Saturday, 5 September 2026Playbooks: The exact steps, in order.Reviewed through 5 Sept 2026
29 playbooks, 180 steps. Every fee, date and pass mark is sourced, and each playbook says when it was last checked.
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Licences & certifications · US

Get a US ham radio licence (Technician)

Pass the 35-question Technician exam, pay the FCC's $35 fee, and hold a callsign within about two weeks — the whole path from zero to on the air.

Time 2–4 weeks of study · exam day 1–2 hours · callsign within ~2 weeks of passing · Cost $35 FCC fee + $0–15 exam session fee · 6 steps · Reviewed 5 Sept 2026

The Technician licence is the entry ticket to amateur radio in the United States: every frequency above 30 MHz, including the VHF/UHF bands where local repeaters, satellites and the International Space Station live. The exam is public — every one of the roughly 400 possible questions and their answers is published in advance — so passing is a matter of a few weeks of drilling, not a course.

You end up with An FCC Technician Class licence and a callsign, valid 10 years
  1. Get an FRN before anything else
  2. Study the current question pool, not last year's
  3. Find an exam session
  4. Sit the exam
  5. Pay the FCC's $35 within 10 days
  6. Get your callsign and get on the air

Begin with step 1, Get an FRN before anything else →

Launch & marketingShip it, get it seen, keep it growing: Product Hunt, Show HN, SEO, social, outreach, landing pages.All 8 →

Build a landing page that converts

A live page with a single call to action, analytics goal tracking, and a first-week conversion baseline

1–2 days · $0–$20/month for hosting and forms · 6 steps

Launch on Hacker News (Show HN)

A Show HN thread with real feedback, and if it front-pages, a day of traffic from the most demanding audience online

1 day of preparation · $0 · 5 steps

Launch a product on social media (SMO)

Two live channels with a launch sequence posted, a content cadence you can keep, and click-through data by channel

1 week of preparation · $0 · 6 steps
Entrance examsPattern, marking, dates, and a preparation plan that fits the calendar. India and global.All 8 →

Prepare for CAT (MBA entrance)

Register by mid-September, sit the 120-minute computer-based test on the last Sunday of November, and convert the percentile into IIM and top B-school calls.

6–9 months of preparation · ₹2,600 general · 6 steps

Begin with step 1 →

Take the digital SAT

A total SAT score of 400–1600 (Reading & Writing 200–800 + Math 200–800), sent to colleges via College Board

10–12 weeks of preparation · US$68 in the US · 6 steps

Prepare for GATE

A GATE score valid for three years, used for IIT/NIT M.Tech, PSU jobs and some fellowships

6–8 months · ₹1,000 · 6 steps

Take the GRE General Test

GRE Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing scores, valid five years

8–12 weeks of preparation · $220 in India and most countries · 6 steps

Prepare for NEET-UG

A NEET-UG score and All-India Rank used for MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and nursing admission via MCC and state counselling

12–24 months · ₹1,700 · 6 steps
Licences & certificationsHam radio, drones, diving, flying: the exam, the paperwork, the fee, in the order to do them.All 7 →

Get an Indian ham radio licence (ASOC)

An ASOC (Restricted or General grade) and a VU callsign licence from the WPC wing of DoT

3–12 months end to end · ₹100 exam fee per grade · 6 steps

Get a private pilot licence (US, airplane)

An FAA Private Pilot Certificate (airplane single-engine land), no expiry, with a flight review every 24 months

6–12 months at 2 lessons a week · $12,000–$20,000 all-in in 2026 · 7 steps
Life adminPassports, companies, trademarks: the forms nobody explains and the timelines nobody tells you.All 4 →

Register a private limited company in India (SPICe+)

Digital signatures, a name reservation in SPICe+ Part A, the incorporation bundle in Part B with DIN, PAN, TAN, EPFO/ESIC and bank account in one filing — typically 5–10 working days.

5–10 working days with clean documents · ₹7,000–₹25,000 all-in, depending on state… · 6 steps

Begin with step 1 →

Register a trademark in India

A registered trademark (®) valid 10 years, renewable indefinitely

Filing 1 day · ₹4,500 per class online for individuals,… · 7 steps

Form a US LLC

A formed LLC with an EIN, an operating agreement and a business bank account

Same day to two weeks, depending on the… · State filing fee $35–$500 · 8 steps
Career & skillsCertifications and skill milestones with a known finish line.All 2 →

Launch an email newsletter

A live newsletter with a subscribe page, three issues sent, and a growth loop in place

1 week to set up · $0 on most platforms until ~1,000… · 6 steps