I want to
Build a business
CURiO doesn't show you one founder. It finds dozens — and shows you where their paths overlap.
Whatever you're trying to become, someone has walked it
89 lived experiences in the library34
founders
19
consultants
11
restaurant owners
8
creators
17
agency owners
The patterns underneath
82%
ran a paid test before quitting anything
3.4x
more likely to survive year two if revenue came before a lease
11 mo
median time from first sale to going full time
Common first steps
Sequenced the way they usually happened, not the way advice lists them.
- 01Validate the problem with strangers, not friends
- 02Talk to 15 potential customers
- 03Sell before you build
- 04Register the entity only once money moves
- 05Ship a deliberately small first version
- 06Price it high enough to learn something
- 07Hire only after the work is repeatable
Read exactly how they did it
Built a neighborhood bakery from a home kitchen
Started selling sourdough to neighbors on Sunday mornings and ended up with a 900 sq ft storefront and four employees.
Quit a 15-year finance career to launch a B2B SaaS
Spent a decade and a half pricing derivatives before building a cash-flow forecasting tool for small manufacturers.
Went from line cook to owner of a neighborhood restaurant
Spent twenty years in other people's kitchens before opening a 45-seat restaurant featuring the food she grew up eating.
Built a nonprofit helping immigrant entrepreneurs start businesses
After a corporate career in operations, she used every skill she had to launch an organization that has helped 300 people start businesses.