I'm looking for book recommendations that have genuinely helped founders in their entrepreneurial journey. I'm particularly interested in books that cover various aspects of business strategy, fundraising, and scaling. Whether it's something recent or classic, I'd love to hear what books people here recommend. Preferably ones that provided practical insights rather than just theoretical concepts.

After building several unsuccessful software products, I think I finally hit PMF (Product-Market Fit)! Seeing more and more positive feedback from users has been an incredible feeling. AI-generated UI design & prototyping, a tool that helps generate UI and prototypes automatically with AI.

But before it, I built a user behavior recording & analysis tool, and… well, it flopped. 😅 The idea was to use AI to analyze user behavior and extract meaningful insights. But we quickly ran into major limitations:

• AI can’t watch videos – It could only process logs, making insights from session replays nearly impossible.

• LLM context windows are limited – We couldn’t process large-scale user behavior data in one go, making it hard to provide useful, actionable insights.

• Only two paying users – And I suspect they were just paying for the basic session recording & playback, not the AI-driven insights we envisioned.

Key Lessons Learned:

1. Ship an MVP to real users ASAP – Don’t overthink it. Get your core AI-powered feature in front of the earliest possible target users, even if it’s rough.
2. Focus on the core AI value, not legacy features – Just because you’ve already built something doesn’t mean it deserves to stay. Cut anything that doesn’t serve your AI’s core purpose.
3. Charge from day one – If people aren’t willing to pay immediately, you might not have PMF. Pricing is a test of real demand, and waiting too long to introduce it is a mistake.

With ​new product, we took these lessons to heart and built an AI-native workflow rather than just bolting AI onto an existing process. This shift has made all the difference.

Would love to hear from other founders—what are the biggest lessons you’ve learned from failed products? 🚀🚀

I've been working with a hardware startup for almost 1.5 years, starting from when it was my capstone project in college at the beginning of '23.

Since this time, I've been putting in 10-20 hours/week handling:

• All PCB design & firmware development
• Driver development and debugging
• Hardware/software integration, protocol design
• Technical presentations and discussions with investors
• Coordination with mechanical engineering teams

Compensation has been slippery throughout this time, with a stipend originally discussed, but after a few months of back-and-forth, we decided on equity. It's a small percentage, some of which is milestone based, up to 2.5% of the current pool.

Currently I'm the only engineer with comprehensive knowledge of our technical stack. I started fresh out of college, so initially I was happy for the experience, but now I'm wondering if I've been undervalued.

I'm primarily wondering the following: is working purely for equity normal in early-stage hardware startups?

Looking for perspective from others in the tech startup space.

Hi all! This equity grant feels low to me, but I want to sanity-check that with others who know the market better.

Offer Details:

• ~$100K base salary
• $40K commission (can go up to $60K OTE)
• Equity grant of ~$10K vesting over 4 years
• Series A startup – recently raised, valuation in the eight to nine-figure range
• First hire in implementation – very project management-heavy, currently handled by CSM

The cash side I can make work I think, but the equity feels very low if this is a place I want to stay for 1+ years. From what I’ve seen, similar roles at this stage typically get 0.05%–0.2% – mine looks closer to 0.01%–0.02%.

I really like the company and the role, but this would be a big pay cut from my current consulting job (4 YOE). Is this standard for post-Series A, or should I push for more? If so, what’s the best angle – higher equity, better commission structure, or something else?

Would love to hear from others who’ve negotiated startup offers! [I will not promote]

As a college student I am learning data science. But to upgrade myself I have to join startups for gaining some experiences before joining a company . I want some tips and tricks how to find and join startups can someone help me please.

Currently I am doing Data science and Machine Learning and i came to know that if i will join some startups it will be good push to career and portfolio as well and also gained some experience . Can anybody will help how to get in

I’m 24 and founded a robotics startup 2 years ago. Have raised $35k from investors with $400k committed for our next round closing this month. I have contracted engineers, advisors, and someone who I have already planned on making the CEO for a while.

