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. Freeplane is a free and open-source desktop mind mapping application, the successor to FreeMind, with documentation and... freeplane.org Tool · Documentation Freeplane documentation Freeplane
  2. A July 2026 hands-on test of MindMeister, Ayoa, MindNode, Xmind and QuikFlow with prices, including Xmind free for up to 10... zapier.com Article · 15 min read The best mind mapping software in 2026 Kiera Abbamonte
  3. Todoist's own plan page. It is the cross-platform to-do list for one person or a small team: Beginner is free, Pro is $5 a... todoist.com Tool · Pricing page Todoist pricing Doist
  4. TickTick's upgrade page. It is a to-do list with a calendar view, a Pomodoro timer and habit tracking built in; the free plan... ticktick.com Tool · Pricing page TickTick Premium TickTick
  5. Microsoft's own App Store listing for To Do, which shows it as free. It is the to-do list for anyone whose work runs on... apps.apple.com Tool · App listing Microsoft To Do on the App Store (India) Microsoft
  6. Google's own help page for Tasks, the simple to-do list that comes with a Google account. It shows where Tasks lives (Calendar,... support.google.com Article · Help article Get started with Google Tasks Google
  7. The App Store listing for Things 3, the most polished to-do app for people who use only Apple devices. In India it is ₹999 on... apps.apple.com Tool · App listing Things 3 on the App Store (India) Cultured Code
  8. A hands-on review (December 2025) by a writer who tested the top-rated to-do apps across platforms. It names Todoist for... zapier.com Article · 14 min read The 7 best to do list apps in 2026 Harry Guinness
  9. Trello's own plan page. It is the Kanban board a whole team understands on day one: Free covers up to 10 collaborators per... trello.com Tool · Pricing page Trello pricing Atlassian
  10. Asana's own plan page. It is for teams running several projects with owners and deadlines: Personal is free forever for one or... asana.com Tool · Pricing page Asana pricing Asana
  11. Zoho Projects' own plan page. It is the project tool for teams already on Zoho's apps, with a free plan for up to 5 users and... zoho.com Tool · Pricing page Zoho Projects pricing Zoho
  12. A hands-on review (30 October 2026) of the free plans of Trello, Asana, Wrike, Airtable and Jira, with each free plan's limits... zapier.com Article · 11 min read The best free project management software in 2026 Kiera Abbamonte
  13. A hands-on review (November 2025) of Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Fantastical and AI calendars, with each one's... zapier.com Article · 15 min read The 6 best calendar apps in 2026 Harry Guinness
  14. Notion's page for its free calendar app, which connects to your Google Calendar and shows Notion dates beside your meetings,... notion.com Tool · Product page Notion Calendar Notion
  15. Motion's own plan page. It plans your calendar for you by fitting tasks into the gaps between meetings, from $19 a seat a month... usemotion.com Tool · Pricing page Motion pricing Motion
  16. Harvest's own plan page. It is built for billing clients from tracked time: Free is one seat and two projects with time... getharvest.com Tool · Pricing page Harvest pricing Harvest
  17. Zoho's India page for the timer inside Zoho Invoice, its free GST invoicing software. Log hours against projects and tasks from... zoho.com Tool · Product page Time tracking in Zoho Invoice Zoho
  18. A hands-on review (February 2026) by a freelancer who tracks her own hours, comparing the leading time trackers on how easy the... zapier.com Article · 12 min read The 5 best time tracking apps in 2026 Kiera Abbamonte
  19. Weekdone's own price page. It is OKR software for small teams, free for up to 3 users with the account fully functional, and a... weekdone.com Tool · Pricing page Weekdone prices Weekdone
  20. Perdoo's own price page. It tracks OKRs and KPIs together with projects: Free covers up to 5 users, Premium is €6.40 a user a... perdoo.com Tool · Pricing page Perdoo pricing Perdoo
  21. Tability's own price page. It is OKR tracking that connects to Slack, Teams, Jira and Linear: Basic is $6 a user a month billed... tability.io Tool · Pricing page Tability pricing Tability
  22. Mooncamp's own price page. It is an OKR platform with a customisable goal system: Essential is €7 a user a month billed... mooncamp.com Tool · Pricing page Mooncamp pricing Mooncamp
  23. Zoho's India page for Zoho Invoice, free GST invoicing software for small businesses. It makes quotes and GST invoices,... zoho.com Tool · Product page Zoho Invoice: free GST invoicing software Zoho
  24. Skydo's own page. It collects payments from foreign clients for Indian freelancers and businesses with zero FX margin and a... skydo.com Tool · Product page Skydo: receive international payments Skydo

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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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