Everything you need
to build smarter
Every article, template, book, and framework an early-stage founder needs — organized into a guided checklist from idea to funded. Work through each stage step by step and check off your progress as you go.
How to evaluate your ideaBusiness Model
Early Revenue
Metrics
Valuation · Terms
“Must-have” vs. “Nice-to-have”
A.T. Gimbel shares insight when it comes to evaluating a new business idea as a “Must-have” vs. a “Nice-to-have”.
Read more →3 Areas Investors Observe Grit in Entrepreneurs
All entrepreneurs will say they have grit and investors will say they are looking for it, but how do you…
Read more →3 Questions to Ask Yourself When your Customer Discovery has Stalled
Successful customer discovery depends on finding engaged potential customers who genuinely care about the problem or idea.
Read more →4 Considerations for Turning Your Passion into a Business
Four thoughts to consider if you’re an entrepreneur wanting to turn your passion into a career
Read more →4 Different Types of Revenue Models for your Startup
From recurring to contingent to one-time, the revenue model you decide for your startup can 10x your growth.
Read more →Be careful having lots of “good meetings”
Push for clear next steps and tangible commitments to truly gauge interest and progress.
Read more →Be Wary of Building More Product Features
Three thoughts you should consider before you build too much, too soon.
Read more →Better Business Models
Guest writer McKenzie Folan shares three examples of companies building competitive advantages based on their business model decisions.
Read more →Build your new product with development partners
Nothing beats authentic feedback from real customers. Find a development partner that can help you iterate quickly and get your…
Read more →Building Too Much, Too Soon, Can Backfire: Here's How to Avoid It
Prioritize customer discovery and authentic demand before building an MVP to ensure a must-have product.
Read more →Customers are right about problems, not solutions
Unveiling the Crucial Distinction: Customer-Driven Problem Identification vs. Solution Generation in Entrepreneurship.
Read more →Example Customer Problem and Conversation
McKenzie Folan shares a tool to help you identify a true customer problem, the first step toward launching a successful…
Download →External Market Tailwinds
A.T. Gimbel shares how founders can capitalize on external market tailwinds and be poised for tremendous growth.
Read more →Finding Authentic Demand
A.T. Gimbel shares about finding authentic demand and some indicators you’re on the right path.
Read more →Focus On What Customers Do, Not What They Say
Why you should place more value in what customers do verses what they say, a warning against biased feedback.
Read more →Good Questions Versus Bad Questions
A good question can show your depth of preparation and thinking; a bad question might be better off not asked.
Read more →How to handle conflicting feedback on your idea
A.T. Gimbel sheds light on an age old question: "What do I do when I have conflicting feedback about my…
Read more →Sustainable Customer Discovery
Entrepreneurs need time for effective customer discovery. Create a sustainable model to fund exploration while seeking authentic demand.
Read more →The 3 Rules to Customer Interviews from The Mom Test
Following these three rules from The Mom Test will help you get to the answers that really matter from your…
Read more →Three Must-haves to Vet Your Startup Idea
Crucial Steps for Validating Your Startup Concept
Read more →What is Product-Market fit and how do you know you have it?
So what exactly is product-market fit? How do we find product-market fit, and how do we measure it?
Read more →Why Athletes Make Good Entrepreneurs
A.T. Gimbel shares three characteristics of athletes and how they may help you become a successful entrepreneur.
Read more →Wisdom of the Crowd
Here’s how, with the right conditions, crowds of customers can provide amazing insight into customer discovery and R&D.
Read more →10x Better Solution
In his latest blog, A.T. Gimbel shares why your solution must be 10x better and expands on ways to prove…
Read more →6 Ways to Think About Pricing for Your Startup
Here are a few things for entrepreneurs to consider regarding their pricing. Keep it simple and go!
Read more →Defining the ideal customer profile
External resource: Defining the ideal customer profile
Read more →How an ideal first customer drives iteration and growth
External resource: How an ideal first customer drives iteration and growth
Read more →Tips on Getting your First 10 Paying Customers
Three tips for discovering and obtaining your first 10 paying customers.
Read more →Using consulting to fund your startup and iterate effectively
External resource: Using consulting to fund your startup and iterate effectively
Read more →Aligning your go-to-market strategy
A.T. Gimbel shares about one of the most important, yet difficult things to get right: your go-to-market strategy.
Read more →Basic Startup Sales Funnel Challenges
There are many versions of sales funnels, here are the key components at each stage.
Read more →Considerations When Looking For Early Team Members To Join Your Startup
When building a startup team, it's crucial to prioritize individuals with diverse skill sets and that align with core values.
Read more →Customer Success Tips from Kathryn O'Day
Kathryn O'Day’s top five blogs for understanding and implementing customer success.
Read more →Different types of pivots
Understanding different types of pivots in the startup journey and how to navigate them for success.
Read more →How to Optimize Business Equations in Your Startup
Cracking the Startup Equation: Is it time to rewrite your business formula? Discover how optimizing can drive growth.
Read more →Implementing OKRs: aligning goals and measuring success in startups
External resource: Implementing OKRs
Read more →Planning your Future Org Chart
A.T. Gimbel shares a few tips on how you can plan ahead for your future org chart.
Read more →Time to pivot your startup, or time to move on?
Navigating the Startup Crossroads of when to Persist and when to Pivot
Read more →Unaffiliated, Passionate, Paying Customers
Early investments should seek unaffiliated, passionate, paying customers. They validate sales, ensure retention, and drive growth.
Read more →Using NPS for Actionable Insights
How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?
Read more →What to Look for When Hiring: Values, Abilities, Skills
A.T. Gimbel shares thoughts on values, abilities, and skills in the hiring process and how to prioritize them.
Read more →Your First Customer Success Hire
If you’re looking to make your first customer success hire, here’s a few thoughts on where to begin.
Read more →“Raising” Money Through Services
Thoughts on how to bring in revenue before you have a tech product
Read more →Different Frames of Reference on Valuation
Valuation is both an art and a science. A.T. Gimbel shares some different approaches to valuation.
Read more →How To Fund Your Business Without Raising Money
Here's three ways to make a little extra money to fund your business without raising money.
Read more →How to Show Traction Pre-Revenue
Raising money from investors can be tough as it is, but when pre-revenue it can be difficult. Here's three simple…
Read more →How to write (and not write) a cold reach-out to an investor
A.T. Gimbel, Partner at Atlanta Ventures, shares some tips and tricks for how to write a good cold outreach to…
Read more →Questions a VC Might Ask
Gear up for successful VC meetings by treating them like well-prepared interviews
Read more →Responding to Emails with Investors
Enhancing Investor Engagement: Crafting Effective Email Correspondence
Read more →Showing Traction in Your Startup Pitch Deck at Every Stage
A Guide to Demonstrating Traction and Success in Your Pitch Deck
Read more →Spotting Pitch Deck Red Flags and Overcoming Them with Confidence
Winning Pitch Decks: Navigating Red Flags, Inspiring Investors, and Unleashing Early-Stage Potential
Read more →Term Sheets - What to Think About
Decoding Term Sheets: Unveiling the Path to Successful Investments
Read more →Three Areas to Focus on When Fundraising For Your Startup
A three step guide to the fundraising process for your startup, based on our experience helping thousands of startups raise…
Read more →When To Raise a Lot, And When To Not
A.T. Gimbel shares his advice on how much money entrepreneurs should raise.
Read more →Where To Start When Building a Financial Model?
No financial model is perfect, but these tips can give you a better direction.
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Resources is just the start.
The checklist above points you toward content, templates, and frameworks. These are the places where that learning comes to life.