Checklist for New Startups
Company
Start by laying the foundation for your business.
Secure a good domain (preferably .com)
### Company
Start by laying the foundation for your business.
- [ ] Secure a good domain (preferably .com) before deciding on the company's name.
*Good domains are short and easy to read/spell.*
- [ ] Incorporate (consider using Stripe Atlas, especially if you'll be using Stripe for payments).
*I recommend incorporating in Delaware. Choose C Corporation (Inc.) if you plan on raising VC. Otherwise, choose LLC.*
- [ ] Create a founders' agreement if you have co-founders
- [ ] Create a Crunchbase and LinkedIn company page to enhance visibility
### Brand
Create a strong identity that resonates with your audience.
- [ ] Design a logo
- [ ] Establish a color scheme
- [ ] Create simple and easy brand messaging and tagline
- [ ] File for trademarks for both the company name and the logo
### Online Presence
Ensure your startup is visible and accessible to your target audience.
- [ ] Build a great website
- [ ] Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and optimized for SEO
- [ ] Secure usernames on all main social accounts (X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) and create the accounts
### Product
Focus on what you will offer to the market.
- [ ] Identify and deeply understand the **pain point** that the product will solve
- [ ] Develop a minimum viable product (MVP) focused on solving that pain point better than anybody else
- [ ] Test your product with early **users that suffer with that pain** and gather feedback
- [ ] Choose the best tools for building your product, always search for better alternatives. This can make a huge difference in the long-term, especially for software products.
### Marketing
Develop strategies to reach and engage your audience.
- [ ] Identify your potential customer segments
- [ ] Discover where your customers are and focus on creating content on these platforms
- [ ] Build a marketing funnel
- [ ] Set up analytics tools to track engagement and conversions
### Financials
Establish robust financial practices for sustainability.
- [ ] Open a business bank account
- [ ] Set up accounting software to manage finances
- [ ] Create a budget and keep track of expenses and runway
- [ ] Do your taxes
### Team
Build a complementary team. Make sure everyone has unique skills and responsibilities.
- [ ] Have a passionate and driven visionary member who is the product person.
- [ ] Have a high execution technical member who is eager to learn, push limits, and can deliver the vision.
- [ ] Define roles and responsibilities within your team.
- [ ] Establish clear communication channels and meeting routines.
- [ ] Establish a collaboration, communication, and documentation channel (we use socra for all of those).
- [ ] Give everyone freedom and autonomy to do their best work and make key decisions on the areas they're responsible for.
- [ ] Give everyone fair equity, with a vesting period.
### Launch
- [ ] Launch early, launch frequently. Each major improvement is an opportunity for a new launch.
By Eduarda Ferreira