Starting Up

The resources founders actually use.

Every essay, video, podcast, book and tool behind 1,046 answered founder questions, in one place, each with a note on why it is here.

What founders use most, ranked by how many answers lean on it.

  1. Before you add a second tool, Airtable can already put a usable front end on your data. Interface Designer lets you drag... Airtable Tool · Built into every Airtable base Airtable Interface Designer Airtable
  2. A guided, hands-on project if you want structure rather than a loose video. In about two hours you build a real Glide app from... Coursera Course · 2 hour guided project Build a mobile app with Google Sheets on Glide and no coding Coursera Project Network
  3. The fastest possible start: copy a working app instead of building from zero. The library has directories, marketplaces,... Glide Template · Browse and copy No-code app templates from Glide Glide
  4. Course · ~2 hours APIs for Beginners: How to use an API (full course) Craig Dennis
  5. The actual source and install instructions for the self hosted route, which is the whole cost saving. Seeing that it is... GitHub Tool n8n on GitHub n8n
  6. Make's HTTP module lets you call any web API and receive any webhook, so it connects tools that have no ready made Make... Make Tool HTTP: connect Make to any API Make
  7. Before you connect two real tools, you need to see what one of them actually sends, and this gives you a throwaway URL that... Webhook.site Tool Webhook.site: test and inspect webhooks instantly Simon Fredsted
  8. When a no code tool almost works but you need one small piece of custom logic, Pipedream lets you drop in a few lines of code... Pipedream Tool Pipedream: connect APIs with a little code when needed Pipedream
  9. The primary source for exactly how you get your data out of one of the most popular no-code platforms. It walks through... Bubble Template Export and Import Data (Bubble Docs) Bubble
  10. Webflow is a rare no-code platform that lets you download real HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and host it anywhere with no... Webflow Help Center Template How Do I Export My Webflow Site Code? Webflow Help Center
  11. A concrete way to keep a scheduled, external copy of your no-code database by syncing it into Postgres or another store you... Whalesync Tool Whalesync (Two-Way Data Sync and Backup) Whalesync
  12. The strongest structural answer to lock-in: an Airtable style database that is open source and can run on your own server, so a... Baserow Tool Baserow (Open-Source, Self-Hostable No-Code Database) Baserow
  13. Auth, subscription billing, and customer data are three of the parts this question says to get right early, and Outseta bundles... Outseta Tool · tool Outseta (auth, billing, and CRM for no-code SaaS) Outseta
  14. If you learn better by watching someone click through the editor, this is the official video walkthrough of setting up privacy... Bubble Academy Course Bubble Academy: Security and Privacy Bubble
  15. The best free way to actually feel the attack: PortSwigger's free labs let you break into other users' data in a safe practice... PortSwigger Web Security Academy Course Access control vulnerabilities and privilege escalation PortSwigger
  16. This is the submissions layer. Tally gives you unlimited forms and responses for free, so people can add themselves to your... Tally Tool Tally Tally
  17. The official starting point for the tool itself, written to get you from install to your first useful edit: sign in, ask Cursor... Cursor Docs Tool Cursor Quickstart Cursor
  18. Cursor's own free tutorials covering AI foundations, coding with agents, and crucially reviewing and testing code, in order.... Cursor Course Cursor Learn: Official Tutorials Cursor
  19. Built largely out of India, ToolJet is an open-source, self-hostable way to put a real interface and workflows on top of your... ToolJet Tool ToolJet ToolJet
  20. If your first job is a marketing site or a content driven landing page, this is the official, free path to building it well.... Webflow University Course · Course Getting started with Webflow Webflow University
  21. Antler runs full-time residencies (including a large India program in Bengaluru) that put dozens of vetted potential... Antler Tool How Antler Facilitates Co-Founder Matching Antler
  22. Purpose built low fidelity wireframing with a sketchy style that stops you from arguing about pixels and keeps the conversation... Balsamiq Tool Balsamiq Wireframes Balsamiq
  23. A copy and paste template built around exactly the six questions in our answer: who the user is, the problem, the core... LaunchCraft Studio Template · 10 min read MVP Spec Template for Non-Technical Founders LaunchCraft Studio
  24. A ready made statement of work template with sections for deliverables, milestones, timelines, and acceptance. Use it as a... Bonsai Template Software Development SOW Template Bonsai

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Playbooks

A goal, and the route through it a step at a time.

