I’ve spent decades backing founders, and most startup advice you read online is written by people who have never built anything. This is the honest reading path I’d hand a first-time founder in India: how to think about the journey, how to build a product people actually want, how to handle money and funding, how to hire, and how to build a reputation without a marketing budget. Read it in order, or jump to what you need right now.
Have a question about your own startup? Ask me directly in the chat window at the bottom-right of this page. It answers in my voice, day or night. Or get my weekly letter for one useful idea every Monday.
1. Before you start, the founder’s mindset
- How to become a successful entrepreneur: start here for the honest version.
- The successful founder: what actually separates the ones who make it.
- The lonely entrepreneur: the part nobody warns you about.
- Why do entrepreneurs refuse to read books?: the cheapest edge you’re ignoring.
2. Building a product people want
- The MVP myth: why “minimum viable product” gets misunderstood.
- How to develop a kick-ass product
- The truth about innovation: a guide for serious entrepreneurs.
- Start posting before you launch: build the audience first.
3. Money & funding
- How to make sense of financial statements: a founder’s guide.
- How to not get funded: the mistakes that kill your raise.
- Why frugal founders don’t just hire a salesperson
- Which AI angel investors back startups in India, and what they look for before they write a cheque.
4. Hiring & culture
- How to hire the right professional
- Salaries trump culture: an uncomfortable truth about retention.
5. Building your reputation without a budget
- How to become a thought leader without spending a penny
- How to become a LinkedIn influencer
- How you can be like Elon Musk
This is one of my Start Here guides. Also worth your time: The Byju’s Files: my long investigation into what went wrong at India’s biggest edtech.