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. A state-by-state overview of the shop and establishment licence: it is needed within 30 days of starting business, goes by... cashfree.com Article Shop and Establishment Act Registration in India: License, Process and Fees (2026) Cashfree Payments
  2. The history of the threshold from Rs 500 crore in 2020 to Rs 5 crore in August 2023, the 30-day rule from 1 April 2025, and the... tallysolutions.com Article Understanding the current e-invoicing turnover limit in India Tally Solutions
  3. The official manual for the e-invoice portal: registering, generating and cancelling IRNs, and bulk generation. einvoice1.gst.gov.in Article E-Invoice System: User Manual for Taxpayers National Informatics Centre
  4. Zoho Books' e-invoicing feature for Indian businesses: as a GST Suvidha Provider it uploads invoices to the IRP directly, with... zoho.com Tool E-invoicing in Zoho Books Zoho
  5. The Finance Ministry's 3 September 2025 release on GST 2.0: two main rates, 18% standard and 5% merit, a 40% rate for a few... pib.gov.in Article Recommendations of the 56th Meeting of the GST Council Press Information Bureau
  6. A free calculator that works forward from a price or back from a GST-inclusive amount and splits the result into CGST and SGST... cleartax.in Tool GST Calculator Online ClearTax
  7. A calculator for pulling the taxable value and the GST out of a price that already includes GST, with the central, state and... cleartax.in Tool Reverse GST Calculator ClearTax
  8. A current rate list under GST 2.0, with which goods and services moved to 5% and 18% from 22 September 2025. cleartax.in Article GST Rates 2026: Slabs under GST 2.0 ClearTax
  9. The GST portal's lookup for the HSN (goods) or SAC (services) code that sets your rate. gst.gov.in Tool Search HSN/SAC code (official GST portal) GSTN
  10. A current rate table for 2026-27 that notes all TDS provisions now sit in section 393 of the Income-tax Act 2025, with... cleartax.in Article TDS Rate Chart for FY 2026-27 ClearTax
  11. An explainer of how TDS works for a payer: deposit by the 7th of the following month and quarterly statements due 31 July, 31... cleartax.in Article TDS: What is Tax Deducted at Source ClearTax
  12. A step-by-step walk through the online and offline TAN application, useful for the screens; its form numbers and penalty refer... cleartax.in Article How to Get a TAN Number ClearTax
  13. The registration form itself: Aadhaar verification, then PAN verification, then basic details, address, units and other details. udyamregistration.gov.in Tool Udyam Registration form for new enterprises Ministry of MSME
  14. The portal's own recovery page for a lost Udyam number, verified by an OTP to the mobile number or email given in the application. udyamregistration.gov.in Tool Forgot Udyam/UAM Registration Number Ministry of MSME
  15. The login for a registered enterprise to print the certificate, update details or cancel, using the 19-character Udyam number... udyamregistration.gov.in Tool Udyami Login: print or update your Udyam certificate Ministry of MSME
  16. The Ministry of MSME's own note on what Udyam registration gives an enterprise, in English and 22 other Indian languages. udyamregistration.gov.in Article Benefits of taking Udyam Registration Office of DC (MSME)
  17. DST's seed support for DPIIT-recognised startups incubated at its Technology Business Incubators and Science and Technology... nidhi.dst.gov.in Tool NIDHI Seed Support Program (DST) Department of Science and Technology
  18. DPIIT's own report on Gujarat, ranked a Best Performer: the Scheme for Assistance to Startups/Innovation under the Gujarat... startupindia.gov.in Article States' Startup Ecosystem Ranking, 5th edition: Gujarat state report Startup India (DPIIT)
  19. A plain explainer of who can apply to the Gujarat scheme through a nodal institute such as GUSEC: a startup registered in... startupgrantsindia.com Article Startup Gujarat Scheme through GUSEC (StartupGrantsIndia) StartupGrantsIndia
  20. The Gujarat scheme's assistance listed item by item: sustenance allowance, seed support up to Rs 30 lakh, accelerator... taxguru.in Article Subsidies for Startups in Gujarat TaxGuru
  21. A June 2026 report on Gujarat's proposed Industrial Policy 2026 and what it would change for startups. english.gujaratsamachar.com Article Industrial policy 2026: Gujarat announces sweeping incentives for industry and startups Gujarat Samachar
  22. Gujarat's student startup policy portal, where colleges and students submit proposals for proof-of-concept and prototype grants. ssipgujarat.in Tool Student Startup and Innovation Policy (SSIP 2.0), Gujarat Government of Gujarat
  23. Gujarat's state-backed incubator for technology startups and one of the nodal routes into the state scheme. icreate.org.in Tool iCreate, Ahmedabad iCreate
  24. The Patent Office's statement of what can be patented: an invention that is novel, has an inventive step, is capable of... ipindia.gov.in Article Basics of Patents (IP India) Office of the CGPDTM

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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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