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. Later's free link-in-bio page for Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat profiles, which suits anyone already scheduling posts with Later. later.com Tool Later link in bio Later
  2. Carrd builds simple one-page websites; Pro starts at $19 a year and adds a custom domain and forms, so your link page lives at... carrd.co Tool Carrd Pro Carrd
  3. Buffer's notice, published 4 November 2026, that it has stopped new Start Pages and is retiring its link-in-bio tool, with an... buffer.com Article We are Retiring Start Page (Buffer) Buffer
  4. Google's free keyword tool inside Google Ads: how often terms are searched and how that changed, suggested bids, and forecasts.... business.google.com Tool Google Keyword Planner Google
  5. Ahrefs' free tool for keyword ideas from a seed term, with search volume; Ahrefs Free (formerly Webmaster Tools) adds data on... ahrefs.com Tool Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator Ahrefs
  6. Ahrefs' plan page: Ahrefs Free, Starter at $29 a month, Lite at $129, Standard at $249 and Advanced at $449, with AI-search... ahrefs.com Tool Ahrefs pricing Ahrefs
  7. Semrush's plan page: a Free account with 10 reports a day, and the SEO plan at $139 a month ($117.33 billed yearly) for 5... semrush.com Tool Semrush pricing Semrush (an Adobe company)
  8. AnswerThePublic turns a topic into the questions and phrases people search; paid plans start at $20 a month (Starter) or $160 a... answerthepublic.com Tool AnswerThePublic pricing NP Digital
  9. A walk-through of free keyword tools, most of them Google's own (Keyword Planner, Search Console, Trends) and what each is good... ahrefs.com Article · 12 min read The best free keyword research tools (Ahrefs) Ahrefs
  10. Google's own self-paced training for its tools, built by Google product experts: Google Ads and Google Analytics courses, and... skillshop.withgoogle.com Course Google Skillshop Google
  11. Meta's training for Facebook and Instagram marketing: free online courses, live webinars and videos, plus an... facebook.com Course Meta Blueprint Meta
  12. A free digital marketing course from HubSpot Academy: 10 lessons, 30 videos and 8 quizzes over 3 hr 24 min, ending in a... academy.hubspot.com Course · 3 hr 24 min HubSpot Academy: Digital Marketing Certification Course HubSpot Academy
  13. Google's structured certificate on Coursera, about 6 months at 10 hours a week, covering Google Ads, analytics, email, social... coursera.org Course · about 6 months Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate (Coursera) Google on Coursera
  14. IIDE is an Indian digital marketing institute; its online course page lists live sessions, brand projects, 1-on-1 mentoring and... iide.co Course IIDE online digital marketing course IIDE
  15. The Ken's newsletter list: free newsletters every weekday plus subscriber newsletters on Indian business and markets. the-ken.com Tool The Ken newsletters The Ken
  16. Inc42's free newsletters on India's tech and startup economy; the Inc42 Daily Brief is the daily read on funding, policy and... inc42.com Tool Inc42 Newsletters Inc42
  17. The subscription page for Lenny's Newsletter on product, growth and careers: $20 a month or $200 a year. lennysnewsletter.com Tool Lenny's Newsletter subscription Lenny Rachitsky
  18. Ben Thompson's analysis of the business and strategy of technology: weekly articles are free, and Stratechery Plus with daily... stratechery.com Tool Stratechery Plus Ben Thompson
  19. Ben Thompson's own description of Stratechery: free weekly articles and three subscriber-only daily updates a week on the... stratechery.com Article About Stratechery Ben Thompson
  20. HubSpot's free CRM, with no expiry: up to two users and 1,000 contacts, with marketing, sales and service hubs to upgrade into. hubspot.com Tool HubSpot free CRM HubSpot
  21. Typeform's own plans. Basic is 39 USD a month, or 28 USD billed yearly, for 100 responses a month; Plus is 79 USD (56 yearly)... typeform.com Tool Typeform pricing Typeform
  22. SurveyMonkey's pricing as shown in India, in rupees. Team Advantage is ₹1,550 per user a month billed yearly for three or more... surveymonkey.com Tool SurveyMonkey pricing (India) SurveyMonkey
  23. SurveySparrow's plans for chat-style surveys, NPS and CSAT. The forever free plan allows 75 responses a quarter, 3 active... surveysparrow.com Tool SurveySparrow pricing SurveySparrow
  24. Zapier's hands-on roundup, updated 4 November 2026, comparing SurveyMonkey, Typeform, SurveySparrow and others by what each... zapier.com Article · 13 min read The 6 best survey apps in 2026 Kiera Abbamonte, Zapier

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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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