22 min read
100 questions builders ask, and where The Build Nation fits
Straight answers to 100 questions builders search for: cofounders, investors, first users, mentors, meetups, events, hiring, moving to SF and privacy.
Blog
Writing for startup builders from The Build Nation: building, shipping, and meeting the right people in person.
- 5 min read
Co-working with strangers: how a quick meetup works
Why working next to other builders helps you get things done, how to run a two-hour co-working session at a café, and how a quick meetup works step by step.
- 5 min read
Finding an accountability partner who builds near you
Why weekly check-ins with another builder help you finish what you start, what makes a good partner, and a simple four-week format to try with someone nearby.
- 5 min read
How to find your first 10 users near you
Launched to silence? Why your first users come from going out and getting them, and a step-by-step way to find ten real users in your own city.
- 5 min read
How businesses can find builders to hire by what they've shipped
The best builders are rarely on job boards. How to judge people by work they've finished, run a fair trial, and meet builders in person in San Francisco.
- 5 min read
How to host a meetup people actually show up to
RSVPs aren't attendance. How to plan a small builder meetup that people come to, come back to, and remember, from picking the venue to the follow-up.
- 5 min read
How to meet investors in person in San Francisco without a warm intro
No investor network yet? How warm intros really work, where SF investors show up in person, and how to become someone people are glad to introduce.
- 5 min read
How mentors can find founders worth helping
Your time as a mentor is limited. What to look for in founders, how to filter by what they've shipped, and how to mentor without burning out.
- 5 min read
New to San Francisco as a founder: building a real network in 30 days
You moved to SF to be around builders, and you know no one. A week-by-week plan for your first month: where to work, who to meet, and how to make it stick.
- 5 min read
Before a Luma event: see who's going and who to meet
Walking into a room where you know no one is why most events feel like a waste. How to prepare, who to look for, and how to find other builders going.
- 5 min read
Showing traction to investors without a pitch deck
Investors skim decks in minutes. How to let your startup's progress do the convincing: the one number to track, a one-page proof, and updates that build trust.
- 3 min read
Build in public without playing the engagement game
Why many builders find #BuildInPublic exhausting, what the useful version looks like, and how to get noticed for what you ship instead of how loudly you post.
- 3 min read
How to find a technical cofounder (and why most people never do)
Why the usual cofounder search fails, what engineers look for before they say yes, and where to meet builders in person instead of on matching sites.
- 3 min read
Solo founder? How to stop building alone
Self-doubt, overwhelm and no one to sanity-check your ideas: what solo founders say actually helps, and how to meet other builders when you're new to a city.