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Julia Austin has spent her career as a startup operator, executive coach, educator, investor, and board member. She is on the faculty at Harvard Business School and is faculty cochair of the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. Whats the big idea? After the Idea is a field manual to help you see around corners when founding or joining a startup: to understand whats coming up next and not feel alone when things get hard. Startup life is messy, beautiful, overwhelming, and oftentimes rewarding. This guide provides a tool kit for navigating the complex reality of moving from a great idea to a functioning business with clarity and confidence. Below, Julia shares five key insights from her new book, After the Idea: What It Really Takes to Create and Scale a Startup. Listen to the audio versionread by Julia herselfbelow, or in the Next Big Idea App. 1. The real work starts after the idea. The journey from idea to company is rarely linearand almost never glamorous. Most founders have an OMG moment early on in which they realize that they are not just building a product, fundraising, and selling: they are building a company. In the early stages of a startup, focus tends to be on the immediate needs around creating a product rather than on a more holistic view of what the business may look like months or years from now. It can be easier to focus on whats right in front of you when the big picture can be a daunting, or even paralyzing, concept. Founders are often portrayed to the outside world as crushing it, but internally, they may be filled with doubt, imposter syndrome, and fear. They can be plagued by thoughts like, Does my idea suck and no one is telling me? Do I know anything about running a business or leading a team? If every company founder could go back in time and rethink their startup plan, most would say they wished they had been more intentional about the operations of their business. It is never too early to be thoughtful about team culture and hiring, brand image, finances, legal considerations, and everything else beyond the product or service on offer. Most teams fail to get these tactics right at the start of a new venture, and not everyone has a coach or professor to show them the way. After the Idea is about the nuts and bolts of startups beyond just the product. Its about building something that works after the excitement fades and the real challenges kick in. 2. Move slow to go fast. Everyone loves the myth of overnight success. In startup culture, were told to move fast, break things, and launch quickly. But moving too fast before you understand the problems can waste months (potentially years) and a lot of money. I teach my students and clients to move slow to go fast. That means taking time early on to understand the customerwho they are, what they need, what they struggle with, and how they make decisionsthrough proper discovery work. Discovery goes beyond customer interviews. Thorough discovery involves observing your target audience in their natural environments and conducting experiments to better understand the problem you are solving. These techniques allow you to validate and invalidate assumptions to become more confident about what to buildand what to ignore. Discovery goes beyond customer interviews. In 2018, the founding team of Brij began with an idea to help consumers track valuable itemslike laptops or jacketsusing QR codes. The concept was a kind of digital insurance, helping lost items find their way back to their owners. Before building anything, they conducted real-world experiments by leaving tagged items in public places to observe how passersby responded. Through this, they learned what people valued and how likely others were to return certain itemsa water bottle, not so much; a laptop, yes. More importantly, they realized the real opportunity wasnt in lost-and-found services, but in using QR codes as a marketing tool for consumer brands. That insight led them to pivot before hiring a team or building infrastructure for a business they didnt want to run. Their discovery work clarified the business they truly wanted to build. Just like checking the weather before a hike, discovery work doesnt give you every detail, but it helps you get oriented before heading into the unknown. What you learn wont just shape your product, it will influence the business you build, the roles you hire for, how you sell, and how you operate. Discovery is the foundation. Its one of the smartest investments to make at the start of a startup journey. 