Last month, I thought of a new idea in music tech and was able to raise $20k already by just putting some feelers out. Through my cofounder, I have the opportunity to work with some big people in the music industry as well, which is something I’m really interested in since im also a musician.

Advice for pursuing both? The investors behind these ideas know I am splitting my focus already, so it’s nice that they support me but I know delegation will be a huge factor.

🤔 Fellow PMs! Built something to make data analysis actually make sense...

Ever stare at your data thinking "Cool... now what am I looking at?"

Here's the idea: Instead of throwing charts at you, this tool plays "20 Questions" with your data to get to exactly what you need to know.

How it works:

1. Upload your data (from anywhere - Mixpanel, GA, spreadsheets, whatever)

2. Tool asks smart follow-up questions like:

   • "Seeing lots of user activity. Want to focus on new users or power users?"
   • "Noticing some patterns in feature adoption. Interested in drop-offs or success paths?"
   • "Several time periods available. Last quarter or year-to-date?"

3. After 4-5 questions → Boom! You get:

   • Relevant charts (ready for your deck)
   • Key metrics that matter
   • Actual insights you can use

No more "which chart should I use?" moments. No more puzzling over what metrics matter. Just guided exploration to exactly what you need to know.

Quick question for you all: How do you currently narrow down what's important in your data? Would this questioning approach help?

Let me know what you think! 👇

I will not promote

Compiling a free, open resource listing all the hacker houses, founder residencies, and co-living spaces where builders and founders can find their people. Whether it’s a well known space or a new house, I want to include it. i will not promote

Goal: Create a global directory so anyone can plug into a founder-friendly environment, no matter where they are.

How you can help: Drop links to any you know of websites, Twitter threads, anything.

Let’s make it easier for founders to connect IRL. Appreciate any contributions!

Guys, Honestly, How do you all solve this loop of marketing and sales, To some extent Sales is okay, But prospecting and finding the right customer is so freaking difficult, I have been trying to make my efforts here but no idea where I am going wrong! How many of you are facing something like this? And how have you solved for this? Any advice is appreciated!

My pipeline right now is literally, just look through socials, Post ads, cold Email, cold calls, about all these feels so daunting!

I’m exploring an idea to launch a faceless YouTube channel for a SaaS product that converts articles, books, and PDFs into engaging podcasts.

The plan:

1. Create high-quality, free content around this SaaS to drive views and engagement.

2. If the channel gains traction, I can either pitch it to the company or use it as a portfolio piece.

3. This process will help me master YouTube growth, SEO, and content marketing—key skills for my long-term goal: building a YouTube content marketing agency specialized in SaaS.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Hi,I am thinking of developing a fintech app for which I have already got my patent for a year.I contacted a few developers off the google and wanted to develop the prototype from them.But A Business selling firm I was in contsct with suggested they could market just the concept for me for which I will get royalties if succeeded.(90/10) split.So,If you were at my place would you consider royalties or a possible buyout.Or instead Develop the app by myself ,buy a server and then try to look for investors.I dont think I will have much resources to contribute to my startup given my immigration and financial status.Thanks

"i will not promote" - looking for strategies for public/ private partnerships.

Does anyone have experience with a Public private partnership? I'm interested in setting up a new business which would benefits the general public of a small city. Projection requires approximately $250K investment with a conservative return of 10-11% by year 2 scaling up to 20- 23% return for years 3-5 and the usesage will dictate as well as expenses. What is more valuable to a city, revenue share, straight line lease, management contract, typical term (5, 10, 15 year etc?) note: this is a new industry and although it has fantastic potential, I'm looking to reduce risk and gain access to capital with a first contract to potentially add more cities. Additionally, what is the most advantageous structure for growth? City leadership seems fragmented, who is most likely to be a decision maker, economic development, Mayor, etc? Thank you.

Hello everyone,

I build an AI app( not an AI wrapper Saas)! Make a POC with a restaurant he like it so now how I can attract more restaurant or hotels ? I find restaurant are hard to get in touch because they have no time usually they are in the restaurant busy otherwise they are in the market and not open to an another idea ! I mean I need to go to see them one by one ? I don’t know if email work I don’t know if anyone here tried

Thank you for your idea and feedback

I will not promote - looking for strategies for public/ private partnerships.

