Pre-Order Live · Ships 15 August 2026

The one book every founder must have.

From ideation to listing. Co-founders to exit. Funding to mergers. The Startup Manual is the complete operating handbook Indian entrepreneurs keep on their desk through every stage of the journey.

Pre-Order Paperback → What's Inside
IdeaChapter One
→
ExitChapter Thirty
The Startup Manual — A Founder's Handbook by Hashim Wafa
★ The Complete Founder's Handbook ★ Idea · Co-Founders · Funding · Growth · Exit ★ Ships 15 August 2026 ★ Pre-Order Pricing Ends 14 August ★ Free All-India Shipping ★ The Complete Founder's Handbook ★ Idea · Co-Founders · Funding · Growth · Exit ★ Ships 15 August 2026 ★ Pre-Order Pricing Ends 14 August ★ Free All-India Shipping
Pre-Order Pricing Ends In · Price Goes Up 15 August
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Straight Talk

If you're building a company in India, nobody handed you a manual. Everybody sold you the highlight reel.

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Nobody told you how to actually split equity with your co-founder — until they walked out with 50%.
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Nobody explained the term-sheet clauses that quietly cost you control at Series A.
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Nobody warned you about angel tax, ROC filings, or the ESOP mess before it was too late.
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Nobody translated Silicon Valley playbooks into what they actually look like in Bangalore, Kochi, or Pune.

This book fixes that — every stage of the journey, every decision that matters.

What's Inside

Inside, you will learn.

This isn't a book about why to start a company. It's a book about what to actually do: every decision, every document, every trap, from the first idea to the day you close, sell, or IPO.

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How to validate an idea before wasting a year building it
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How to draft a founders' agreement that protects the friendship and the business
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How to choose between Pvt Ltd, LLP, OPC, and Proprietorship — and why the wrong choice can haunt you
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How to build an MVP that answers the right question
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How to model unit economics — and know when the business actually works
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How to read a term sheet the way the lawyer who drafted it reads it
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How to raise angel funding, seed capital, and Series A without losing control
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How to design ESOPs your team actually cares about
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How to build governance and boards that scale with you
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How to plan an exit — through IPO, acquisition, or winding up with grace
The 30-Day Arc

How the book is structured.

Thirty days. Five parts. One founder's journey — mapped from the spark of an idea to the day the company grows past you.

Part I
The Foundation
Days 1 – 6
From the spark of an idea to first legal incorporation.
Part II
Legal Setup & Compliance
Days 7 – 11
The infrastructure that keeps a company alive.
Part III
Product, Market & Growth
Days 12 – 17
Finding fit, building a brand, acquiring customers.
Part IV
Funding & Financial Growth
Days 18 – 23
From bootstrapping to institutional capital.
Part V
Scaling, Governance & Exit
Days 24 – 30
From ten people to five hundred — and what comes after.
The Chapter Format
In every chapter.
  • A real-world case study from an Indian startup you'll recognise.
  • The most common mistakes founders make at that stage — and how they cost you.
  • Hashim's Take — the mentor's note.
  • One Action Step — concrete work to finish before the next day begins.
Who This Book Is For

If any of these sounds like you.

This book is not for everyone. It is written, specifically, for the people about to make the decisions that most founders only understand in hindsight.

01
The first-time founder with an idea but no roadmap.
02
The co-founding team about to sign a founders' agreement without one.
03
The bootstrapped operator preparing to raise capital.
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The technical founder who knows the product but not the compliance.
05
The professional considering the leap from employee to founder.

If you recognise yourself in any of these, this book was written for you.

Why Every Founder Should Read This

Six reasons this belongs on every founder's desk.

01
Every Stage. One Book.

From your first idea to your final exit — every decision, document, and pitfall in one place. Read it in month one, keep it for a decade.

02
Written for Indian Founders

ROC, MCA, GST, angel tax, ESOPs, term sheets — in the Indian legal and tax context. Not translated American advice that doesn't apply here.

03
Written by a Practicing Corporate Lawyer

Written by someone who has structured the co-founder agreements, cap tables, and term sheets you're about to sign — not a career author quoting other authors.

04
Every Mistake, Documented

Each chapter ends with the specific mistakes founders make at that stage — the ones that quietly cost equity, months, or the entire company.