3. The universal challenges founders face. There are many types of founder stories. Founders come from all walks of lifewomen and men, people of color, from around the globebuilding everything from enterprise software to food products to mission-driven consumer brands. No matter how different their businesses were, their challenges were strikingly similar. Every founder must wrestle with hiring the right peopleoften while competing with better-funded companies or trying to convince others to join something that barely exists. Building a team isnt just about finding talent; its about aligning on values, communicating clearly, and building trust under pressure. Then, theres managing cashsomething that can make or break a startup. Founders have to make tough trade-offs: Do we invest in growth or extend runway? Can we afford this hire now, or do we wait? Raising capital, budgeting, forecasting, and understanding burn rate become daily concerns. Building a team isnt just about finding talent; its about aligning on values, communicating clearly, and building trust under pressure. Legal complexity is another constant. Early decisionslike how to incorporate, how to split equity, or whether your IP should be protectedcan have ripple effects years down the line. Many founders dont realize theyre setting the foundation for future funding rounds, partnerships, or even exit scenarios. Through it all, there are difficult conversations. With cofounders when visions diverge. With investors when goals arent being met. With customers when promises fall short. Add to that the emotional rollercoaster of building something from nothing and its no surprise founders often feel isolated or overwhelmed. For anyone trying to turn an idea into a real, functioning business, while the industries may differ, the patternsthe messy, high-stakes, emotional work of building something from scratchare surprisingly universal. 4. The emotional side of startups. Founders are constantly managing pressurefrom investors, from customers, from themselves. If you have cofounders, the interpersonal dynamics can get intense fast. Ive seen many startups unravel, not because of product issues, but because the huan side wasnt managed well, resulting in burnout, resentment, misalignment, or a lack of trust. The number one statement my coaching clients say when we start a session is, I am so overwhelmed. Starting or joining a new venture can be an exhilarating experience, but it can also be incredibly demanding and stressful. When jumping onto this rollercoaster, its crucial to be aware of the potential impact on your mental health and take proactive steps to safeguard your well-being. The first step is to be honest with yourself and acknowledge the stress. Admitting to yourself and your cofounder, partner, or coach that you are stressed is a step in the right direction. Once you acknowledge the stress, take steps to manage it. Whether youre a founder, early team member, or investor, its essential to accept imperfection and embrace uncertainty because both are constants in startup life. Prioritize self-care, set clear boundaries, and protect your personal time (because a startup will take all of it if you let it). Find a supportive community of objective, empathetic ears that you can turn to in times of stress. And consider working with a coach who understands the realities of startup life and can help you navigate and normalize the inevitable challenges. Building a company isnt just about strategy; its about resilience, relationships, and emotional endurance. The average founder journey for a business that gets off the ground is 710 years. The more intentional you are about managing all the feels, the stronger your company will be. 5. Defining success. Alignment around a shared vision for success and desired outcomes is tantamount to the long-term success of any startup. While everyone wants to jump into product discovery and solution building, alignment on where your startup is heading and what success looks like is pretty darn important. Early in his startup journey, my student Sam and his cofounder aligned on what they each wanted in terms of financial achievements of the business within a certain time frame, but they didnt get into their personal outcome scenarios. This is common for many founders. Its easier to center the success conversation on product growth, types of customers, and revenue. It can be daunting to have vulnerable conversations and tie the success of the business to your personal goals and aspirations. It wasnt until an acquisition opportunity came up that Sam and his cofounder were faced with the reality that they were not, in fact, aligned. Sam was excited about the financial upside and the opportunity to start working on a new idea; his cofounder, on the other hand, was perfectly happy maintaining a modest business that he had full control over, rather than becoming an employee at someone elses company. Whether you are a founder or a joiner, I encourage you to consider why you are entering Startup Land. Getting clarity on why you want to start a new venture is important. Every aspiring entrepreneur or startup joiner I chat with has a different reason for why they want to get on this crazy ride. Some want the autonomy and control that comes from being their own boss (a myth if you take outside capital) or the ability to innovate quickly. Some want to prove themselves to their family and friends, or want to make an impact on the world. However, its hard to imagine what that path will look or feel like once a business is off and running or when its time to pursue an exit or, for some, throw in the towel because they just cant get there for any number of reasons. Whether you are a founder or a joiner, I encourage you to consider why you are entering Startup Land and what success means to you beyond the potential for a big financial outcome. Record your thoughts in some way so you can reflect on this over time, because what success might look like today can change as you mature throughout the journey. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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E-Commerce