Does anyone have experience with a Public private partnership? I'm interested in setting up a new business which would benefits the general public of a small city. Projection requires approximately $250K investment with a conservative return of 10-11% by year 2 scaling up to 20- 23% return for years 3-5 and the usesage will dictate as well as expenses. What is more valuable to a city, revenue share, straight line lease, management contract, typical term (5, 10, 15 year etc?) note: this is a new industry and although it has fantastic potential, I'm looking to reduce risk and gain access to capital with a first contract to potentially add more cities. Additionally, what is the most advantageous structure for growth? City leadership seems fragmented, who is most likely to be a decision maker, economic development, Mayor, etc? Thank you.

Does anyone have experience with a Public private partnership? I'm interested in setting up a new business which would benefits the general public of a small city. Projection requires approximately $250K investment with a conservative return of 10-11% by year 2 scaling up to 20- 23% return for years 3-5 and the usesage will dictate as well as expenses. What is more valuable to a city, revenue share, straight line lease, management contract, typical term (5, 10, 15 year etc?) note: this is a new industry and although it has fantastic potential, I'm looking to reduce risk and gain access to capital with a first contract to potentially add more cities. Additionally, what is the most advantageous structure for growth? Leadership seems fragmented, who is most likely to be a decision maker, economic development, Mayor, etc?

We’ve all been there as desired entrepreneurs seeking the next big thing or next big solution to a world wide problem, but to truly get the best out of an idea most of us will need that extra helping hand along the way most likely in the form of a co founder, in what field we eventually decide upon. We’ve all probably tried to convince a friend or even a family member but you’d always get the generic reply of “get a job” or “it’s to risky” which is usually the response most of us would get if we did that right? (If you haven’t tried already) It certainly is for me. I see too many people just like me struggle to find the right co founder/partner that I almost feel it puts a lot of people off because they know they have the dedication and discipline to make it work but just want that extra bit of knowledge or experience to maximise an idea’s potential. So if you are a business owner and have found that business soulmate, how have you managed that and how hard was it for you to find them?

A coffee chat is an informal conversation, usually over coffee, for networking, advice, mentorship, or getting to know someone better in a relaxed setting.

I am going to launch an app to gather people into this open and friendly environment. People can reach out other for advise, mentorship and networking over a coffee or tea.

What do you think of this idea? Feel free to share your thoughts

Does the busy schedule you have as a founder put strains on your love life? Do you not see her as often as you should? If so, is she okay with this?

Given our responsibilities and our passion being very much baked in the startup venture, how do you try to make it work with your partner? Do you lower her expectations as to how much she will see you? Or do you fit in time for her no matter what and keep that blocked off. Equally, I’d like to know if you’ve ever lost relationships for your startup and, if in hindsight, you have any regrets around that.

Wanted to hear more experiences around this.

So we are an early stage startup, currently pre-revenue. It has been almost a year since we have been working on the startup, around 10 months of which had been full time.

We are currently bootstrapped. We tried raising funds for a few months, but got rejected by the VCs. We pivoted a bit. We are on the verge of getting a customer's free trial, but the paying cycle might take longer to materialize.

All the folks here, how long did it take for you to get the first revenue numbers/funding after going full time ? Did you guys go full time after you have secured funding/got some revenue ?

I will not promote.

Hi everyone, I'm working on the side as a founding engineer at a SaaS business, and I have to build payments integration. We're a business registered in Canada with customers in Jordan, and we want to accept payments for SaaS subscriptions. Nothing too fancy, credit cards will work just fine for now, but we also want to go with a payment gateway that can accept payments from majority of countries in the future when we expand our user base.
I have researched Telr & Stripe for now. Telr needs you to be registered in Jordan (or one of 3 other MENA countries) and Stripe needs you to be registered in the US.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could go about this? Any inputs would be much appreciated

I will not promote

I’m currently exploring different blogging platforms and would love to hear about your experiences. I’m particularly interested in factors like ease of use, convenience, SEO optimization, design aesthetics, and long-term maintenance.

