Starting a business
Do this first
You want to test a business idea before spending money.
Check the real margin before choosing a product
- The established brand outspends you. Check its ads before copying. Read the lesson
Build a per-order margin sheet
- Subtract every cost, including ads, returns and GST. Fix the offer if the margin disappears. Read the lesson
Study the top 5 competitors in the Ad Library
- Look for repeated angles and ads running over 60 days. They may be winners. Read the lesson
Check how crowded your market is
- Crowded markets need proof and guarantees. Another bold claim won't stand out. Read the lesson
Turn your goal into numbers
- Work backwards from sales to conversations or visits, then calculate the budget. Read the lesson
Test the idea with real customers
- Use AI to list objections, then call about 10 real customers before spending. Read the lesson
Keep your brand assets in your own account
- Own the page, Instagram and pixel. Give agencies partner access and keep backup admins. Read the lesson
Pick two ways to get customers and cost them
- Cold email costs about $200 monthly. Pick two channels you can afford to keep running. Read the lesson
Questions you might have
What should I sell if I have no product yet?
- Find a product with margin and proof. Check competitor ads first. Full answer
How do I know my idea will work?
- List objections with AI, then call about 10 customers. Role-play proves nothing. Full answer
How much does it cost to get my first customers?
- Cold email costs around $200 monthly. Pick two affordable channels. Full answer
How do I negotiate with suppliers when I am new?
- Say you want a long-term supplier. Ask for their best price. Full answer
Do Rs 15,000 in ads and no sales mean Meta failed?
- Check the offer, page and trust. Rs 15,000 alone cannot judge Meta. Full answer
Who should own my Instagram page and ad account?
- Own them through your business portfolio. Agencies get partner access. Full answer
Read next
Business strategy and founder lessons
- Margins and growth. Open
Pricing, offers and positioning
- Pricing and negotiation. Open
Finance, ops, legal and business tools
- Payments and account ownership. Open
Lead gen, sales and client acquisition
- What customer channels cost. Open
Master playbook
- Key lessons and mistakes. Open
Watch these reels
@build.sagar: The viral pitch buy the same product on IndiaMART for Rs 40-45 and
- Why cheap products lose money. Watch
@dhananjay.scale: Market sophistication has 5 levels (claim, unique mechanism, proof,
- What crowded markets need. Watch
@fateh_and_nimrat: Five client-acquisition systems (cold email, LinkedIn outreach, Meta
- Monthly client acquisition costs. Watch
@louischinasourcing8: When negotiating with Chinese suppliers, reframe three weak
- Supplier negotiation for beginners. Watch
@ecomtushar: A three-Business-Manager firewall setup to survive Meta's Q4 mass bans
- Keep ownership of your accounts. Watch
@opusjake: A free open Founder Skill pack for Claude (11 sub-skills
- AI prompts for brainstorming ideas. Watch
Avoid these
Copying a viral commodity product
- Check margins and competitor ads before buying stock. Why
Treating AI buyer panels as proof of demand
- Use AI for objections. Call customers for evidence. Why
Believing big results from demo data
- Ask for delivered revenue and costs. Demo data proves nothing. Why
Fake reviews or takedowns of rivals
- Monitor attacks and reply with facts. Don't copy them. Why
Mindset-first advice with no evidence
- Start with product and margins. Mindset reels offer no proof. Why
The reels
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