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. Milaap's own pricing page for donation fundraisers: 0% platform fees, with a relationship manager to help set up a fundraiser. milaap.org Tool Milaap pricing Milaap
  2. A legal analysis of SEBI's 2016 caution, explaining why platforms that open a company's private placement to all their... indiacorplaw.in Article SEBI's Stance on Crowdfunding Platforms Umakanth Varottil, IndiaCorpLaw
  3. Reliance Digital's listing for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Standard Combo, priced at ₹52,990 against an MRP of ₹65,990, with a 1-inch... reliancedigital.in Tool DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Standard Combo at Reliance Digital Reliance Digital
  4. Reliance Digital's listing for the Hollyland Lark A1 Duo, a two-transmitter wireless clip-on mic with 48 kHz/24-bit recording... reliancedigital.in Tool Hollyland Lark A1 Duo at Reliance Digital Reliance Digital
  5. Xero's own US price page. Xero is the cleaner, simpler rival to QuickBooks for small US, UK, Australian and New Zealand... xero.com Tool · Pricing page Xero pricing plans (US) Xero
  6. NerdWallet's independent review of US small-business accounting software, updated July 2026: QuickBooks Online for working with... nerdwallet.com Article · 15 min read The Best Accounting Software for Small Business NerdWallet
  7. FreshBooks' own price page. FreshBooks is invoicing-first accounting for US and Canadian freelancers and small service firms,... freshbooks.com Tool · Pricing page FreshBooks pricing FreshBooks
  8. NerdWallet's independent review of invoicing software for US small businesses, updated March 2026: Square Invoices with a POS,... nerdwallet.com Article · 12 min read The Best Invoicing Software for Small Business NerdWallet
  9. US payroll from Intuit, the natural pick for a US business already keeping its books in QuickBooks. The page lists Workforce... quickbooks.intuit.com Tool · Pricing page QuickBooks Payroll pricing (US) Intuit
  10. The best-known payroll service for small US businesses: unlimited payroll runs, direct deposit, tax filings and payments on... gusto.com Tool · Pricing page Gusto pricing (US) Gusto
  11. The UK government's own free payroll software for employers with fewer than 10 employees, which reports PAYE to HMRC in real... gov.uk Tool · Official page Download HMRC's Basic PAYE Tools HM Revenue and Customs
  12. An independent, regularly updated review of payroll services for US and UK small businesses (Gusto, and its rivals), with what... techradar.com Article · 15 min read The best payroll software (TechRadar) TechRadar
  13. Video · 25 min Zoho Payroll: full demo Zoho Payroll
  14. Video · 12 min The best payroll services for small business: ADP vs Gusto vs QuickBooks Sherman, My CPA Coach
  15. Video · 9 min Zoho Payroll walkthrough: EPF, ESI, PT and TDS automated Elite Tech Corp
  16. Video · 70 min India's new Labour Codes, part 2: setting up payroll on RazorpayX Payroll Razorpay
  17. Video · 13 min Labour Code 2025: how salary and CTC will be impacted (Hindi) Labour Law Advisor
  18. The HR system most US small businesses start with. The page lists a flat $250 a month for Core for companies with 25 employees... bamboohr.com Tool · Pricing page BambooHR pricing BambooHR
  19. Rippling sells HR, payroll, devices and apps as modules on one employee record, suited to a company with staff in several... rippling.com Tool · Pricing page Rippling pricing Rippling
  20. An independent, regularly updated review of HR platforms for small businesses, mostly US and UK products, with what each does... techradar.com Article · 15 min read The best HR software (TechRadar) TechRadar
  21. Video · 4 min The 5 best HR software options for small businesses Merchant Maverick
  22. Video · 9 min Keka newbie tutorial: HR payroll software demo and review BizGuide
  23. Zoho's applicant tracking system for companies and staffing agencies. The page lists a forever-free plan with one active job,... zoho.com Tool · Pricing page Zoho Recruit pricing Zoho
  24. Workable is an applicant tracking system with job-board posting, sourcing and an HR module, priced by company size. The page... workable.com Tool · Pricing page Workable pricing Workable

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
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →