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. Google's free self-paced courses for Google Ads, covering Search, Video and measurement. skillshop.withgoogle.com Course · Self-paced courses Google Ads training (Skillshop) Google In 2 answers
  2. Google's own guide to the basics: helping Google find and understand your pages, titles, descriptions, links and content people... developers.google.com Article · Guide SEO Starter Guide (Google Search Central) Google In 2 answers
  3. IP India's own walkthrough of a trademark application: search, choose the class, confirm your applicant category, prepare... ipindia.gov.in Article · Official guide Trademark filing process, step by step (IP India) IP India In 2 answers
  4. A November 2025 guide with a free template, by a writer of hundreds of releases, covering headline, dateline, lead, quotes,... blog.hubspot.com Template · Guide and template How to write a press release (template and examples) HubSpot In 2 answers
  5. A VC firm's guide to early-stage PR: finding your story, using data, working with reporters and knowing on and off the record. bvp.com Article · Guide PR fundamentals for early-stage founders Bessemer Venture Partners In 2 answers
  6. A guide to announcing a raise, including when to offer one reporter an exclusive and how embargoes work. techcrunch.com Article · Article How to announce a funding round TechCrunch In 2 answers
  7. A paid wire service that distributes press releases to Indian and global media and websites. prnewswire.com Tool · Product page PR Newswire India PR Newswire (Cision) In 2 answers
  8. Video · Video How to Build Your First PR Campaign (Step-by-Step for Founders) Visibility on Purpose In 2 answers
  9. A freelance platform that is commission-free for freelancers, with a capped fee on client payments. contra.com Tool · Pricing page Contra pricing Contra In 2 answers
  10. Amul's own page for prospective franchisees, the cleanest example of a low-investment franchise in India: setup costs excluding... amul.com Article · Official page Amul franchise formats GCMMF (Amul) In 2 answers
  11. Lijjat's own account of how seven women in one building in Girgaum, Mumbai, started making papad on 15 March 1959, and grew... lijjat.com Article · Organisation history About Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad Lijjat Papad In 2 answers
  12. A clear July 2026 checklist for a consulting practice in India: no licence for generic consulting, Shops and Establishment in... calcguru.in Article · 10 min read Consultancy business in India 2026: registrations and GST CalcGuru In 2 answers
  13. Riverside's plan page. Riverside records remote interviews in up to 4K video and audio from a browser, and has a free plan to... riverside.com Tool · Pricing page Riverside pricing Riverside In 2 answers
  14. An August 2026 guide to running a counter food outlet: a standalone outlet pays 5% GST with no input credit, so the 18% paid on... calcguru.in Article · 12 min read How to start a fast food outlet or QSR in India (2026) CalcGuru In 2 answers
  15. An August 2026 guide to FSSAI on the new slabs: Basic registration at Rs 100 a year up to Rs 1.5 crore turnover, State and... calcguru.in Article · 12 min read FSSAI registration and licence in India 2026 CalcGuru In 2 answers
  16. The Ministry of Tourism's registration portal for hotels, homestays and B&Bs, and the place its guidelines for each kind of... nidhi.tourism.gov.in Tool · Official portal NIDHI+ (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry) Ministry of Tourism In 2 answers
  17. The Bureau of Immigration's online system where every accommodator, hotels and homestays included, must report foreign guests,... indianfrro.gov.in Tool · Official portal Form C for foreign guests (Bureau of Immigration) Bureau of Immigration In 2 answers
  18. Shopify's India price list for an online store. Basic is Rs 1,499 a month for a solo seller, with a 3-day free trial and then... shopify.com Tool · Pricing page Shopify pricing (India) Shopify In 2 answers
  19. The national portal for registering a clinic, nursing home or hospital under the Clinical Establishments Act 2010, with its... clinicalestablishments.mohfw.gov.in Tool · Official portal The Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act portal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare In 2 answers
  20. The Central Pollution Control Board's page for the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, under which every clinic or hospital... cpcb.gov.in Article · Official page Bio-medical waste management (CPCB) Central Pollution Control Board In 2 answers
  21. The regulator whose licence you need to install and run X-ray, CT and other radiation equipment in a clinic or hospital. aerb.gov.in Article · Official site Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) AERB In 2 answers
  22. India's hospital accreditation body. Its entry-level certification is the usual first step for a new hospital or clinic, and it... nabh.co Article · Official site NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) Quality Council of India In 2 answers
  23. The board that runs horticulture subsidy schemes, including commercial horticulture and cold storage, and the Nursery Rating... nhb.gov.in Article · Official site National Horticulture Board National Horticulture Board In 2 answers
  24. A current legal guide to franchising in India: there is no franchise-specific law and no disclosure or registration... iclg.com Article · Legal guide Franchise laws and regulations 2027: India ICLG In 2 answers

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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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