22 guides
Business Insurance Basics for First-Time Founders
Most founders need general liability insurance at minimum.
Common First-Year Founder Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Top first-year mistakes: building before validating, ignoring finances, underpricing, not separating personal/business money, hiring too early, and avoiding sales.
Customer Discovery Interviews: A Step-by-Step Guide
Run customer discovery by recruiting 10-20 target users, asking open-ended questions about their problems (not your solution), listening more than talking, and looking for patterns across conversations.
Equity Splits for Co-Founders: A Fair Framework
Split equity based on contribution: idea origin, full-time commitment, capital invested, domain expertise, and ongoing role.
How to Choose a Business Name (and Check If It's Taken)
Choose a business name that's memorable, easy to spell, available as a domain, and not trademarked.
How to Do a Competitive Analysis on a Budget
Analyze competitors by listing 5-10 alternatives, reviewing their pricing, reading customer reviews (G2, Trustpilot, Reddit), signing up for their products, and identifying gaps they're not serving.
How to Find a Co-Founder
Find a co-founder through your network, founder communities (YC Co-Founder Matching, Indie Hackers), hackathons, and by working on small projects together before committing.
How to Open a Business Bank Account
Open a business bank account with your EIN/registration documents, personal ID, and business formation papers.
How to Pre-Sell a Product Before You Build It
Pre-sell by creating a landing page with clear value proposition, offering early-bird pricing, collecting payment or signed LOIs, and delivering manually before automating.
How to Register Your Business in the EU
EU business registration varies by country.
How to Register Your Business in the UK
UK founders can register as a sole trader (notify HMRC), form a limited company via Companies House (£12 online), or set up a partnership.
How to Register Your Business in the US
To register a business in the US: choose your structure (LLC most common), file with your state Secretary of State, get an EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account, and check local license requirements.
How to Set Up a Home Office for Productivity
Set up a dedicated workspace with good lighting, ergonomic chair, reliable internet, noise management, and clear boundaries between work and personal life.
How to Tell Your Friends and Family About Your Business
Be honest about the risks and your plan.
How to Validate a Business Idea Before Quitting Your Job
Validate your business idea by talking to 10-20 potential customers, building a simple landing page to collect emails, and testing willingness to pay before you quit your job.
How to Write a One-Page Business Plan
A one-page business plan covers: problem, solution, target customer, revenue model, distribution channel, and 90-day milestones.
Side Hustle vs Going Full-Time: How to Decide
Go full-time when you have 6-12 months runway, consistent revenue covering 50%+ of expenses, or a clear inflection point (funding, major client).
Sole Proprietorship vs LLC vs Corporation: Which Is Right for You?
Most solo founders start as sole proprietors for simplicity, then form an LLC when liability or revenue justifies it.
Startup vs Small Business: What's the Difference?
Startups aim for rapid growth and scale (often venture-backed).
What Is an MVP and How Do You Build One?
An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the simplest version of your product that delivers core value and lets you learn from real users.
When to Pivot vs When to Persist
Pivot when customer feedback consistently points to a different problem, willingness to pay is zero after 50+ conversations, or the market is too small.
Your First 90 Days as a Founder: A Checklist
Your first 90 days: validate the idea (weeks 1-4), set up legal/financial basics (weeks 2-6), build MVP or offer services (weeks 4-10), get first customers (weeks 8-12), and establish weekly review habits.