> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://startup.shibin.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://startup.shibin.co/library/solution.md).

# Solution

## Purpose & vision

* [A 12-Minute Summary of “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek](https://www.freshworks.com/crm/sales/summary-of-start-with-why-blog/)
* [Your Company’s Purpose Is Not Its Vision, Mission, or Values](https://hbr.org/2014/09/your-companys-purpose-is-not-its-vision-mission-or-values)
* [The Power Of Purpose: The 7 Elements Of A Great Purpose Statement](https://www.forbes.com/sites/afdhelaziz/2020/02/18/the-power-of-purpose-the-7-elements-of-a-great-purpose-statement/?sh=2e9892303fad)
* [How to find the 'why' of your company](https://www.whatmatters.com/faqs/how-to-find-company-why-purpose-mission/)
* [How to Drive Your Startup with just 2 North Star Metrics](https://medium.com/@cyberroland/how-to-drive-your-startup-with-just-2-north-star-metrics-bef52c83e393)

## Product

* [Your MVP is minimal, but is it viable?](https://www.startuphacks.vc/blog/2015/10/07/re-thinking-viability-of-your-mvp)
* [I hate MVPs. So do your customers. Make it SLC instead.](https://blog.asmartbear.com/slc.html)
* [Build Products That Solve Real Problems With This Lightweight JTBD Framework](https://firstround.com/review/build-products-that-solve-real-problems-with-this-lightweight-jtbd-framework/)
* [The Product Strategy Stack](https://www.reforge.com/blog/the-product-strategy-stack?utm_source=reforge\&utm_medium=email)
* [10 Steps to a Friction Free App](https://www.slideshare.net/SequoiaCapital/10-steps-to-a-frictionfree-app-137575619)
* [Defining Anti-Persona's](https://brianbalfour.com/quick-takes/defining-anti-personas)
* [The Power User Trap](https://www.reforge.com/blog/the-power-user-trap)
* [What it feels like when you've found product-market fit](https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/what-it-feels-like-when-youve-found)
* [The Formula for Finding Product Market Fit](https://yossihasson.substack.com/p/the-formula-for-finding-product-market?r=sv6r\&utm_campaign=post\&utm_medium=web\&utm_source=copy)
* [How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit](https://firstround.com/review/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/)
* [Keep Them Coming Back: 23 Habit-Making Insights for Product-Minded Founders](https://www.nfx.com/post/keep-them-coming-back/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=152906720&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8zzTiEpmSNjcb_PKGkzDm-QND_RzMRKQKzh2tiQfSVCjERYs-NaHt23ocP-f5SGv6i5sj6Yz0zjfUTObsXwu6utUZj7sBJwgU3ulFLRCPHdF3byOg\&utm_content=152906720\&utm_source=hs_email)
* [5 Lessons learned from growing a PM team in a hyper-growth startup](https://medium.com/point-nine-news/lessons-learned-from-growing-a-pm-team-in-a-hyper-growth-startup-cb64819c640f)
* [Designing for Buying: How to Break Through the Ceiling in Product-Led Growth](https://sarahguo.com/blog/designing-for-buying)

## Pricing

* [Pricing determines your business](https://blog.asmartbear.com/pricing-business-model.html)
* [The secret to start-up pricing: A playbook for writing your Pricing Discovery Survey](https://medium.com/everproof/the-secret-to-start-up-pricing-a-playbook-for-writing-your-pricing-discovery-survey-f96bb6c78d8)
* [Y Combinator Kevin Hale — Startup Pricing 101](https://medium.com/swlh/y-combinator-kevin-hale-startup-pricing-101-38b8f8221476)
* [Bottom Up Pricing & Packaging: Let the User Journey Be Your Guide](https://a16z.com/2021/03/11/bottom-up-pricing-packaging-let-the-user-journey-be-your-guide/)
* [The Freemium Formula That Has Misled Many](https://brianbalfour.com/quick-takes/the-freemium-formula-that-has-misled-many)
* [The Hidden World of Pricing: Uber, Trulia, Etsy, Superhuman & More](https://www.nfx.com/post/the-hidden-world-of-pricing/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=108184063&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--I5qMR0FESQiUWZBdB-QntzJsW_99f2AiWw-P58i3bk-R2jA1XB4d-KxlH5KcGZJVMzdSsAEL84gmZLSDmdytru8lhOgWPutak-r4zb0B6CTdoHdI\&utm_content=108184063\&utm_source=hs_email)
* [Pricing determines your business](https://blog.asmartbear.com/pricing-business-model.html)
* [Pricing low-touch SaaS](https://stripe.com/en-au/atlas/guides/saas-pricing)
* [A complete guide to changing your SAAS pricing](https://www.priceintelligently.com/blog/bid/200161/a-complete-guide-to-changing-your-saas-pricing)

