Startup Guides

What you'll learn Where the 50,000 unmet technical cofounders in your market actually hang out, and how to make one say yes without paying $0. Why it matters 60-70% of founders are non-technical. Finding a technical cofounder is the #1 blocker between 'idea' and 'shipping product'. The playbook 1) Where they are — GitHub India, TryHackMe leaderboards, Reddit r/developersIndia, Product Hunt maker profiles, ex-Zerodha/Razorpay/Cred employee lists on LinkedIn. 2) Where they are NOT — LinkedIn cold DMs (99% ignored), college placement cells, freelancer marketplaces. 3) The offer — 30-50% equity + no salary for 6 months + shared vision doc + 90-day mutual trial. 4) What kills the deal — 'trust me bro' pitches, no domain expertise, no user validation done. 5) Give them proof (waitlist of 200+, 10 user interviews) before asking for a lifetime commitment. Common mistakes Offering under 20% equity (insulting). Skipping the trial period (locks you into wrong person). Pitching before you've validated the problem. Next action Search GitHub for developers who starred repos in your problem space. DM 20 with a specific, personal, 3-sentence pitch. Aim for 2 replies.

What you'll learn The legally clean, ethically sound process for parting ways with a cofounder — the conversation nobody wants to have. Why it matters Most startups die from NOT firing the wrong cofounder. Learning to do this well saves the company. The playbook 1) Try mediation first — a founder-friend, an advisor, or a formal mediator (₹5,000-15,000 in India). 2) If unfixable, refer to your Founders' Agreement (this is why you signed one). 3) Vesting cliff kicks in — unvested shares return to the company treasury. 4) Offer a fair exit package — 3-6 months salary equivalent if cash allows. 5) Sign a mutual release + non-disparagement agreement (₹10,000 lawyer fee). 6) Announce internally with grace, externally with brevity ('X is leaving to pursue new opportunities'). Common mistakes Doing it over WhatsApp. Trying to fire without a Founders' Agreement (chaos). Talking badly about them publicly (reputation lasts). Next action If you're already thinking about this, book a call with a startup lawyer this week. Don't Google-lawyer this one.

What you'll learn The 5 conflict patterns that end cofounder relationships, and how to prevent each one before it starts. Why it matters Cofounder conflict kills more startups than running out of money. Preventing it costs nothing; fixing it costs everything. The playbook 1) Pattern 1: Unclear roles — Fix: written role split in month 1 (CEO does X, CTO does Y). 2) Pattern 2: Effort mismatch — Fix: shared weekly progress log; if one person consistently under-delivers, address in month 3. 3) Pattern 3: Money stress — Fix: agree on burn rate + personal salary caps in advance. 4) Pattern 4: Vision drift — Fix: quarterly 'are we still building the same thing?' retrospective. 5) Pattern 5: Personal life crashes — Fix: talk openly about mental health, marriage stress, kids, ill parents. Ignoring these blows up companies. Common mistakes Avoiding hard conversations. Not having a 'founder divorce' clause. Assuming shared history = shared vision. Next action Book a 1-hour 'cofounder retrospective' this weekend. Agenda: what's working, what isn't, what we should stop doing. Do this every 90 days forever.

What you'll learn The 4 signals that tell you it's time to hire, and the 3 hires most founders regret. Why it matters Hiring too early burns runway; hiring too late burns YOU out. Getting the timing right can 2x your growth rate. The playbook 1) Signal 1 — you're working 70+ hours/week and quality is dropping. 2) Signal 2 — a specific task takes you >10 hours/week AND you're not the best person for it. 3) Signal 3 — you have 6+ months of runway (never hire on under 6 months). 4) Signal 4 — you can describe the role in a 1-page JD with clear success metrics. 5) First hires that work — customer support, growth marketer, ops generalist. 6) First hires that don't — 'chief of staff', junior engineer under a non-technical founder, marketing lead before you have PMF. Common mistakes Hiring senior people too early (they leave when it gets scrappy). Hiring your friends without a contract. Not having 3-month probation with clear exit. Next action Track your weekly hours by task for 2 weeks. The task with the most hours where you're the worst person = your first hire.

