of time—about 75% of time saved now," Chandrajeet estimated, highlighting the impact of automated bank categorization.

An empowered sales team

"The sales team is able to create the invoice rather than the accounts team. It has also made it very natural for the salesperson because he knows the details," he added. Integration with Zoho CRM further automates this process.

Seamless multi-currency management

Zoho Books effortlessly handles transactions in various currencies, crucial for their operations across over 30 countries. "The multi-currency feature was crucial for our operations as we have students in over 30 countries," Chandrajeet explained.

Improved financial oversight

The intuitive nature of Zoho Books empowers even non-accounting professionals.

"As a founder, I now can just plug-in and play to see the report, balance sheet, P&L, and all of that. So, that is very intuitive," Chandrajeet shared.

Efficient quote-to-cash cycle

From lead capture via Zoho Forms and nurturing in Zoho CRM to invoicing in Zoho Books and collecting payments (partially through Zoho Payments), the entire workflow is more cohesive.

Looking ahead: Checkmate to financial complexity

By choosing Zoho Books, Kingdom of Chess has successfully streamlined its accounting operations, empowering its team, and gaining clear visibility into its global business. The platform's intuitive design, powerful integrations, and essential accounting features provide a scalable foundation that allows Chandrajeet Rajawat and his team to focus on their core mission: expanding the reach of quality chess education and nurturing talent worldwide. Zoho Books has proven to be a strategic partner in their journey of growth and success.