Founder Finance Survival Kit
Five tools that keep early-stage founders alive: know your burn, see your runway, close the gaps, dodge the tax traps, and walk into funding conversations ready. No spreadsheet download required — everything below runs right here.
How long does your cash last?
Your monthly numbers
Enter your typical month. Everything updates live — nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
Your survival math
The three numbers every founder should know cold.
First-year finance checklist.
The foundation that prevents 90% of founder finance headaches. Tick each item as you finish it — your progress is saved on this device.
Top 5 tax mistakes founders make.
Each one is common, expensive, and completely avoidable if you catch it early.
Missing the R&D tax credit
Failing to claim up to $250k/year in payroll tax offsets. For technical startups, this is essentially free money left on the table.
Up to $250k / year lostCo-mingling funds
Using personal credit cards for business expenses "pierces the corporate veil" — putting your personal assets legally at risk.
Personal assets exposedWorker misclassification
Treating full-time staff as 1099 contractors to save on taxes. The IRS is aggressive here, and back-taxes plus penalties add up fast.
Back-taxes + penaltiesSales tax ignorance
Not tracking "nexus" — where your customers are. Even SaaS products owe sales tax in many states once you cross the thresholds.
Compounding liabilityMissing the 83(b) election
Failing to file with the IRS within 30 days of your equity grant. This single miss can cost you millions in unnecessary taxes later.
30-day hard deadlineNot sure which apply to you?
A WGF founder clarity call walks through your structure and flags the ones that matter before they become costly.
Book a clarity call ↗Funding prep checklist.
Before you talk to any investor or lender, have these ready. It's the difference between "we'll follow up" and a real conversation.