## Brand

* [How to Build a Strong Brand for Your Startup](https://medium.dave-bailey.com/how-to-build-a-strong-brand-for-your-startup-e38ea2df26f)
* [The Quick and Dirty Guide to Building Your Startup Brand](https://medium.com/startup-grind/the-quick-and-dirty-guide-to-building-your-startup-brand-21834f46740b)
* [The Branding Must-Haves That Don’t Occur to Startups Until It’s Too Late](https://foundr.com/brand-identity-system-startups)
* [A 12-Minute Summary of “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek](https://www.freshworks.com/crm/sales/summary-of-start-with-why-blog/)
* [Change your name](http://paulgraham.com/name.html)

## Communications

* [Perfecting Your One Sentence Pitch](https://fi.co/madlibs)
* [The Ultimate Startup Marketing Strategy](https://www.ventureharbour.com/ultimate-startup-marketing-strategy/)
* [$0 Inbound Marketing Strategies](https://www.techstars.com/the-line/advice/zero-dollar-inbound-marketing-strategies-startups)
* [The 10 Commandments of Media Relations Every Entrepreneur Should Follow](https://medium.com/lightspeed-venture-partners/the-10-commandments-of-media-relations-every-entrepreneur-should-know-81ef1a8a15f3)
* [20 Uncommon Marketing Strategies That’ll Kickstart Your Startup](https://neilpatel.com/blog/startup-marketing-strategies/)
* [9 Low-Budget Marketing Strategies Every Startup Can Afford](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/297515)
* [8 Startup Marketing Ideas That Actually Work \[+ Examples\]](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/startup-marketing)
* [10 Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Startups](https://shanebarker.com/blog/best-digital-marketing-strategies-for-startups/)
* [A 12-Minute Summary of “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek](https://www.freshworks.com/crm/sales/summary-of-start-with-why-blog/)

## Sales & Go-To-Market

* [Sell More Faster, Part 1: Why You Need a Sales Strategy For Your Startup](https://www.techstars.com/the-line/advice/sell-more-faster-part-1-why-you-need-a-sales-strategy-for-your-startup)
* [Sell More Faster, Part 2: Proving your W3 through the Customer Development Process](https://www.techstars.com/the-line/advice/sell-more-faster-part-2-customer-development-startup-sales)
* [Sell More Faster, Part 3: Building a Winning Startup Sales Process](https://www.techstars.com/the-line/advice/sell-more-faster-part-3-building-a-winning-startup-sales-process)
* [WTF is GTMF + PLG? Part 1](https://blackbird.vc/blog/finding-gtm-plg-series-1)
* [WTF is GTMF + PLG? Part 2](https://blackbird.vc/blog/wtf-is-gtmf-plg-2-journeys-to-success)
* [WTF is GTMF + PLG? Part 3](https://blackbird.vc/blog/part-2-wtf-is-gtmf-plg-nine-levels-product-led-growth)
* [WTF is GTMF + PLG? Part 4](https://blackbird.vc/blog/part-4-wtf-is-gtmf-plg-rising-tide)
* [Designing for Buying: How to Break Through the Ceiling in Product-Led Growth](https://sarahguo.com/blog/designing-for-buying)
* [The “$20M to $500M” Question: Adding Top Down Sales](https://a16z.com/2020/12/03/adding-top-down-sales-bottom-up-enterprise-startup/)
* [The Moby Dick theory of big companies](https://pmarchive.com/guide_to_startups_part5.html)
* [7 Steps to Booking Cold Meetings at Scale](https://medium.com/@nathanmerzvinskis/7-steps-to-booking-cold-meetings-at-scale-1e94b24e605a)
* [Building a Growth Framework Towards a $100 Million Product](https://brianbalfour.com/essays/hubspot-growth-framework-100m)
* [The Power User Trap](https://www.reforge.com/blog/the-power-user-trap)
* [Critical User Journeys: How Google product teams react when growth slows](https://www.reforge.com/brief/critical-user-journeys-how-google-product-teams-react-when-growth-slows#7ckVuRzA7BtpH_z-lmFqaw)
* [The Racecar Growth Framework](https://www.reforge.com/blog/racecar-growth-framework)
* [Drive Growth by Picking the Right Lane — A Customer Acquisition Playbook for Consumer Startups](https://review.firstround.com/drive-growth-by-picking-the-right-lane-a-customer-acquisition-playbook-for-consumer-startups)
* [The Canva Backlink Empire: How SEO, Outreach & Content Led To A $6B Valuation](https://foundationinc.co/lab/canva-seo)