What you'll learn The 3 equity models that work (and 2 that destroy startups), plus a decision framework for your specific situation. Why it matters Bad equity splits are the #1 reason cofounder relationships explode. Getting this right in month 1 saves your company in year 3. The playbook 1) Default: 50/50 with 4-year vesting + 1-year cliff — both must earn their shares over time; if one leaves, unvested shares return to the company. 2) Weighted split — if one cofounder has domain expertise, capital, or existing traction, adjust 60/40 or 55/45. 3) Never — 100/0 with 'trust me bro' equity promises later. Get it in writing on day 1. 4) Vesting cliff — 25% vests at month 12, then 1/48th monthly. This is non-negotiable — protects everyone. 5) Sign a Founders' Agreement before writing code. Templates on gov.uk, Ycombinator, LawTrust India (₹5,000). Common mistakes Skipping vesting because 'we're friends' (friendship + business + no contract = disaster). Rewarding tenure vs contribution. Not planning for a cofounder leaving. Next action Have 'the equity conversation' this week. Draft your split + vesting terms in a Google Doc. Get a lawyer to formalise before you take investment.

What you'll learn Where the 50,000 unmet technical cofounders in India actually hang out, and how to make one say yes without paying ₹0. Why it matters 65% of Indian founders are non-technical. Finding a technical cofounder is the #1 blocker between 'idea' and 'shipping product'. The playbook 1) Where they are — GitHub India, TryHackMe leaderboards, Reddit r/developersIndia, Product Hunt maker profiles, ex-Zerodha/Razorpay/Cred employee lists on LinkedIn. 2) Where they are NOT — LinkedIn cold DMs (99% ignored), college placement cells, freelancer marketplaces. 3) The offer — 30-50% equity + no salary for 6 months + shared vision doc + 90-day mutual trial. 4) What kills the deal — 'trust me bro' pitches, no domain expertise, no user validation done. 5) Give them proof (waitlist of 200+, 10 user interviews) before asking for a lifetime commitment. Common mistakes Offering under 20% equity (insulting). Skipping the trial period (locks you into wrong person). Pitching before you've validated the problem. Next action Search GitHub for developers who starred repos in your problem space. DM 20 with a specific, personal, 3-sentence pitch. Aim for 2 replies.

What you'll learn A 3-day 'kill your baby' exercise that either strengthens your conviction or saves you 2 years of wasted effort. Why it matters Investors will find the flaws in 20 minutes. If you can't defend your idea from your own attacks, you'll implode in the first meeting. The playbook 1) Day 1 — Play 'worst-case founder': write the 10 reasons this idea will fail in 5 years. 2) Day 2 — Send those 10 reasons to 3 experienced founders. Ask which is fatal. 3) Day 3 — For each fatal reason, either solve it, pivot, or quit. 4) If you can't kill it after 3 days of trying, you have conviction. That's rare and valuable. 5) Redo this exercise every 6 months as you scale. Common mistakes Treating it as a formality (you'll be too easy on yourself). Skipping the outsider input. Being defensive when founders point out flaws. Next action Book 30 minutes with any founder who has 3+ years of experience. Show them your idea and ask 'what would kill this?'

What you'll learn Why founders who say 'we have no competitors' almost always fail, and what to say instead. Why it matters Investors and successful founders view 'no competition' as either delusion, laziness, or a dead market. Understanding this reframes your entire pitch. The playbook 1) If you truly have no competitors, ask: has anyone tried this and quit? Why? 2) Reframe competitors as 'the current solution' — even a spreadsheet or WhatsApp is your competitor. 3) Ideal answer: '3 direct competitors, plus X indirect solutions, and here's why we win against each'. 4) Use competitors as free market research — read their reviews, hire their unhappy users. 5) Bad markets have no competitors. Great markets have lots. Common mistakes Confusing 'we're better' with 'we're different'. Ignoring adjacent solutions (Excel, WhatsApp, email). Being smug about it in pitches (kills fundraises). Next action List 10 competitors — direct and indirect. Read 20 negative reviews of each. Your unique angle is hiding in there.

What you'll learn A ₹0-budget demand test using a landing page and Instagram reel that predicts product-market fit before you code. Why it matters Real founders like Airbnb, Buffer and Zerodha all did demand tests before building. Skipping this step is the #1 reason MVPs get 0 users. The playbook 1) Build a 1-page site in Carrd or Framer (₹0, 2 hours) — problem, solution, 'Join waitlist'. 2) Record a 30-second Instagram reel showing the problem. 3) Post to 3 startup Facebook/WhatsApp groups (r/StartupsIndia, Growth Hackers India). 4) Wait 48 hours. If under 10 emails, the idea is dead. If 50+, you have something. 5) Reply personally to every signup with a Calendly link and interview them. Common mistakes Adding 'signup for beta' but not asking why they want it. Confusing traffic with intent (visits are not demand). Skipping the interviews (numbers lie, conversations don't). Next action Buy your domain (₹700/year on GoDaddy), set up a Carrd landing today, post your reel tomorrow.

