Startups burn money on software before they have customers. Here is the honest sequence — what you need at each stage, and why almost all of it can be free until you have revenue.

Stage 1: Before You Have a Name

Use the startup launch kit to generate name candidates, taglines, a colour palette, and logo concepts, then check domain availability. Before committing, search your national company register and trademark database — an hour of checking beats a year of rebranding.

Stage 2: Before You Build a Website

Price the project properly with the cost estimator so you know the market rate before a quote lands. Then write your positioning: one sentence covering what you do, who for, and where. If you cannot write that sentence, no website will save you.

Stage 3: As You Launch

Generate title tags and meta descriptions for every page with the meta generator. Set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console — both free, both essential, both frequently skipped. Claim your Google Business Profile if you serve a local market.

"A startup with no analytics is not running lean. It is running blind."

Stage 4: Before You Spend on Ads

Run the ROI calculator with honest numbers. If the conservative scenario does not produce profit, do not launch the campaign — fix the offer, the price, or the conversion rate first. Then model your channel split with the budget architect.

Stage 5: As You Grow Content

Find your keyword families with the research tool, draft with the content writer, and check quality in the analyzer. Publishing two genuinely useful pages a month beats ten thin ones.

What to Actually Pay For, and When

Pay for hosting and a domain from day one — these are infrastructure, not luxuries. Pay for email once you have a list worth mailing. Pay for SEO software when you are choosing between opportunities rather than fixing basics. Pay for ad management when spend exceeds what your time is worth to manage.

Everything else can wait. The full free toolbox is here, and our 1-year growth planner sequences it into a quarter-by-quarter plan.