← Starting Up
The Corporate Switcher
Leaving a job to build my own thing.
Finding & shaping ideas
I want to start a startup but I don't have an idea. Where do I even begin?
Stop hunting for a billion-dollar idea and start collecting problems. The best ideas come from noticing things that annoy you or people around you ...
Should I solve a problem I personally have, or chase a bigger market?
Start with a problem you personally have or deeply understand. Founders who live the problem move faster, ask better questions, and can smell a fak...
Founder-market fit
Founder mindset & resilience
Failure, pivots & shutdowns
Making the leap
Should I take a job first or start a startup right now?
If you're young, undercapitalized, and thin on skills, take the job, but pick a fast-growing startup, not a comfy corporate seat, because you learn...
How much personal savings or runway should I have before I quit?
Aim for 12 to 18 months of bare-bones personal expenses in the bank before you go full-time, not months of your current lifestyle, months of your s...
How do I convince my spouse and family to back me quitting?
Don't sell them a dream, bring them a plan: the exact runway number, the timeline, the specific milestones that mean 'keep going,' and the tripwire...
Can I build on the side while employed without getting into legal trouble?
Usually yes, but read your employment contract first, the danger is not moonlighting itself, it's the IP-assignment, non-compete, and moonlighting-...
I have deep expertise but no startup skills, what do I learn first?
You don't need 'startup expertise', you need expertise in your users, which you may already have. Learn just enough to talk to customers, ship a ro...
How do I balance a startup with family and caregiving responsibilities?
Accept upfront that a startup will try to eat your whole life, then defend the non-negotiables ruthlessly, protected hours, one full day off, hones...
If the startup fails, how do I explain the gap to future employers?
Stop calling it a gap, it's a founder role, and you frame it exactly like any other job: what you built, what you learned, what you owned end-to-en...
IP, licenses & regulatory
What licenses and registrations do I legally need before I can start selling?
There's no single 'business license' in India, it depends on what you sell and where. Almost everyone needs GST registration once they cross the tu...
I'm a doctor with a clinic idea, do I need regulatory licenses before I open?
Yes, healthcare is one of the most regulated things you can start, and you can't ship first and fix it later. A clinic typically needs registration...
Mentors, advisors & network
My network is all corporate colleagues, how do I actually meet founders and investors?
Stop trying to 'get introduced' to investors and start showing up where founders already gather: local startup meetups, demo days, and founder Slac...
How do I 'give before I ask' when I feel like I have nothing to offer yet?
You always have something: attention, a thoughtful intro, a piece of research, honest feedback, or just showing up and amplifying someone's work. G...
How do I build a founder network intentionally instead of hoping it happens?
Treat it like a habit, not an event: pick a weekly cadence (one meetup, three helpful DMs, one thing shared in public) and keep it up for a year. N...