Checklists for Startups

David Lee
1 min readSep 13, 2015

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If you want to use the Checklist Manifesto approach, here are 3 checklists I recommend to any entrepreneur. I could take time to come up with my own checklist(s) but there’s really no use re-inventing the wheel. I still use these often even after evaluating and working with many startups. And like all checklists and Simple Rules, writing them down is easy but executing on them is hard.

How to Start by Peter Thiel:

See his 7 questions you should ask here:

  1. The Engineering Question: Can you create breakthrough technology instead of incremental improvements?
  2. The Timing Question: Is now the right time to start your business?
  3. The Monopoly Question : Are you starting with a big share of a small market?
  4. The People Question: Do you have the right team?
  5. The Distribution Question: Do you have a way to not just create but deliver your product?
  6. The Durability Question: Will your market position be defensible 10 and 20 years into the future?
  7. The Secret Question: Have you identified a unique opportunity that others don’t see?

How to Get Money by Sequoia Capital:

Writing a Business Plan and creating the pitch deck: See the 10 item checklist here.

How to Make Money by Andreessen Horowitz:

See the 16 item list here.

And another from A16Z here.

If You’re Building a Marketplace by Bill Gurley:

Here.

Any others?

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