05
Actionable — Not Inspirational

Not a founder biography. Not a motivational read. Every chapter ends with clear next steps you can act on immediately.

06
A Reference Manual for Years

Keep it on your desk. Open it when you incorporate, when you raise, when you hire, when a compliance notice arrives, when it's time to exit.

Pre-Order · Ends 14 August 2026

Order your copy. Save ₹150.

Paperback Edition
The Startup Manual
A Founder's Handbook — From Ideation to Closure. 194 pages, perfect-bound. Ships anywhere in India.
Pre-Launch
₹449
Until 14 August
→
After 15 August
₹599
Regular MRP
Save ₹150 · 25% Off
  • Full 194-page paperback
  • Ships 15 August 2026
  • Free all-India shipping
  • Founding Readers WhatsApp list
  • UPI / QR payment

One-time payment. All-inclusive. No hidden charges.
Prefer Kindle? Get the ebook edition →

Prefer to Read on Kindle?

Available on Amazon Kindle from 15 August.

Read on any Kindle device, phone, or tablet. Also enrolled in Kindle Unlimited from launch day.

Get on
About the Author

Written by someone who has walked founders through this — hundreds of times.

Hashim Wafa — Corporate Lawyer, Startup Mentor

Hashim Wafa is a corporate lawyer, startup mentor, and founder of Legacy Partners, a professional corporate consulting firm advising businesses on incorporation, funding, intellectual property and governance.

Over the last fifteen years, Hashim has worked with founders through every step of the lifecycle: choosing between LLP and Private Limited, structuring co-founder equity, drafting shareholder agreements, negotiating first term sheets, decoding cap tables, filing angel-tax exemptions, running ESOP schemes, and later, for the ones who made it, supporting them through Series rounds, board formation, and acquisition talks. He has mentored startups through leading Indian incubators and sat across the table from angels, VCs, and acquirers.

This book distills those fifteen years into a single, complete operating handbook. Every chapter answers a question Hashim has been asked hundreds of times. Every "Common Mistakes" section contains real errors he has watched founders make, and helped them recover from.

"This is the manual I found myself typing out, email after email, until it made more sense to put it in one place."
15+
Years advising
Indian founders
200+
Startups
structured
1
Complete
handbook
Answers

The questions people usually ask.

Is this book only for first-time founders?
No. It's written to be useful across stages. First-time founders will read it cover to cover in their first month. Second-time founders will jump to fundraising, ESOPs, or exit chapters. Established founders keep it as a reference when a specific decision comes up — incorporation for a new venture, term-sheet review, secondary sale, board formation.
Paperback or Kindle — which should I pick?
Same book, same content, different form. The paperback (₹449 pre-launch) is the working-copy edition — designed to be annotated, dog-eared, and kept on your desk. The Kindle edition is instant, searchable, and reads well on any device. Many founders keep both — Kindle for reading anywhere, paperback for reference and note-taking.
How does payment work?
Pick your edition, fill in shipping details, and you'll see a QR code and UPI ID. Pay from any UPI app — Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, or your bank app. Then upload the payment screenshot in the form. You'll get a WhatsApp confirmation within a few hours.
When will my book ship?
All pre-orders ship on 15 August 2026 — Independence Day. You'll receive tracking details on WhatsApp the day it ships.
Is shipping really free?
Yes. Both pre-launch prices are all-inclusive — printing, packaging, and courier to your doorstep anywhere in India. No surprise charges at checkout.
Do you ship outside India?
Direct orders ship within India only. International readers can buy the paperback or Kindle edition on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, and Amazon.com.au from 15 August 2026.
Can I cancel or get a refund?
You can cancel any time before 14 August 2026 for a full refund. Once shipped, refunds are handled case by case; write to us via the enquiries number below and we'll sort it out.
Do the prices really go up on 15 August?
Yes. Pre-launch pricing ends at 11:59 PM on 14 August 2026. From launch day onwards, the paperback sells at ₹599 MRP both directly and on Amazon.

The one book that stays on your desk
from Day 1 through Exit Day.

Pre-launch paperback ₹449 (MRP ₹599 from 15 August). Kindle edition on Amazon from launch day.

Pre-Order at ₹449 →