Find an idea worth pursuing Spot problems worth solving and find the one that actually fits you. 4 steps Validate before you build Get real evidence people want it before you write a line of code. 4 steps Understand your customers Talk to real users, define who you're for, and read the market clearly. 4 steps From idea to first customers The idea-stage spine: find a problem, prove it, talk to customers, and land the first ten. 4 steps Build an MVP without code Ship a first version with no-code tools before you hire anyone. 4 steps Build and launch your first product Turn a validated idea into something real people can use. 6 steps Find and work with developers Hire, brief, and work with builders without getting burned. 4 steps Name and brand your startup Name it, design an identity, and say what it does in a line. 3 steps Build a landing page that converts A page that loads fast, earns trust, and turns visitors into signups. 4 steps Get your first customers The scrappy, unscalable work of going from zero to your first paying users. 5 steps Sell it yourself, founder-led Reach out, run the conversation, and close before you have a sales team. 4 steps Grow with content and SEO Compound reach with content, search, and a founder audience. 3 steps Grow with paid ads Spend that returns: the channels, metrics, and loops behind it. 4 steps Price and package your product Charge for value, package it right, and check the numbers work. 3 steps Bootstrap instead of raising Fund growth from revenue, and keep control of your company. 4 steps Raise your first round Understand the game before you pitch: whether to raise, from whom, and on what terms. 5 steps Find a co-founder, split equity Find the right partner and split equity without regret. 3 steps Set up the company right Incorporate, split equity, protect your IP, and make your first hires. 4 steps Survive founder life Mindset, burnout, the leap, and the parts nobody warns you about. 5 steps Build in India The India-specific playbook: schemes, government, enterprise, and the local market. 5 steps

The questions founders start with

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 ... Beginner 19 resources → What does 'validating an idea' actually mean? Validation is gathering real-world evidence that a specific group of people has a painful problem AND will change their behaviour (pay, sign up, sw... Beginner 20 resources → Do I actually need a co-founder, or can I go solo? You don't strictly need one, but the data says teams outlast solos: complementary skills, shared load, and someone to argue you out of bad calls al... Beginner 3 resources → What actually counts as an MVP, and what's the smallest one I can get away with? An MVP is the least you can build (or fake) to test your single riskiest assumption, not a shrunken version of your dream product. Ask 'what's the ... Beginner 20 resources → How do I talk to customers without them just telling me what I want to hear? Stop pitching and start interrogating their past. Ask about what they actually did last time the problem hit, what it cost them, and what they trie... Beginner 23 resources → How do I actually get my first 10 customers when nobody has heard of me? You go get them by hand, one at a time, email people you already know, people your investors/friends know, and strangers in the exact niche you're ... Beginner 19 resources → How do I decide how much to charge for my product? Stop guessing and stop pricing off your costs, price off the value the customer gets and their willingness to pay. Talk to customers about pricing,... Beginner 3 resources → Should I raise venture capital or bootstrap my startup? Raise VC only if your business needs a big pile of cash to reach escape velocity before someone else does, and if a 10x-in-a-few-years outcome is g... Beginner 3 resources →

Questions for your situation

The Aspiring Founder The Idea-Stage Founder The Builder The Launcher The Grower The Student Founder The Indie Hacker The Technical Solo Founder The Non-Technical Founder The Domain Expert The Women Founder The Anywhere Founder The Corporate Switcher The Repeat Founder
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