Hey — It’s Charlie.

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

• The Heavy Work Formula: Why your best work feels heavy.

• Unstoppable Companies: How engineering for survival creates unstoppable companies.

• Grow as a Founder: A 6-step framework to grow sales as a founders

• 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

• How engineering for survival creates unstoppable companies. (LINK)

• The definitive framework for scalable user acquisition. (LINK)

• Deep Research and Knowledge Value. (LINK)

• PostHog’s 50 lessons about building successful products. (LINK)

• What comes after coding, according to Vercel founder. (LINK)

ICYMI

• BuzzFeed is launching a new Social Media platform. (LINK)

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

• One thing almost every $100k+ MRR app has (LINK)

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

• Anthropic sees revenue potentially soaring to $34.5 billion in 2027. (LINK)

Quick Links

• Simon Høiberg shares a game-changing strategy to hit $1K MRR in your first month

• Jack Friks is racing to 1K app downloads in 30 days—see how TikTok, Instagram, and UGC fuel his strategy!

• 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!

Why Founders Who Go Heavy Win the Long Game

We’re all grinding, pumping out content, launching products, and chasing trends—but most of it’s lightweight. Tweets, TikToks, and quick wins might get you clicks, but they don’t leave a mark. It’s like running on a treadmill; you’re moving, but you’re not going anywhere. What we’re really after is weight—something that lasts, something that matters. Think about the founders who build companies that redefine industries or the creators who write books that change how people think. That’s the kind of work that sticks, the kind that gives you real leverage and legacy.

But here’s the thing: the internet’s built for speed, not depth. It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of light, fast, and disposable. Founders, this is your reminder to resist that pull. Sure, light stuff keeps you in the game, but heavy stuff is the game. It’s the book, the product, the company that stands on its own, even when the trends fade. So, ask yourself: Are you just creating, or are you building something heavy? Because when you stop chasing the algorithm and start chasing weight, that’s when you’ll really make your mark. (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.