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Hiten Shah Profile picture
@hnshah
Nov 1, 2020 • 16 tweets • 9 min read • Read on X
This is a never ending thread of the very best online content and resources for early stage startups.

Relevant for both self-funded/bootstrapped and venture backed pre-seed/seed stage companies.
The blog posts from 2008 on @ericries’ blog are a must-read for startup founders. They describe the basics for building online businesses. Timeless and useful content, regardless of your opinion about lean startup. startuplessonslearned.com/2008/
This video on “How to Operate” by @rabois should be required for every startup founder to watch and internalize. Especially useful for founders who are new to management.
Trying to understand product/market fit? Start here. This is a copy of @pmarca’s original timeless 2007 blog post about product/market fit. pmarchive.com/guide_to_start… Image
Startups need early believers. In 2009, @sparker wrote this email to @eldsjal and @shak. There isn’t a better example of an early startup believer. Sean believed because of what the original @Spotify team was able to create and ship to the world. scribd.com/doc/67465758/S…
This timeless article from 2018 by @ashleymayer explains exactly how startups should be thinking about PR and communications. She worked at @Box for 6 years during @levie’s rise to becoming twitter famous as an enterprise founder/ceo. medium.com/@ashleymayer/i…
If you can set aside your opinion about what Facebook is today and watch this interview you’ll see an example of a founder with a growth mindset. In particular, @finkd’s comments at the end about focusing intensely on customer experience are instructive.
Strategy is critical at the earliest stages of a business. The three tasks that @joulee recommends to do more of describes exactly what an early stage startup team should be doing to be strategic. medium.com/the-year-of-th…

Also, her book on management is 🔥 amzn.to/2PRwCyW
Working on a SaaS business? Avoiding the 🐘 in the room? The P word? Pricing. This is your savior: @Patticus and @lennysan teamed up to create this step-by-step paint-by-numbers how to guide to put an end to all those pricing fears and debates. Forever. lennyrachitsky.com/p/saas-pricing…
I often hear early stage startup teams say they have done “no marketing.” That’s not accurate. Startups are marketing, even when they think they aren’t. Here’s an explanation by @Steli about what marketing actually means. Let’s set the record straight. blog.close.com/killing-the-st…
Bookmark this for when you’re looking for a co-founder. @eriktorenberg breaks the whole process down in this step-by-step how to guide: eriktorenberg.substack.com/p/how-to-find-…
When you're trying to figure out the go-to-market (GTM) strategy for a B2B company, this deck by @carolinedclark is exactly what you need. docs.google.com/presentation/d…
Trying to understand investors and the fundraising process? This guide by @NFX will set you straight. nfx.com/post/the-non-o…
Must-read sales and marketing books for startups. Image
Co-Founder and CEO of @Drift, David Cancel, is obsessed with storytelling. He's a 5X founder who cares deeply about internal company culture. This is his eye-opening perspective: firstround.com/review/how-thi…
Anyone who is working on or thinking about a referral program for their SaaS product needs to read this thread.

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More from @hnshah

Hiten Shah Profile picture
Jun 9
The best fundraising decks are not presentations. They are decision tools. They help someone see the shape of the opportunity without needing to believe in you. Just to believe you see something worth chasing.
A good pitch deck doesn’t need charisma to carry it. It doesn’t rely on your energy or storytelling flair. If anything, it should work even if you’re not in the room. The investor should be able to flip through it, close their laptop, and still feel the shape of the opportunity.
Most decks are full of proof points. But they don’t create belief. A good deck doesn’t say “trust me.” It makes the bet so clear that belief becomes obvious. Let’s walk through the difference in bad vs good, one example at a time.
Read 7 tweets
Hiten Shah Profile picture
Apr 7
The biggest red flag in any org: everyone’s busy, but no one’s clear.
Manager asks for status. IC replies with a list. No one asks: “Is this the right thing to work on?”
Team has goals. Each person has their own. No one can name the company’s top priority.
Read 11 tweets
Hiten Shah Profile picture
Feb 23
No tricks. No apps. No techniques.

Just space for your brain to breathe.

I’ve shared this with countless people, and it helps. More importantly, it’s simple. Thought I’d share it publicly, maybe it can help you too.
The best ideas don’t come when you force them. You’ve had flashes of brilliance in the shower. On a walk. Right before falling asleep. But try to think of something great on command? Nothing. That’s because creativity needs space, and most of us don’t have any.
Here’s what works. Sit in silence. No devices. No music. No distractions. Just sit and notice what’s happening in your head. At first, the noise will be loud. Work thoughts. Random worries. Half-finished ideas. Let them surface.
Read 12 tweets
Hiten Shah Profile picture
Feb 21
AI can be a search engine or a thought partner.

I spend 3+ hours daily shaping responses so I don’t waste time on shallow answers. The key? Knowing how to push it past surface-level thinking.

Here are 21 techniques to turn AI into a second brain, not a toy.
The Iteration Loop: Most people stop at the first answer. The best treat ChatGPT like a thought partner. Reply with “Give me five alternatives” or “Make this more counterintuitive.” The first answer is just a draft. The gold comes in the back-and-forth.
The Red Team Exercise: Don't use AI to confirm your thinking. Use it to stress-test it. Try “Debunk this argument” or “What are three major risks in this strategy?” The strongest ideas are the ones that survive the best counterarguments.
Read 30 tweets
Hiten Shah Profile picture
Jan 11
Founders worry about technical debt. But clarity debt is more dangerous. Unclear decisions compound faster than unclear code.
Technical debt can slow a team down, but it’s visible. You know when the system is creaking under its weight. Clarity debt is silent and insidious. It happens when decisions are made without clear goals, communication lacks precision, or alignment is assumed rather than verified.
Over time, this debt erodes trust and efficiency. Teams waste hours reinterpreting vague directives, rehashing decisions, or resolving misunderstandings. Decisions that should take days stretch into weeks as people try to decipher intent or context that wasn’t explicitly shared.
Read 6 tweets
Hiten Shah Profile picture
Oct 20, 2024
Breaking Bad is a co-founder story disguised as a drug-dealing story.

It’s a hilariously accurate image of what co-founder challenges look like.

Here are the best example scenes and what you can learn from them.
This is a classic mistake: partnering based on complimentary skillsets alone.

A lot more is required for an effective co-founder relationship.

Above all, you have to know that you get along and work well together.
The idea will change, the skillset needs will change, but your co-founder will stay the same person.

Partnering with friends and doing work trials is so powerful. You’re ensuring you can actually work together in practice.

Here’s YC’s advice for running a work trial. Image
Read 8 tweets

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