

What it takes to launch: The founder’s playbook from Circle
17 snips Jun 23, 2025
Sid Yadav, the founder of Circle, shares his insights on launching successful online communities. He discusses the pivotal steps entrepreneurs should take to bring their ideas to life and how to monetize community-driven platforms. Yadav emphasizes the significance of product velocity and customer feedback in staying competitive. He also highlights the importance of prior industry experience for aspiring entrepreneurs and introduces useful tools for side hustlers aimed at leveraging AI for marketing and customer service.
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12-Hour Zoom Calls for Ideation
- Sid Yadav and his co-founders held extensive 12-hour Zoom calls twice a week to brainstorm and explore startup ideas.
- They paid their bills freelancing the other three days, demonstrating commitment to ideation before launching Circle.
From Prototype to Investment
- After committing to the community platform idea, they designed a prototype in Figma and engaged potential users for feedback.
- Their former boss invested $250k, enabling them to go full-time and secure initial customers.
Focus on Early Customer Feedback
- Focus intensely on a small group of initial customers to get feedback and improve your product.
- Avoid overthinking; be pragmatic and concrete to build momentum in the early stages.