What you'll learn A 30-minute self-interview that kills bad ideas before you write a line of code. Why it matters Founders spend an average of ₹4 lakh building MVPs for ideas that could have been killed with a 30-minute conversation. The playbook 1) Would 10 people I don't know pay me ₹500 to solve this today? 2) Have I personally felt this pain in the last 30 days? 3) Can I name 5 competitors — and do they have unhappy customers? 4) Can I reach my first 100 users without paid ads? 5) Would I still work on this if it took 5 years and made me no rich? Common mistakes Asking friends and family (they lie). Skipping question 3 because 'we're first to market' (you're not). Building for a niche too small to matter. Next action Answer all 5 in a doc. Any 'no' means iterate the idea before you build.

What you'll learn The 4 traits that separate a fundable idea from a hobby project, and why 'great idea' is the wrong question to ask. Why it matters 90% of failed startups had 'good ideas' — they failed because the idea didn't have the 4 traits below. Understanding this saves you 6 months of building the wrong thing. The playbook 1) Painful problem — users would pay to make it go away, not just enjoy the solution. 2) Frequent occurrence — the problem hits at least weekly (daily is better). 3) Fragmented market — no dominant player owns >30% share. 4) Distribution advantage — you can reach the first 1,000 users cheaper than anyone else. Score your idea 0-10 on each. If you're below 25/40, keep hunting. Common mistakes Falling in love with the solution before validating the problem. Confusing 'cool' with 'profitable'. Ignoring distribution because 'we'll figure it out later'. Next action Write your idea as a sentence: 'For [who], who suffers from [problem], we offer [solution] that [key benefit].' If you can't fill every blank, you don't have an idea yet.

What you'll learn The exact $100, 15-day process to register a Pvt Ltd company in your market — the fastest and cheapest legal structure for tech startups. Why it matters Wrong structure = $600+ later fixing it. Pvt Ltd is right for 95% of…

What you'll learn The path from $0 to $1.2K monthly recurring revenue, and why that milestone matters more than any other. Why it matters $1.2K MRR = $12L ARR = product-market fit signal. Investors will now respond. Journalists will write about you. Cofounder problems get easier. The playbook 1) Math — At $6/month plan, you need 200 paying customers. At $12/month, you need 100. At $60 (B2B), you need 20. 2) Milestone 1: First paying customer (typically month 2-4) — Celebrate. Interview them for 1 hour. Learn everything. 3) Milestone 2: 10 paying customers (month 4-8) — Prove the model repeats. Look for customer patterns (industry, size, use case). 4) Milestone 3: 50 paying customers (month 8-14) — Now you have a business. Hire 1 person to grow while you focus on retention. 5) Milestone 4: $1.2K MRR (month 12-18 for most; 6-24 range) — Time to raise or scale. This is your inflection point. 6) Retention > acquisition — At $1.2K MRR, losing 10% of customers monthly = you're on a treadmill. Prioritise reducing churn to <5% before scaling acquisition. Common mistakes Chasing revenue diversity too early (one focused customer segment first). Optimising acquisition before retention (leaky bucket). Not raising price after PMF (missed 2-3x revenue jump). Next action Calculate the customer count you need at your current pricing. Write it on your wall. Attack it customer by customer.

What you'll learn What the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP, effective 2024) requires, and the 6 minimum steps to comply as a small startup. Why it matters DPDP penalties go up to $250 million. Even small startups collecting emails…

What you'll learn The specific angels + micro-VCs writing $10L-$120K cheques in your market today, their thesis, and how to reach them. Why it matters Founders waste months chasing the wrong investors. This is your shortlist to save you 60%…

What you'll learn The exact 90-day process to raise a $30K-$120K angel round in your market, from list-building to term sheet. Why it matters Founders who don't understand the fundraising cadence spend 6+ months and burn out. This playbook…

