Founders
Your first technical hire
How a non-technical founder makes a strong first technical hire: what matters at this stage, judging skill you cannot assess directly, and avoiding the costly early mistake.
Tag
startups
13 articles tagged with this topic
Articles tagged startups
Operations
Remote-first from day one
What remote-first requires from day one: writing things down, deciding asynchronously, and the deliberate choices that make a distributed company work rather than allowing it.
Product
The second product problem
Why the second product usually comes too early: how it starves the first, the real reasons founders reach for it, and the test for whether a company is actually ready to build one.
Money
Managing runway when revenue is lumpy
How founders manage runway when revenue is lumpy: why averages lie, planning against the timing of cash not just the amount, and building the buffer that survives a slow stretch.
Product
When your MVP is too minimal
Why some MVPs are too minimal to learn from: how stripping a product too far kills the signal, what the minimum actually needs to include, and building enough to get a real answer.
Money
Hire an accountant earlier than you think
Why founders should hire an accountant earlier than feels necessary: the mistakes of DIY finances, what a good accountant prevents, and choosing one who fits an early company.
Money
Reading a term sheet for the first time
What first-time founders should understand in a term sheet beyond valuation: control, liquidation preferences, and the clauses that matter more than the headline number.
Growth
Your first ten customers come from you
Why a startup's first ten customers come from founder effort, not channels: doing things that do not scale, learning from direct sales, and earning the right to automate later.
Money
Where and when to incorporate your startup
How founders should think about where and when to incorporate: what the choice actually decides, why premature incorporation costs money, and matching structure to real plans.
Money
Pricing software for a small market
How founders price software for a small market: why low-volume pricing inverts the usual playbook, charging for value not seats, and building revenue from a limited buyer pool.
Founders
The cofounder conversation nobody schedules
The cofounder conversation most startups skip: aligning on equity, roles, exit, and failure before the pressure hits, and why the unspoken assumptions are what break partnerships.
Operations
The job description that gets your first hire right
How founders write a first-hire job description that works: defining the real role, being honest about stage and scope, and screening for the person a small team actually needs.