## Financial Model

* [Why do VCs Really Want to See Your Financial Model?](https://foundercollective.medium.com/why-do-vcs-really-want-to-see-your-financial-model-66b4e17cf07c)
* [Six Ways New Social Companies Will Monetize](https://a16z.com/2020/12/07/social-strikes-back-after-ads/)
* [Startup Financial Modeling, Part 1: What is a Financial Model?](https://troy-henikoff.squarespace.com/blog/2016/9/15/startup-financial-modeling-part-1-what-is-a-financial-model)
* [Startup Financial Modeling, Part 2: Start with Your Assumptions](https://troy-henikoff.squarespace.com/blog/2016/10/2/startup-financial-modeling-part-2-start-with-your-assumptions)
* [Startup Financial Modeling, Part 3: The Income Statement and Custom Detail Tabs](https://troy-henikoff.squarespace.com/blog/2016/10/2/startup-financial-modeling-part-3-the-income-statement-and-custom-detail-tabs)
* [Startup Financial Modeling, Part 4: The Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Unit Economics](https://troy-henikoff.squarespace.com/blog/2016/10/7/startup-financial-modeling-part-4-the-balance-sheet-cash-flow-and-unit-economics)
* [Startup financial models - 12 templates compared for SaaS](https://www.stephnass.com/blog/startup-financial-model)

## Technology

* [How we’re building a world-class engineering team to create cutting-edge products](https://www.hotjar.com/blog/build-and-scale-engineering-teams/)
* [How to start an engineering team](https://eugenemarinelli.com/starting-a-software-engineering-team/)
* [4 Strategies for Leading Engineering Teams in a Fast-Paced Startup](https://www.workspan.com/blog/engineering-team-management/)
* [How to build a startup engineering team](https://increment.com/teams/how-to-build-a-startup-engineering-team/)
* [5 Tips for Startup Engineering Teams](https://www.startuphacks.vc/blog/2016/07/03/5-tips-for-startup-engineering-teams)

## Founding Team

* [34 Questions to Ask a Potential Co-Founder](https://fi.co/insight/34-questions-to-ask-a-potential-co-founder)
* [The Seven Qualities of a Great Founding Team](https://www.techstars.com/the-line/advice/the-seven-qualities-of-a-great-founding-team)
* [The dream team: Hipster, hustler, and a hacker](https://medialab.ge/en/news/saotsnebo-startap-gundi-hipsteri-hasleri-da-hakeri)
* [What Blackbird Looks For In Founders](https://blog.blackbird.vc/traits-of-great-founders-937b141a4d24)
* [What we look for in founders](http://paulgraham.com/founders.html)
* [What It Means to Be A CEO](https://medium.dave-bailey.com/what-it-means-to-be-a-ceo-9a1f8a1d55bd)
* [How to hire a professional CEO](https://pmarchive.com/guide_to_startups_part9.html)
* [Operations and Internal Communication Strategies For Effective CEOs](https://pulseasync.com/operators/operations-and-internal-communication-strategies-for-effective-ceos/?)
* [How much dilution makes sense for a founder](https://medium.com/theventurecity/how-much-dilution-makes-sense-for-a-founder-31f0fe4985ca)
* [The Pyramid of Co-Founder Success](https://www.nfx.com/post/the-pyramid-of-cofounder-success/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=121154986&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--MEKjmnJm5DMRu0ZL58PGjDipvwfW3iMrL2yReGYZBAB0oi-fsnUoRb5mQf6gwE9_EiAyyIvFf8Yhi44bYd6mfzLnFJfP530-9B74ILfsZldpqVOU\&utm_content=121154986\&utm_source=hs_email)
* [Co-founder Breakups](https://medium.com/startmate/co-founder-breakups-9bda9a3b2987)