Today is Independence Day, and millions of Americans will celebrate the holiday by sitting around the BBQ. But if youre not one of themor simply want to nibble on something while the main course is on the grillyou should know that some of Americas largest fast-food chains are offering freebies on July 4. Here’s how you can get a free donut, shake, and sandwich today. Grab a free donut at Krispy Kreme If you have a sweet tooth, youll want to head to your local Krispy Kreme today. Thats because the donut chain is offering a free donut at its U.S. branches in celebration of Independence Day. And yes, its completely freeno purchase necessary. To get your free Krispy Kreme donut on July 4, simply go into any Krispy Kreme wearing red, white, and blue, and youll get a free Original Glazed doughnut on the spot. Full details of the offer can be found here. Sip a free shake at Sonic If you purchase something from Sonic today, you can get a free shake, notes Newsweek. The deal isnt specifically for the Fourth of July, but rather part of Sonics Live Free Fridays summer promotion. But hey, it’s a free shake on July 4th, and a great way to beat the heat. Full details of Sonics Live Free Fridays can be found here. Get a free sandwich at Jimmy Johns If youre looking for something a little more savory than a donut or shake, youll want to swing by Jimmy Johns, where you can get a free sandwich today with select purchases. As noted by the IndyStar, between July 3 and July 6, Jimmy Johns rewards members can buy an la carte Chicken Caesar, Kickin Ranch Chicken, or Tuscan Italian Wrap, and theyll get a free a la carte Ultimate Italian, Chicken Bacon Ranch, or Roast Beef Cheddar Toasted Sandwich. You can find out about the Jimmy Johns rewards program here.
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E-Commerce
Buying or leasing an electric vehicle (EV) will no longer come with a federal tax credit. On Thursday, Congress approved legislation, which Trump has called the “big, beautiful bill.” The bill will give tax breaks to corporations and cut spending on Medicaid by $1.2 trillion. After Trump signs it into law on the 4th of July, it also will end tax credits on buying or leasing EVs, effective Sept. 30. Since 2008, purchasing an electric vehicle has come with an incentive: a $7,500 federal tax credit for new vehicles. The incentive was expanded in 2022 to include up to $4,000 on used EVs. While EVs cost an average of $9,000 more than a gas-powered vehicle, not paying for gas means you’ll eventually make up the cost. Plus, the environmental impacts are well-known. However, despite the benefits of EVs, the incentive, which helped boost American sales, will soon be a thing of the past. While the bill does away with the tax incentive, it also eliminates penalties for failing to meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy shortfalls, making it easier for automakers to build gas-powered vehicles. On Thursday, the Electrification Coalition, an EV advocacy group, said the bill will have negative impacts on the American EV market, giving other markets like China a competitive advantage. In a July 3 statement, it warned, that as EVs secure a growing share of the global automotive market, it is obvious that the future of transportation is electric; this bill forfeits Americas role in that future to China. And as other markets lean into the EV market, the U.S. is already lagging behind. Electrification Coalition Vice President of Policy Anne Blair echoed the same sentiment, saying, Without a competitive U.S. EV industry, we will remain dependent on volatile oil markets to power our vehicles and reliant on China for the critical minerals used in most advanced technologies. We are incredibly disappointed that Congress has made a choice to entrench these vulnerabilities.Experts are predicting escalated sales leading up to the Sept. 30 deadline. Dan Levy, Barclays’ auto analyst, wrote in a research note, that without the incentive sales will take a steep downturn. We believe the bill reiterates the slowdown ahead for EV penetration in the US, with both the carrot (i.e. tax credits/incentives) and the stick (i.e. emissions regulations) softened, Levy said, per Reuters. One study from Harvard University projected that ending the incentive will save the U.S. government $129 billion in the next 10 years. However, it will reduce EV market penetration by 6% over the next five years. That downturn could have big environmental impacts like dirtier air and greater greenhouse gas emissions.
