Guides
From idea to investor, step by step.
33 short, practical guides for founders, plus how to start a company in 18 countries. Free to read, no account needed.
Step 1
Idea
Check that the problem is real and worth your next few years.
Idea6 min
Validate your idea in two weeksA day-by-day plan to find out whether people actually want what you want to build, before you write much code or spend real money.ReadIdea6 min
Customer interviews: the questions to askHow to talk to potential customers so you hear the truth, not polite encouragement. With a ready list of questions.ReadIdea5 min
Write a one-page planForget the 40-page business plan. One page that both co-founders agree on is more useful, and you can update it every month.ReadIdea5 min
Is my idea big enough?How to think about market size without fake numbers, and why a small starting market can be a good thing.ReadStep 2
Find your co-founder
Find the right person, and test the partnership before you commit.
Co-founder5 min
Where to find a co-founderThe places where good co-founders actually come from, and how to start the conversation without it feeling awkward.ReadCo-founder6 min
The co-founder interview: questions to askA structured set of questions about goals, money, time and conflict. Go through them before you talk about equity.ReadPartner5 min
How to vet a partner before you startA partnership is like a marriage, just with less romance. Questions for the first meeting, and how to try working together before you sign anything.ReadCo-founder4 min
Run a trial project before you commitTwo to four weeks of real work together tells you more than months of coffee meetings. Here's how to set it up.ReadCo-founder4 min
Co-founder red flagsThe warning signs to take seriously before you share a company with someone, and the ones that are just differences in style.ReadCo-founder5 min
Working with a remote co-founderMany good teams start in different cities or countries. What to set up so distance doesn't turn into distrust.ReadStep 3
Build together
Equity, agreements, protecting your name and shipping the first version.
Equity6 min
How to split equity50/50 sounds fair, but it's often the worst choice. Here's how to split equity fairly and what to do if someone leaves.ReadEquity6 min
Equity and vesting explainedCliff, four-year vesting, good and bad leavers: what the terms mean and why every co-founder team needs them.ReadAgreement4 min
What to agree on before the first euroA checklist of things partners should have on paper before they earn or spend their first euro.ReadAgreement6 min
The co-founder agreement checklistEvery clause a co-founder agreement should cover, in plain language, so nothing important is left to memory.ReadTeam5 min
Decision-making and conflict between co-foundersDisagreement is normal and healthy. Here's how to make decisions quickly and stop conflicts from becoming personal.ReadTeam5 min
What to do if a co-founder leavesA co-founder leaving is painful but survivable. The practical steps for shares, IP, accounts, the team and investors.ReadProtect4 min
NDAs: when you need one and when you don'tNon-disclosure agreements are useful in a few situations and counterproductive in others. Here's how to tell the difference.ReadProtect5 min
Trademark basics: protect your nameRegistering your company doesn't protect your brand. Here's how to check a name and register it as a trademark.ReadProtect5 min
Patent basics, and when not to botherWhat a patent protects, what it costs, and why most early startups shouldn't spend money on one yet.ReadCompany5 min
Choosing a company typeSole trader, partnership or limited company? What the difference means for co-founders, liability and investors, with guides for 18 countries.ReadCompany6 min
Registering a company in BiH, Serbia and CroatiaWhat the options are, what you need, and what changes when one partner lives in another country.ReadProduct5 min
Building an MVP without a big budgetThe smallest product that tests your biggest assumption. Ways to build it in weeks, often with no code at all.ReadStep 4
First customers
Get the first ten paying customers and learn from every one of them.
Customers6 min
Finding your first 10 customersYour first customers won't come from ads or launch day. They come from you, one conversation at a time. Here's how.ReadCustomers5 min
Pricing your first productMost founders charge too little. How to set a first price, test it, and raise it as you learn.ReadCustomers5 min
Simple metrics to trackFive to seven numbers that tell you whether the business is working, and how to review them every week.ReadStep 5
Meet investors
How early funding works, what to prepare and how to keep investors close.
Investors5 min
Funding stages explained: pre-seed, seed and angelsWho invests at each stage, how much, and what they expect to see. A plain-language map of early funding.ReadInvestors5 min
Your first conversation with an investorWhat an investor looks at, what to prepare, and the mistakes that kill the conversation in the first five minutes.ReadInvestors6 min
The one-page pitch and pitch deck outlineA one-page summary to open doors and a 10–12 slide deck for the meeting, with what goes on each slide.ReadInvestors5 min
How to approach an investor and follow upHow to get a warm introduction, write a cold email that gets read, and follow up without being annoying.ReadInvestors6 min
SAFE vs convertible note vs equityThree common ways to take early investment. How each works, with a simple example, and when to use which.ReadInvestors7 min
Term sheet basics: valuation and dilutionPre-money, post-money, dilution and option pools, with a worked example, plus the other terms that matter.ReadInvestors5 min
Due diligence checklistThe documents investors usually ask for before they invest. Prepare them early so the deal doesn't stall.ReadInvestors4 min
Investor updates: a simple templateA short monthly email that keeps investors and supporters informed, builds trust and often brings help you didn't ask for.ReadYour country
Start a company in your country
Company types, registration step by step, costs, taxes and how to protect your name, with links to the official sources.