What you'll learn The 3-question decision framework for when to keep going, pivot, or shut down — used by 100+ founders at their crossroads moment. Why it matters Both quitting too early and pushing through too long are lethal. This framework gives you a data-driven answer. The playbook 1) Question 1: Is your market still there? If the market disappeared (e.g. NFT hype crash), quit or pivot. If market is fine but you're behind → push through. 2) Question 2: Do you have >6 months of runway? If yes, you have time to pivot. If no, either raise fast or quit. 3) Question 3: Are you still learning fast? If every week you learn 10 new things → push through. If you've stopped learning → pivot (market/team/product is stale). 4) Push through when — Growth 5-10%/month, learning fast, market intact, cofounders aligned. Just keep going. 5) Pivot when — Learning stopped, growth flat, but market still exists. Change ONE variable (product OR audience OR channel). 6) Quit when — Market gone, cofounders gone, learning stopped, runway <3 months. Sunk-cost fallacy will kill you. Quit clean, take the lessons, start again in 6 months. 7) After quitting — Take 3 months off. Write a 'post-mortem doc' with 10 lessons. Then start the next one — with 10x more wisdom. Common mistakes Quitting on bad days (never decide anything on Sunday night). Pivoting into someone else's business (chase your unique wedge). Grinding when the market is dead. Next action Answer the 3 questions honestly today. Talk to 3 mentors about your answers. Trust the answer that stays true after a good night's sleep.

What you'll learn The 10-item weekly checklist used by 200+ Indian founders to maintain mental health through the startup roller-coaster. Why it matters Founder burnout kills more startups than bad products. Mental health is a business asset, not a luxury. The playbook 1) Sleep 7+ hours — non-negotiable, more valuable than 2 hours of 'hustle'. 2) Exercise 3x/week — 30 min minimum. Cardio > lifting for founder brain. 3) 1 tech-free day/week — usually Sunday. No Slack, no email. Marriage/family/self time. 4) See 1 non-founder friend/week — perspective from outside the bubble. 5) Journal 5 min/day — top 3 wins, top 3 worries, gratitude. Prevents rumination. 6) Therapy monthly — YourDost / Amaha / MindPeers. ₹1,500/session. Prevents crisis; catches early. 7) Delete Twitter/LinkedIn for a week/quarter — comparison detox. 8) 1 hobby unrelated to startup — cooking, chess, music. Guards your identity beyond founder. 9) Alcohol under 2 units/week — self-medication accelerates burnout. 10) Annual break — 7 consecutive days off, once/year, no laptop. Your team survives; you rebuild. Common mistakes Waiting until burnout to invest in mental health (too late). Believing therapy is weak (it's data-driven optimisation). Hiding struggles from cofounder. Next action Rate yourself 0-10 on each of the 10 items today. Pick the lowest 3 and fix them this week.

What you'll learn The 4 psychological patterns that hit every founder around month 8, and the strategies used by founders who survived them. Why it matters Understanding this predictable dip lets you prepare for it, ride it out, and come out stronger on the other side. The playbook 1) Pattern 1: Excitement fades — Months 1-3 are dopamine highs, months 4-8 are grind. Solution: schedule small wins (customer testimonials, feature launches). 2) Pattern 2: Runway anxiety — Savings shrink but revenue is still small. Solution: monthly financial review, celebrate every ₹10K in revenue. 3) Pattern 3: Family/social pressure — 'When are you getting a real job?' peaks around month 8. Solution: set 12-month checkpoint with family upfront. 4) Pattern 4: Comparison trap — Twitter is full of 'we just raised ₹50Cr' while you're at ₹5K MRR. Solution: quit Twitter for a month, follow only 5 founders at your stage. 5) The month 8 checklist — Take 4 days off (no laptop). Review month 1 goals. Meet 5 founders further along. Come back with a fresh plan. 6) Real survival stat — 50% of founders quit in months 6-12. If you make it to month 18, you're in the top 30% of survivors. Common mistakes Grinding harder instead of stepping back. Making major decisions in this dip (pivot / quit / fire cofounder). Not talking to peers. Next action Right now, mark month 8 in your calendar. Plan those 4 off-days. It'll save your company.