## People & culture

* Y[our Company’s Purpose Is Not Its Vision, Mission, or Values](https://hbr.org/2014/09/your-companys-purpose-is-not-its-vision-mission-or-values)
* [The Infinite Conflict of Hiring](https://www.nfx.com/post/the-infinite-conflict-of-hiring/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=118678082&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_s_O9CvrpIMYcLHyNcEBrwpix-tdJCCMBMB8SmIs3YGxknA8zt3ciWhMhYxubig_p_LU717Mp2jldgJlJkFgw2ka5h8A0_tNfEGb2P48BM9WLdOBQ\&utm_content=118678082\&utm_source=hs_email)
* [How to hire a professional CEO](https://pmarchive.com/guide_to_startups_part9.html)
* [Hiring, managing, promoting, and firing executives](https://pmarchive.com/guide_to_startups_part8.html)
* [The equity equation](http://paulgraham.com/equity.html)
* [Looking for Culture-Fit — Interviews](https://mbwhatsnew.com/looking-for-culture-fit-interviews-d75401fbecab)
* [1:1s done well](https://batko.substack.com/p/11s-done-well)
* [How to Deliver Constructive Feedback in Difficult Situations](https://medium.com/s/please-advise/the-essential-guide-to-difficult-conversations-41f736e63ccf)
* [Planning and Managing Layoffs](https://a16z.com/2020/03/31/planning-and-managing-layoffs/)
* [A No B.S. Guide to Startup Stock Option Grants](https://medium.com/swlh/a-no-b-s-guide-to-startup-stock-option-grants-526a8bc33c2b)
* [The Employee Equity Project](https://avc.com/2018/04/the-employee-equity-project/)
* [Interactive Stock Option Planning Tool for Startups](https://www.indexventures.com/optionplan/#expected_funding_rounds_pre_exit=series-b-and-c\&employee_country=us\&mode=seed)
* [The Balderton Essentials Guide To Employee Equity](https://www.balderton.com/build/the-balderton-essential-guide-to-employee-equity/)

## Diversity

* [Diversity Is The Key to Startup Success - What Can Early-stage Founders Do About It?](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancywang/2018/11/12/diversity-is-the-key-to-startup-success-what-can-early-stage-founders-do-about-it/?sh=4941e6f43966)
* [Startup founders should build diverse teams from day one. Here’s how](https://startupguide.com/diversity-inclusion-startups-tips)
* [Diversity wins: How inclusion matters](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters)

## Legal

* [15 Big Legal Mistakes Made By Startups](https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2020/02/01/legal-mistakes-made-by-startups/?sh=7005190f22a6)
* [8 Legal Documents that will save your Startup a\*\*](https://medium.com/silicon-roundabout-hub/8-legal-documents-that-will-save-your-startup-a-34fc888404f8)
* [Why Most VC’s Don’t Sign NDAs](https://feld.com/archives/2006/02/why-most-vcs-dont-sign-ndas.html)
* [What Start-ups Need to Know About Intellectual Property](https://www.natlawreview.com/article/what-start-ups-need-to-know-about-intellectual-property)
* [10 Intellectual Property Strategies For Technology Startups](https://www.natlawreview.com/article/what-start-ups-need-to-know-about-intellectual-property)
* [Why you need to get a founders’ agreement in place for your startup](https://yourstory.com/2020/01/founders-agreement-startups-entrepreneur-responsibility)
* [How to Select a Lawyer for Your Startup](https://fi.co/insight/how-to-select-a-lawyer-for-your-startup)