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. Jotform's own plans. Starter is free with 5 active forms and 100 submissions a month and Jotform branding; Bronze is $39 a... jotform.com Tool Jotform pricing Jotform
  2. Zoho Forms' plans. The forever free plan gives 1 user, 3 forms and 500 submissions a month; Basic lifts that to unlimited forms... zoho.com Tool Zoho Forms pricing Zoho
  3. The WordPress form plugin's plans. There is a free Lite version; Basic is $49.50 a year at the introductory price ($99... wpforms.com Tool WPForms pricing WPForms
  4. Google's help page for turning a form into a quiz: switch on 'Make this a quiz', set an answer key, assign points and feedback,... support.google.com Article Create and grade quizzes with Google Forms Google
  5. Kahoot's plans for work and events. Kahoot! 360 Express is free for 15-minute sessions with up to 15 participants; Pro Start is... kahoot360.com Tool Kahoot! 360 pricing Kahoot!
  6. Mentimeter's plans for live polls and quizzes in a talk. There is a free plan; Basic is $11.99 per presenter a month and Pro... mentimeter.com Tool Mentimeter plans Mentimeter
  7. Quizizz is now Wayground, a platform teachers use to build quizzes, presentations and flashcards. It can generate a full... wayground.com Tool Wayground (formerly Quizizz) Wayground
  8. A free static QR code generator. Its codes are free for any use including commercial, do not expire, and can carry a logo... qrcode-monkey.com Tool QRCode Monkey QRCode Monkey
  9. A dynamic-code seller explaining, in February 2026, that static codes last forever while dynamic codes can go inactive when a... qr-code-generator.com Article · 9 min read Do QR codes expire? How to avoid broken or inactive codes QR Code Generator
  10. Bitly's plans for short links and dynamic QR codes. Free (with ads) gives 2 QR codes a month; Core is $10 a month billed yearly... bitly.com Tool Bitly pricing Bitly
  11. A step-by-step guide from April 2026 to making a QR code in Canva, in Adobe Express (free, no account), from Chrome on a... zapier.com Article · 6 min read How to create a QR code: 5 methods Jessica Lau, Zapier
  12. Gmail's help page for adding a signature under Settings. A signature can hold up to 10,000 characters, and an image counts... support.google.com Article Create a Gmail signature Google
  13. Microsoft's help for new and classic Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com. In new Outlook it is Settings,... support.microsoft.com Article How to add and change an email signature in Outlook Microsoft
  14. WiseStamp's plans for managed email signatures. Pro+ is $9 a month billed yearly for individuals and micro-teams, adding up to... wisestamp.com Tool WiseStamp pricing WiseStamp
  15. An email marketer's August 2026 walk-through of signature templates for Gmail and how to install them, with examples of what to... zapier.com Article Gmail signature templates (and how to install them) Amanda Pell, Zapier
  16. Zapier's April 2026 comparison of Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Zoho Workplace, Fastmail and Proton Mail, with Zoho... zapier.com Article · 15 min read The 6 best email hosting providers Harry Guinness, Zapier
  17. Google's admin guide to adding a DKIM key to your domain, the second record, with SPF, that tells other mail servers your... knowledge.workspace.google.com Article Set up DKIM Google Workspace
  18. Zoho Cliq's plans for team chat, from a free edition to Standard, Professional and Enterprise, the last two for at least 10 users. zoho.com Tool Zoho Cliq pricing Zoho
  19. Google's page for Chat, the team messaging app that comes with every Google Workspace plan alongside Gmail, Meet and Drive. workspace.google.com Tool Google Chat Google
  20. Zapier's tested comparison from May 2026: Slack for a chat-powered workplace, Microsoft Teams included with Microsoft 365,... zapier.com Article · 12 min read The best team chat apps for business Justin Pot, Zapier
  21. Zoho SalesIQ's plans for website chat. The free plan gives 3 operator licences and visitor insights for 10,000 visitors a... zoho.com Tool Zoho SalesIQ pricing Zoho
  22. Tidio's plans for live chat and its Lyro AI agent. Free is $0; Starter is $24.17 a month billed yearly for 100 billable... tidio.com Tool Tidio pricing Tidio
  23. Chatbase's plans for an AI agent trained on your own pages and documents. Hobby is $32 a month billed yearly for 700 message... chatbase.co Tool Chatbase pricing Chatbase
  24. Freshdesk's plans. Growth is $19 per agent a month billed yearly and includes the Freddy AI Agent with the first 500 sessions;... freshworks.com Tool Freshdesk pricing Freshworks

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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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