Starting Up

The resources founders actually use.

Every essay, video, podcast, book and tool behind 1,327 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. The text of the Copyright Act. Section 17(b) says that a photograph taken for valuable consideration at the instance of any... copyright.gov.in Article · Act (PDF) The Copyright Act, 1957 (section 17: first owner of copyright) Copyright Office, Government of India
  2. The catalogue of Miyota, Citizen's movement-making business, whose quartz and mechanical movements sit inside many small and... miyotamovement.com Tool · Maker's catalogue Miyota watch movements Miyota (Citizen)
  3. An August 2026 guide to the Import Export Code: Rs 500 one-time, issued online on the DGFT portal against your PAN, valid for... calcguru.in Article · 8 min read IEC registration in India 2026 CalcGuru
  4. An August 2026 guide to forming an OPC through SPICe+: one member and a nominee (Form INC-3), the 120-day residency test, one... calcguru.in Article · 12 min read One Person Company (OPC) registration in India 2026 CalcGuru
  5. A July 2026 guide for solo service sellers working for clients in India or abroad: nothing is mandatory beyond PAN and paying... calcguru.in Article · 10 min read Freelancing business in India 2026: presumptive tax and LUT exports CalcGuru
  6. A July 2026 guide to attaching cabs to Uber, Ola or Rapido versus running your own app: each cab needs a contract carriage... calcguru.in Article · 10 min read How to start a taxi business in India: permits and cost CalcGuru
  7. Business Standard's July 2025 report on the Motor Vehicles Aggregator Guidelines 2025, quoting the rule that a driver onboarded... business-standard.com Article · 4 min read Govt permits surge fares of up to 2x base rate for cab aggregators Business Standard
  8. Uber's own list of what each of its three partner types needs in India: a driver-owner needs a driving licence, vehicle... uber.com Article · Official page Uber driver requirements (India) Uber
  9. A July 2026 guide to edible oil: an expeller or cold-press unit is Green category while solvent extraction or refining is Red... calcguru.in Article · 10 min read How to start an oil mill in India 2026: licences and packing CalcGuru
  10. A July 2026 guide to the asset-light way into logistics, a courier franchise: no courier licence exists, courier services carry... calcguru.in Article · 8 min read Courier franchise in India 2026: models and GST CalcGuru
  11. An October 2026 explainer of the donor's side of a non-profit's tax status: which gifts earn a 100% or 50% deduction, the 10%... calcguru.in Article · 10 min read Section 80G donations under the Income-tax Act 2025 CalcGuru
  12. An August 2026 guide to music licences: playing music at a business or event is a communication to the public needing PPL for... calcguru.in Article · 12 min read Music licence for business in India 2026: PPL, IPRS and Novex CalcGuru
  13. The government body that licenses explosives magazines, shot firers and petroleum storage, which a quarry that blasts, or a... peso.gov.in Tool · Official portal Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) PESO, Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  14. How Shorts ad revenue is pooled and shared. Revenue from the Shorts feed goes into a Creator Pool split by each creator's share... support.google.com Article · Help page YouTube Shorts monetization policies YouTube Help
  15. YouTube's rule for AI in your videos: realistic AI-generated or altered content must be labelled at upload, such as a real... support.google.com Article · Help page Disclosing use of GenAI content YouTube Help
  16. Every channel, wherever it is, must tell YouTube whether its videos are made for kids under YouTube's agreement with the US FTC... support.google.com Article · Help page Determining if your content is 'made for kids' YouTube Help
  17. The official steps to create a channel from a Google account, with YouTube's own Creator Basics video on creating and... support.google.com Article · Help page and video Create a YouTube channel YouTube Help
  18. The UAE government's own page on setting up in a free zone: choosing the legal entity, the trade name, and links to each free... u.ae Article · Official guide Starting a business in a free zone (UAE government portal) UAE Government
  19. The official sequence for a mainland (onshore) company: business activity, legal form, trade licence and trade name, initial... u.ae Article · Official guide Steps to start a business on the mainland (UAE government portal) UAE Government
  20. Explains Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020, in force from early 2021, which lets a foreign investor own 100 per cent of most... u.ae Article · Official guide Full foreign ownership of commercial companies (UAE) UAE Government
  21. The UAE government's summary of corporate tax: 0 per cent on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9 per cent above it,... u.ae Article · Official guide Corporate tax in the UAE UAE Government
  22. The RBI's rules on how much a resident individual can send abroad: up to USD 250,000 a financial year under the Liberalised... rbi.org.in Article · Regulation Master Direction: Liberalised Remittance Scheme (RBI) Reserve Bank of India
  23. Dubai Multi Commodities Centre's own online setup, which the UAE portal points to: answer what you will do and it builds a... dmcc.ae Tool · Online tool DMCC business setup wizard DMCC
  24. A plain walkthrough of getting and keeping an IEC on the DGFT portal. It notes the rule most new exporters miss: the IEC must... sell.amazon.in Article · Guide Importer-Exporter Code: meaning, benefits, how to apply Amazon Global Selling

Show the next 24

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

What are good startup ideas in India right now? The ideas Indian investors are backing in 2026 sit in a few places: AI built into one industry's daily work (vertical AI for B2B, where software fu... Beginner 5 resources → How do I find product-market fit? Narrow until a small group cannot do without you, then widen. Pick the segment where usage is strongest, talk to those people every week, and chang... Intermediate 9 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 → How do I build an MVP for my startup, step by step? Write down the one assumption that kills the idea if it is wrong, then build the cheapest thing that tests it and get it to real users within weeks... Beginner 9 resources → Which tool should I use to analyse qualitative data like interview notes? For a founder with a dozen interviews, Gemini Notebook, which is free, or Claude, free or $20 a month on Pro: load the transcripts, ask for the rec... Beginner 6 resources → How do I get my first client as a freelancer? Your first client is most likely someone who already knows you or someone they know, so start there before marketplaces. 1) Pick one service for on... Beginner 6 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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