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E-Commerce
Today, Friday, July 4, 2025, is Independence Day. The day, also known as the Fourth of July, celebrates the founding of the United States of America. Independence Day is one of the 12 federal holidays in 2025, and as a result, many institutions that are normally open on Fridays will be closed. However, many commercial enterprises, including some grocery stores, retailers, and pharmacies, will be open. Heres whats open and closed on the 4th of July 2025. Are banks open on the 4th of July 2025? Most bank branches should be closed on Independence Day. This includes major banks like Citi, Chase Bank, and Bank of America. However, although most physical bank branches are closed, online banking should continue to operate as normal, so you can continue to use banking services via the banks website or app. Are ATMs open on the 4th of July 2025? Yes. While most bank branches will be closed today, the ATMs found outside themand ATMs at other locations, including stores and gas stationsshould be functioning as normal. But a word of warning: if you think youll need cash this weekend, its best to go to an ATM sooner rather than later. ATMs are sure to be in high use over the Independence Day holiday weekend, so it’s possible individual machines may run out of cash. Is the post office open on the 4th of July 2025? No, as Independence Day is a federal holiday, the United States Postal Service (USPS) will not be operating regular services today. USPS stores will be closed. Is mail delivered on the 4th of July 2025? No. The USPS will not make deliveries on July 4, 2025. Are FedEx and UPS operating on the 4th of July 2025? Most UPS and FedEx services will not be operating on Independence Dayhowever, there are some exceptions. UPS states that there will be no pickup or delivery service on July 4 and notes that its physical store locations may be closed. However, its UPS Express Criticalservice will still be operating. FedEx says its FedEx, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Logistics services will be closed on July 4. However, it lists its FedEx Office services as having modified hours and says its FedEx Custom Critical service is open. Is the stock market open on the 4th of July 2025? No. Major U.S. stock markets are generally closed on federal holidays, and Independence Day is no exception. This includes the Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). However, international stock markets will continue to operate as normal. Are schools open on the 4th of July 2025? Most schools are on summer holiday already. But if a school is operating a summer program, that is likely to be closed today. Are restaurants open on the 4th of July 2025? Many major restaurant chains will be open on Independence Day. However, as many restaurant chains operate on a franchise model, individual locations may be closed or offer modified hours if the owner decides to do so. Major restaurant chains that should see many stores open as usual include McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendys, IHOP, KFC, Subway, and more. Coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin will also see many of their locations remaining open. Are retail stores open on the 4th of July 2025? Most will be, but there are some exceptions. Major retailers, including Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, will be open on Independence Day. Warehouse store Sam’s Club will also be open. However, Costco will be closed on July 4. Are pharmacies open on the 4th of July 2025? It depends. Major retailers who operate pharmaciesincluding CVS and Walgreensshould see many of their stores open today. However, the pharmacies inside those stores may be closed. If you need something from your local pharmacy, its best to call ahead to see if they are open. Are grocery stores open on the 4th of July 2025? Many major grocery store chains will remain open on July 4, as they know there will be plenty of people who have forgotten to pick up important items for the BBQ. Major grocery store chains that will remain open on July 4 include Aldi, Kroger, and Whole Foods, among others. When in doubt, call ahead Of course, before heading anywhere on July 4, it’s best to call ahead to check if your destination is open. This is especially true of any chain stores that operate on a franchise model, where individual owners can set the dates and times the location is open.
