From idea to first customers

The idea-stage spine: find a problem, prove it, talk to customers, and land the first ten.

4 steps, 75 questions, laid out in the order you'll hit them

Each step is a topic with the real questions founders ask; open whichever one you're stuck on for the answer and the resources on it.

1. 1
   Finding & shaping ideas

   Find a problem worth years of your life.

   I want to start a startup but I don't have an idea. Where do I even begin? 19 → How do I come up with startup ideas that aren't just 'Uber for X'? 19 → Should I solve a problem I personally have, or chase a bigger market? 19 → How do I know if my idea is a real problem or just a 'nice to have'? 19 → I have too many ideas. How do I pick which one to actually work on? 19 → All 18 questions in Finding & shaping ideas →
2. 2
   Validating your idea

   Get evidence before you write code.

   What does 'validating an idea' actually mean? 20 → How do I know if my idea is any good? 18 → How do I validate an idea without building anything? 18 → How do I talk to customers without getting false positives? 20 → How many people should I talk to, and how do I find them? 17 → All 21 questions in Validating your idea →
3. 3
   Talking to customers & user research

   Learn the truth without leading the witness.

   How do I talk to customers without them just telling me what I want to hear? 24 → What questions should I actually ask in a customer interview? 22 → How many customer interviews do I need before I trust the signal? 24 → Where do I find people to interview when I have zero audience? 24 → How do I run customer discovery as an Indian founder building for Indian users? 24 → All 18 questions in Talking to customers & user research →
4. 4
   Getting your first 10 customers

   Do things that don't scale to get to ten.

   How do I actually get my first 10 customers when nobody has heard of me? 19 → Isn't doing things that don't scale a waste of time, shouldn't I automate from day one? 17 → Where do I find the very first people to even talk to about my product? 18 → Should I charge my very first customers or give it away free to get traction? 18 → How did real successful startups actually land their first customers? 20 → All 18 questions in Getting your first 10 customers →