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 ESIC portal where employers sign up, register employees and pay monthly contributions. esic.gov.in Tool · Government portal ESIC Employer Portal login ESIC
  2. A service page listing who is covered, the documents, and that an employer must register within 15 days of crossing the... indiafilings.com Article · ~10 min read ESI Registration Online IndiaFilings
  3. The GST portal, where every registered taxpayer files GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B from the Returns Dashboard and pays tax. gst.gov.in Tool · Government portal GST Portal login GSTN
  4. GSTN's FAQ on GSTR-3B: due on the 20th for monthly filers and the 22nd or 24th after the quarter for quarterly filers by state,... gst.gov.in Article · FAQ FAQs: Form GSTR-3B GSTN
  5. The official screen-by-screen manual for preparing, paying and filing GSTR-3B, including how liabilities flow in from GSTR-1... gst.gov.in Article · Step-by-step manual Manual: Creation, Saving, Payment of Taxes and Filing of Form GSTR-3B GSTN
  6. GSTN's FAQ on GSTR-1: due on the 11th for monthly filers and the 13th after the quarter under QRMP, which is open to turnover... gst.gov.in Article · FAQ FAQs: Form GSTR-1 GSTN
  7. A current guide to GSTR-3B covering the changes since July 2025: sales tables locked to GSTR-1, corrections through GSTR-1A, a... cleartax.in Article · ~15 min read GSTR-3B: Due Date, Late Fee, Format, Return Filing ClearTax
  8. The Copyright Office's official fee schedule: ₹500 per work to register a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, ₹2,000... ipindia.gov.in Article · Fee schedule Copyright: Forms and Official Fees IP India (Copyright Office)
  9. The Copyright Office's handbook in question-and-answer form. It is explicit that copyright arises automatically when a work is... copyright.gov.in Article · Long read Hand Book of Copyright Law Copyright Office
  10. A service page that walks through filing, objections and certificate issue, puts the usual timeline at 3 to 6 months, and lists... indiafilings.com Article · ~10 min read Copyright Registration Online in India IndiaFilings
  11. Explains Form XIV, the statement of particulars, the diary number, the waiting period for objections, and that software... vakilsearch.com Article · ~10 min read Copyright Registration Online in India Vakilsearch
  12. The Rules notified on 13 November 2025. Rule 1 sets the timeline: Board rules at once, Consent Manager rules one year after,... meity.gov.in Article · Gazette PDF Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (Gazette) MeitY
  13. MCA's page on DSCs: every MCA21 filing must be signed with one, they come from CCA-licensed certifying authorities with one or... mca.gov.in Article · Short read Acquire a Digital Signature Certificate (MCA) Ministry of Corporate Affairs
  14. The official list of certifying authorities licensed to issue DSCs in India, including Safescrypt, (n)Code, eMudhra, Capricorn,... cca.gov.in Tool · List Licensed Certifying Authorities (CCA) Controller of Certifying Authorities
  15. A CCA-licensed certifying authority selling Class 3 DSCs online for individuals and organisations, valid 1, 2 or 3 years,... emudhradigital.com Tool · Product page eMudhra Digital Signature Certificates eMudhra
  16. Explains Class 3 DSCs (Class 2 has been discontinued under CCA guidelines), who issues them, and its own price from ₹2,100 with... indiafilings.com Article · ~8 min read Digital Signature Certificate Registration Online IndiaFilings
  17. WHO's ICD-11 definition of burnout as chronic workplace stress that has not been managed, marked by exhaustion, mental distance... who.int Article · ~3 min read Burn-out an 'occupational phenomenon': International Classification of Diseases World Health Organization
  18. The government's free mental health helpline. Dial 14416 to reach a counsellor. mohfw.gov.in Tool · Helpline Tele MANAS: national mental health helpline Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  19. MCA's FAQ on voluntary strike-off through C-PACE: Form STK-2, the attachments (STK-4 affidavit and STK-3 indemnity bond from... mca.gov.in Article · FAQ Centre for Processing Accelerated Corporate Exit (C-PACE) FAQs Ministry of Corporate Affairs
  20. A practitioner's checklist for STK-2 on the V3 portal: close bank accounts first and attach the closure letter, complete annual... taxguru.in Article · ~8 min read How to Close a Company with Form STK-2: Key Steps and FAQs TaxGuru
  21. Lays out the closure process, the ₹10,000 STK-2 fee, stamp duty on the affidavits and bond, the penalties an unclosed inactive... setindiabiz.com Article · ~10 min read Company Closure in India: Fees, Process and Documents Setindiabiz
  22. Explains the IEC steps on the DGFT portal, the ₹500 government fee and ₹200 modification fee, and its own service fee from ₹2,899. indiafilings.com Article · ~10 min read Import Export Code Registration Online IndiaFilings
  23. A step-by-step IEC guide: authenticate with Aadhaar OTP or DSC, pay ₹500 through BharatKosh, download the certificate once... cashfree.com Article · ~12 min read What Is IEC? Registration, Fees and Documents Cashfree Payments
  24. DPIIT's ranking of states on how well they support startups, with the reports behind each edition. startupindia.gov.in Article · Report States' Startup Ecosystem Ranking Startup India (DPIIT)

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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

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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