The First 90 Days: What a New Founder Should Do Each Month

In your first 90 days as a founder, spend month one finding out whether people have the problem you want to solve, month two getting a few of them to pay for a simple first version, and month three setting up the company, the money and the weekly habits that keep you going. Write down what you learn every week.

This plan suits someone starting from an idea, with little money and a lot to figure out. Move faster if your customers say yes early, and slow down if they do not. Keep the order of the steps and adjust the dates to your pace.

What should I do in days 1 to 30?

Your job this month is to learn whether the problem is worth solving. Keep the building to a minimum.

• Write the problem as one sentence. Name who has it, what they are trying to do and why it is hard today.
• Talk to the people who have it. Ask about the last time it happened, what they did and what it cost them. Leave your idea out until the end of the conversation.
• Keep notes in one place. A shared document or spreadsheet with each person's words, what they use today and what they pay for it.
• Agree roles with your co-founders in writing. Who decides what, how much time each person gives, and how you will split ownership. A short signed note now saves a painful argument later.
• Work out your personal runway. Add up what you need to live each month and how many months you can cover. That number decides how long you can test before you need income.

Our guide on how to validate your startup idea before writing code sets out the interview questions and how to judge the answers.

What should I do in days 31 to 60?

This month you test whether people will pay. Offer the result by hand before you automate anything.

• Make a small offer. Describe what you will deliver, by when and at what price, in a few lines on a page or a WhatsApp message.
• Set a pass mark first. Decide in advance what counts as success, for example five paying customers in four weeks. That target is an example; set your own and write it down before you start.
• Deliver it yourself. Use phone calls, spreadsheets and WhatsApp. You will learn which steps customers value and which ones you can drop.
• Take payment simply. You do not need a checkout. Paystack's Starter Business account is designed for merchants who have not registered yet, and in Kenya it allows collections up to KES 600,000 before you must upgrade to a registered business (Paystack).

At the end of the month, compare what happened with your pass mark. If people paid, keep going. If they did not, go back to the interviews and find out why before you change the product.

What should I do in days 61 to 90?

Once customers are paying, put the basics of a business in place.

• Register the business. The Business Registration Service lists a business name at KES 950 with 1 day to process, and a private limited company at KES 10,650 with 3 to 5 days (BRS fee schedule). Choose a limited company if you plan to raise money or sign contracts with larger firms. Our guide to registering a company in Kenya walks through every step.
• Separate the money. Open a business bank account or till and stop mixing it with personal spending.
• Start simple bookkeeping. Record every sale and every cost each week, with the receipt or M-Pesa message attached.
• Choose one number to watch. For most early businesses it is paying customers or revenue each week.
• Write down what you will not do yet. A short list of features, markets and hires you are deliberately leaving for later helps you say no.

How should I plan my week as a new founder?

A steady weekly rhythm keeps the first 90 days from turning into a blur. One pattern that works for many small teams:

• Monday: pick the two or three results that matter most this week.
• Midweek: spend most of your time with customers, either selling, delivering or interviewing.
• Friday: check your one number, write down what you learned, and decide what to change next week.

Protect time for customer work before anything else. Admin, social media and design tweaks can wait until the customer work is done.

Where should I work in the first 90 days?

Working from home is cheap, but power cuts, slow internet and the lack of other founders around you add up. At the house, a day pass is KES 1,000 and a hot desk is KES 10,000 a month on our coworking plans. We run free tours Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, if you want to see the space first.

If you want structure for the next stage, the Spark track of the Hackhouse Residency is built for idea-stage founders. It runs for 12 weeks at about 20 hours a week, costs KES 25,000 and takes no equity. HH Gen 27.1 applications are open.

What mistakes do new founders make in the first 90 days?

• Building for weeks before talking to a single customer.
• Asking friends whether they like the idea and treating polite answers as demand.
• Leaving the co-founder split as a verbal agreement.
• Mixing business and personal money from day one, which makes it hard to see whether the business makes money.
• Spending on a logo, a website or an app before anyone has paid.
• Working alone. Other founders can spot problems you are too close to see.

Key facts

• Month one: test the problem through customer conversations.
• Month two: get people to pay for a simple version you deliver by hand.
• Month three: register, separate your money and set a weekly rhythm.
• BRS lists a business name at KES 950 and a private limited company at KES 10,650.
• A Paystack Starter Business in Kenya can collect up to KES 600,000 before registering.
• Track one number every week, usually paying customers or revenue.

Frequently asked questions

Should I quit my job in the first 90 days?

Only if your savings cover your living costs for long enough to test the idea properly. Many founders keep an income while they run customer conversations and first sales, then leave once people are paying.

When should I register my business?

Register once you are taking regular payments or need to sign a contract. You can start testing before that, for example on a Paystack Starter Business account up to its KES 600,000 limit.

Do I need a co-founder in the first 90 days?

No. Many people start alone. If you do take on a co-founder, agree roles and ownership in writing early.

How do I know the first 90 days went well?

You should have a clear problem, some paying customers or a firm reason to change direction, a registered business or a plan to register, and weekly numbers you trust.

Sources

• What is a Paystack Starter Business, Paystack, checked 5 Nov 2026
• Fee Schedule - Companies Registry, Business Registration Service, checked 5 Nov 2026

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