What you'll learn The 3-step framework to process rejection (from investors, customers, hires) without letting it derail you. Why it matters Founders hear 100+ 'no's for every 'yes'. The ones who survive have a system. The ones who quit take rejection personally. The playbook 1) Step 1: Separate you from the idea — 'They rejected the idea/pitch, not me as a person'. Write this after every rejection. 2) Step 2: Find the signal in the noise — 80% of rejections give useful feedback if you ask. 'What would need to be true for you to say yes in 12 months?' 3) Step 3: Batch process — Don't reflect after each rejection (emotional roller coaster). Reflect on 5 rejections at a time to see patterns. 4) The 100-no rule — Aim to hear 100 investor no's. Statistical inevitability of hitting some yes's. Track them in a spreadsheet. 5) Physical practice — Rejection releases cortisol. Counter with 30 min cardio same day. Non-negotiable for mental health. 6) Support system — Find 3 other founders in your stage. Vent to them, not your team or family. Common mistakes Taking rejection as final (many 'no's are 'not now's). Not asking for feedback. Isolating instead of processing with peers. Next action After your next rejection, immediately write down what you learned. Batch 5 lessons into a monthly retro.

What you'll learn The 6-part financial survival plan that saves founders from quitting in month 8, when savings run out and revenue is still low. Why it matters 62% of Indian founders quit due to personal finance stress, not product failure. Survive month 8 and you'll make it. The playbook 1) Runway before starting — Have 12-18 months of personal expenses saved BEFORE you start (not 6 months — it's not enough). 2) Lifestyle deflation — Move back with parents if possible (₹0 rent = 6 more months of runway). No new EMIs. 3) Side income allowed — 1 day/week freelance consulting in your prior industry can extend runway by 6+ months without derailing focus. 4) Emergency fund — Keep 3 months of personal expenses in a separate bank untouched by business. 5) Health insurance — Non-negotiable. Star Health / HDFC ERGO covers you if things go wrong. ₹800/month is not optional. 6) Support system — Have 'the money conversation' with parents/spouse in month 1. They need to know the runway plan. Common mistakes Optimising only startup expenses, ignoring personal. No parallel income at all (adds unbearable pressure). Hiding financial reality from family. Next action Calculate your true runway today. If under 12 months, either raise, cut lifestyle, or take a side gig this month.

What you'll learn The '40 Rule' that Warren Buffett of SaaS uses to decide whether to reinvest in growth or take money home. Why it matters Founders often reinvest too aggressively (burn out) or too slowly (get out-grown by competitors). The 40 Rule gives you a data-driven answer. The playbook 1) The formula — Growth Rate (%) + Profit Margin (%) should equal 40+. 2) Example 1 — Growth 60%/year, Profit margin -20% (burning cash) = 40 → healthy but aggressive. 3) Example 2 — Growth 10%/year, Profit margin 30% = 40 → healthy but slow (lifestyle mode). 4) Example 3 — Growth 5%/year, Profit margin 10% = 15 → in trouble, one of these must go up. 5) Under 40? Choose one: cut costs to raise margin, or invest to raise growth. Both stagnant is a slow death. 6) Over 60? You're leaving money on the table — reinvest more into growth. Common mistakes Optimising for growth alone (running out of cash). Optimising for margin alone (getting out-grown). Not tracking either monthly. Next action Calculate your 40 Rule number today. If below 40, book a meeting with your cofounder this weekend to decide: cut or invest.

What you'll learn The path from ₹0 to ₹1L monthly recurring revenue, and why that milestone matters more than any other. Why it matters ₹1L MRR = ₹12L ARR = product-market fit signal. Investors will now respond. Journalists will write about you. Cofounder problems get easier. The playbook 1) Math — At ₹499/month plan, you need 200 paying customers. At ₹999/month, you need 100. At ₹4,999 (B2B), you need 20. 2) Milestone 1: First paying customer (typically month 2-4) — Celebrate. Interview them for 1 hour. Learn everything. 3) Milestone 2: 10 paying customers (month 4-8) — Prove the model repeats. Look for customer patterns (industry, size, use case). 4) Milestone 3: 50 paying customers (month 8-14) — Now you have a business. Hire 1 person to grow while you focus on retention. 5) Milestone 4: ₹1L MRR (month 12-18 for most; 6-24 range) — Time to raise or scale. This is your inflection point. 6) Retention > acquisition — At ₹1L MRR, losing 10% of customers monthly = you're on a treadmill. Prioritise reducing churn to <5% before scaling acquisition. Common mistakes Chasing revenue diversity too early (one focused customer segment first). Optimising acquisition before retention (leaky bucket). Not raising price after PMF (missed 2-3x revenue jump). Next action Calculate the customer count you need at your current pricing. Write it on your wall. Attack it customer by customer.