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E-Commerce
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here. Tally is the best free tool for creating surveys. Theyre better-looking and more flexible than Google Forms, and theyre just as easy to create in 60 seconds. Use it for any kind of survey, whether youre getting feedback from clients or students, collecting RSVPs, or gathering ideas. Get Started: Pick a template or a blank page. Add questions: multiple choice, open text, ranking, or many others. You can ask respondents to upload a file or make a payment. To enhance your design, add text blocks, images, or videos between questions. My 7 favorite Tally features Free. 99% of the features are available without paying. I havent upgraded because the free offering is so complete. Privacy-focused. Based in Belgium, the company complies with Europes strict GDPR rules. Its software respects peoples privacy. Easy. No complicated menus or settings. As this 30-second video demo illustrates, you can just start typing on a blank page and press / to add a question from a list of options. For non-techies its easier than Typeform, Survey Monkey or Qualtrics. Flexible. Works for any kind of form, quiz or survey. Tally is superb for feedback, market research, even selling something, as in these templates: Flexible design. Incorporate video, images or descriptions to create the feel of a readable page thats less bureaucratic than traditional forms. Add a cover image and logo. The forms look great, like Notion pages. Theyre less generically corporate than Microsoft Forms or Google Forms. Easily shareable. Email your survey, share a link to itas I did aboveor embed it within a site. Connect Tally to other tools. Check a box to easily share whatever data your form collects to Google Sheets, Notion, Slack, or Airtable. These simple integrations help you analyze responses easily. Tips on creating great surveys Shortcut: type Tally.new in your browser bar to start a new form, if youre logged in. Aim for 5 to 8 questions. Thats the survey sweet spot requiring just 5 to 10 minutes of a respondents time. Learn from other good surveys. Check examples of others using Tally, a pack of survey templates for growth, and lessons from newsletter surveys cited by Dan Oshinskys excellent Inbox Collective. Incorporate conditional logic, sending people to a question based on a prior answer. I tested that in my new Wonder Tools feedback survey above. That ensures people only see questions relevant to them. Use AI to categorize or summarize text replies. AI can help spot patterns. Thats useful when you have hundreds of responses to analyze. First make a copy of survey data, stripping out names and private info. Prompt Claude or ChatGPT for step by step analysis, not all in one shot. With Gemini AI enabled in Google Sheets, ask for AI analysis of responses saved in a sheet. Templates to try Newsletter feedback Customize this template I made. Event registration Invite people to sign up. Offer programming choices. Spread questions over multiple pages for a clean look. Simple feedback Let anyone provide quick input. Grant proposal Select candidates. Job application Find someone to help you out. 6 steps to implement your survey 1. Pick a template relevant to your project (or start with a blank page).2. Click Use this template.3. Customize the questions.4. Grab the link.5. Share it via email, on social or on a site.6. Return to Tally to see peoples responses. Whats new with Tally Form Insights. See how many people are accessing your form, where theyre coming from, what devices theyre using, how long theyre spending on your form and where theyre dropping off if they dont complete your questions. Version History. If youre experimenting with question wording, you can now roll back to prior versions. Public API beta. Developers can now build new Tally integrations and automations. Limitations Limited visualization options. For charts or detailed visuals, youll need a different tool. No AI summaries or adaptation. Google Forms can now summarize responses for you with AI assistance. Tally doesnt yet have that capability. New tools like Parliant and BetterFeedback can even adapt questions based on prior responses. Typeform AI helps word questions for you. No mid-range subscription. You can use most Tally features for free, but the pro price of $29/monthly is a bg jump for premium features. These include customized confirmation emails, custom domains, and unlimited team collaboration. You can also accept large file uploads (over 10mb) and remove Tally branding. Im fine with the free plan, which includes unlimited forms and question types. Alternatives Tally has published its own comparisons with other tools. But heres my take on other good survey tools to consider the next time youre making a form. Free & Fast: Google Forms works with your existing Google account. Its functional for registration forms or simple feedback surveys, but its features and design have stagnated over the past decade. Elegant and Professional: Typeform presents questions one by one, making it less overwhelming for survey respondents than traditional survey tools. It remains superb for multiple reasons. Its expensive, though, and the advanced features are complex. Flexible and Easy: Notion Forms now lets you embed surveys export data to multiple places. Theyre more flexible than Survey Monkey or Microsoft Forms, which have the stiff design feel of enterprise tools made for mass-market feedback. Premium for Businesses: Jotform is another premium alternative for businesses. You can customize fonts and colors, and integrate a form into your CRM or any database. Or trying make an AI agent. For DIY flexibility: Coda works well both for forms and documents. That helps you organize survey responses within existing docs. For team productivity: Airtable, like Coda, lets you create forms with responses that flow directly into tables. That helps you sort, filter, analyze and share results efficiently. For preference ranking: OpinionX is another specialized survey tool Ive used and recommend for stack rankingsassessing customer preferences. Ask people to compare a series of paired options to help set priorities. Live polling: Slido is what I prefer for quick live polling during events. This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
Category:
E-Commerce
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