Hey — It’s Charlie.

Welcome to the latest edition of Great Startups! Here’s what’s in store:

• Cold Email Playbook: A handbook every founder needs for outreach success.

• Resends’ Growth Framework: Lessons from their CEO on scaling smart.

• Grammarly’s Big Move: Why they just acquired Coda—and what it means.

• Targeting Made Simple: A step-by-step guide to finding your perfect customer.

• Hidden Startup Debt: The silent killer that’s slowing growth.

Get ready to dive into these power-packed insights for founders and growth enthusiasts!

Resources

• Five founder tips from someone who’s interviewed 100+ founders. (LINK)

• Data suggests 2025 will be full of failed startups. (LINK)

• A Nikita Bier one-pager on how to build viral products (LINK)

• Andrew Gazdecki on the power of deadlines (LINK)

• Personal finance things to know as a founder (LINK)

ICYMI

• Perplexity makes a bid to merge with TikTok. (LINK)

• SoftBank might invest 25 billion on OpenAI. (LINK)

• Google to invest fresh $1 billon in OpenAI rival Anthropic (LINK)

• The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained. (LINK)

• OpenAI makes AI video generator Sora available in the US. (LINK)

Quick Links

• Entrepreneur John Mullins shares 6 unconventional mindsets to spark innovation and drive entrepreneurial success.

• This guy solved a simple problem, shared how he finds profitable micro SaaS ideas, and offers lessons you can apply in 2025.

• Lenny Rachitsky and Jen Abel on how to approach founder-led sales.

• Carta shares 50 slides packed with insights for founders from 45,000 startups.

• How One AI App Founder Makes $20K+ Monthly—and How You Can Too!

If Your Startup Had a Pulse, It’d Be Fading

Startups fail all the time—even when the founders are smart, passionate, and solving real problems. It’s not just about having a great idea or working hard; success depends on getting multiple things right at the same time. Think of it like the Startup Drake Equation—just like how astronomers estimate the odds of finding alien life by factoring in multiple variables, startups face a brutal chain of “ands.” You need a product people actually want and can afford, a way to grab attention and stand out from competitors, a pricing model that works and the ability to keep customers coming back. If even one of these things fails, the whole thing collapses. It’s why most startups are “default-dead” and have to fight against the odds to survive.

The way to beat these odds? Go all in on a few key strengths. Maybe you're a top-tier engineer who can build an amazing product solo, or maybe you're an expert in a niche that gives you a marketing edge. Double down on whatever makes you stand out and use it to offset weaker areas. Pick an “easy” market—not in the sense that it’s effortless, but one where you have a real shot at making traction. A solo founder probably won’t break into enterprise sales, but they can build something for a community they understand deeply. The key isn’t just working hard—it’s working smart, identifying your biggest risks, and stacking the deck in your favor. (LINK)

Ok that’s it for this week, We keep refining our newsletter content, just hit reply to let us know what you think about this issue.