What you'll learn The 3 criteria that make ad revenue viable, why 90% of founders shouldn't touch ads, and the alternatives that make more money. Why it matters Ads look easy but destroy user experience and rarely earn enough. Understanding when they work saves you from a bad decision. The playbook 1) Ads work if — You have >100K DAU, users spend >5 min/session, and content is casual (games, memes, news). 2) Ads fail if — You have <10K DAU (too little to matter), users are B2B/professional (ads look cheap), or your value = ad-free experience. 3) Realistic revenue — ₹0.30-₹2 per 1000 impressions in India (way lower than US). 100K DAU × 5 impressions/day × ₹1 CPM = ₹15,000/day = ₹4.5L/month. 4) Better alternatives — Pro subscription (Ideas Mine model), one-time unlocks, in-app purchases, affiliate revenue, sponsored content. 5) If you must — Google AdMob (mobile), Google AdSense (web). Avoid ad networks that don't pay in India (many). 6) Rule — Add ads AFTER Pro conversion, never before. Ad revenue should be <30% of total revenue for healthy business. Common mistakes Adding ads to boost bad revenue (bandaid). Full-screen interstitials (users uninstall). Ads on paid users (they feel cheated). Next action Calculate your realistic ad revenue with the CPM math above. If it's <₹50K/month, skip ads and focus on paid tier.

What you'll learn When freemium works (2 conditions), when free-trial wins (4 conditions), and the hybrid model most founders should default to. Why it matters Wrong choice = burning cash on free users forever OR scaring away everyone. Right choice determines your conversion rate. The playbook 1) Freemium works when — Free version has viral loop (referrals, sharing); marginal cost of a free user is near-zero (pure SaaS). 2) Freemium fails when — Your product has support cost per user (kills unit economics); no natural gate for upgrade. 3) Free-trial works when — Product has strong 'aha' moment within 14 days; customers know they need it (B2B). 4) Hybrid: 'Free forever + Paid Pro' — like Notion, Canva, and Ideas Mine. Free = enough to be useful. Pro = unlocks power features. 5) Trial length — 7 days for consumer, 14 days for SMB, 30 days for enterprise. Longer trials = lower conversion (paradox). 6) Trial with credit card vs no CC — CC upfront doubles conversion but halves signups. Test both. Common mistakes Freemium with high support cost (unit economics death). Trial too long (procrastination). No end-of-trial email sequence (leaves 30% conversion unclaimed). Next action Look at your current model. If conversion is under 2%, try switching to time-boxed trial with card. If conversion is 5%+ but signups low, try generous freemium.

What you'll learn The 3 pricing methods that work for early-stage SaaS in India, and how to test pricing without losing customers. Why it matters Wrong pricing = leaving 30-70% money on the table (or scaring away everyone). Right pricing accelerates growth 3x. The playbook 1) Method 1: Value-based — 'How much money does your product save/make the customer?' Charge 10-15% of that. Best for B2B. 2) Method 2: Cost-plus — Your unit cost × 5-10x margin. Simple. Best for physical products, not SaaS. 3) Method 3: Competitor-anchored — Charge 20% less than closest competitor if you're newer; 20% more if you're clearly better. 4) Anchor pricing — always show 3 tiers (Basic / Pro / Business). Most people pick middle. Set Pro at your target price. 5) Testing — A/B test prices on 100 customers each (₹499 vs ₹999). Whichever has >2x conversion at higher price = raise. 6) India specifics — ₹99-₹499 for consumer, ₹999-₹4,999 for prosumer, ₹9,999-₹49,999 for B2B SaaS. Above ₹1L needs sales calls. Common mistakes Free tier too generous (nobody upgrades). One-price-fits-all (leaves money on table). Never raising prices (customers accept 20% hikes with reason). Next action Add a 'Business' tier at 3x your current top price. Watch if any customers ask about it. That's a signal to add real value there.

What you'll learn What the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP, effective 2024) requires, and the 6 minimum steps to comply as a small startup. Why it matters DPDP penalties go up to ₹250 crore. Even small startups collecting emails…

What you'll learn When NDAs actually protect you, when they're useless theatre, and the 3-line template that works for most cases. Why it matters Founders waste weeks on NDAs before every meeting. Most are unenforceable. Understanding when…

What you'll learn When you must register for GST, when you can delay, and how to handle GST for tech startups without hiring a full-time CA. Why it matters GST mistakes = ₹50K+ penalties + notices from the department. Get it right from day…

What you'll learn The 8 clauses every Indian Founders' Agreement must have, and what happens when you don't have one. Why it matters No agreement = when a cofounder leaves, they can hold your company hostage. Get this in month 1. **The…