If you run a blog, I’d love to know which platform you use and why you chose it. What do you find most convenient about it? How well does it handle SEO?

If you’re open to sharing, I’d also love to see examples of your blogs!

We’re not looking for funding-related challenges, but rather the real hurdles you’re facing in building and marketing your product. Are you struggling with product development—maybe technical issues, supply chain delays, or finding the right talent? Or is marketing the bigger challenge—reaching your target audience, standing out in a crowded market, or converting leads into customers?

Tell us about your biggest roadblock. Whether it’s product design, distribution, branding, customer engagement, or anything else, share your experience. The best part? Someone in the comments might have the solution you need! (I will not promote)

I strongly believe that a sales or marketing job is THE first thing you should do before starting a business. It prepares you in many areas you don't even realize which is why I have been seeking sales roles. I got one role but wasn't the best, on to the next offer.

(I will not promote)

Hi there. I’ve had many ideas of products I’d like to build and sell, but I have no idea where to begin with prototyping. My product involves putting a pressurized gas in small ball - shaped paintball like shells. (Dont want to reveal all the details). How did you guys build your first prototype without knowing where to start?

Good morning!

My boyfriend and I are working on an internet startup together. He’s an experienced programmer, so he’s building the product. I’m an attorney and used to looking at minute details, so I’m doing the research and will run ops once we start functioning (yes, I know my legal education will not fully prepare me for running a business). I’m also providing 20k of capital. If we end up needing more money, I will loan it to the business instead of investing it. If it matters, that 20k represents 15% of my liquid net worth.

Initially, most of the work will be on his end while he builds the product. There’s a small area of coding he has less confidence in, so I’ll hire a contractor to do that. I’ll also hire a contractor to review his code. He’s building it while continuing to work his 9-5.

I’ll do all the business development and actual running of the business. If the business is successful enough, I will likely run it full time.

If this was a normal business arrangement, I’d feel confident that my cofounder would negotiate a fair distribution of equity for himself. But my boyfriend’s priority is making me happy and I’m positive he’d let me take advantage of him, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

At the same time, I’m the only one putting money into this, while both of us will put significant time into it before we make a profit.

Right now the plan is for me to have 60% ownership, while he has 40%. Does that seem fair?

TL;DR: Is a 60/40 ownership fair where the majority owner provides 20k of capital, the minority founder does more work initially, and the majority founder’s work will be more continuous.

I will not promote.

I will not promote. Hi everyone, I have a question. How can I find investors online and present proof of my project? Please don’t judge me if I say something incorrectly, as I’m not very familiar with how investing works. I have a good project idea, but I’m not sure how to find investors who would be interested in supporting it. Thanks for your attention!

These databases like Foundersuite and OpenCV require you to pay to make their databases usable but are they worth it? I had another founder tell me Foundersuite was a must-have, but I can't really tell why. If they're worth it, what's the best of them?

I’m exploring the possibility of raising funds from Saudi Arabian investors for my US-based b2b startup, which operates in the US and global markets. Has anyone here gone through this process? What were your experiences? I’m particularly interested in understanding the pros and cons of working with Saudi investors—whether it’s about cultural differences, regulatory challenges, or the benefits of their strategic networks and capital. Any advice, insights, or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated! Looking forward to hearing your stories and recommendations. Thanks in advance!

78% of our expenses in 2024 were the fees to get founder coaching.

It's my co-founders and I first time founding a company and we figured dropping $14k/yr on coaching could save us years in mistakes.

A lot of people think that's insane to do when every dollar counts but I have no regrets.

What are your opinions on paid coaching your first year or so founding your company?

I'm trying to start a tech business and I'm very cash strapped and new to this process. I'm looking for NYC specific advice, like should I use a registered agent? If so, any recommendations on whom? Where should I publish the advertisement?

I will not promote