Want to start up? Don't quit yet.
A plain, step-by-step path from an idea to a business that pays you, built in your spare time and tested with real customers before you take the leap.
Seven steps, in order
Each step is cheap and quick. Don't skip ahead: every one gives you the evidence the next one needs.
- 1
Pick a problem, not an idea
Ideas are cheap and easy to fall in love with. Start with a problem you understand well, that costs someone real time or money today.
- 2
Find ten people who have it badly
Not friends being polite. Ten people who are already trying to solve it, and are frustrated with what exists.
- 3
Charge before you build
Offer a solution by hand, with spreadsheets, WhatsApp and your own time. If nobody pays for the manual version, software won't change that.
- 4
Build the smallest version that works
AI coding assistants and no-code tools mean a working first version can take days, not months. Keep it ugly and useful.
- 5
Find one channel that brings customers
One. Where do your ten people already gather, read or search? Go there repeatedly before trying anything else.
- 6
Reach steady monthly revenue before you quit
Aim for revenue that covers a meaningful share of your living costs, from customers who are not friends, for three months running.
- 7
Then go full-time
Now you are betting on evidence, not hope. You know the problem, the buyer, the price and the channel.
Things you've been told
Four common beliefs that keep good founders from starting, or push them to start the wrong way.
You need a specific problem and people willing to pay to solve it.
Most early tests cost less than a month of rent. Raise once you know what the money will do.
AI tools now let non-technical founders build and test a first version themselves.
Quitting early adds pressure without adding evidence. Prove demand in your spare time.
A starter kit for the AI era
You need far less than you think. This is enough to reach your first paying customers.
Research
An AI assistant with web search to study your market, competitors and customer complaints.
Build
An AI coding assistant or a no-code builder for your first working version.
Sell
WhatsApp Business and a simple payment link. Nothing else on day one.
Learn
A spreadsheet tracking every conversation, objection and payment.
Looking for something to test? Browse ideas worth testing now.
Already have paying customers?
Then you are past Founder 101. A Founder Teardown gives you an outside view of your positioning, offer and first channel in one week.