For Starters is an independent email newsletter for the next generation of small business owners. Inspiration, ideas, tips and tools – sent every Friday morning to 10,000+ subscribers around the world – for free.

Founded in January 2025, it’s written by Danny Giacopelli, a former Monocle and Courier editor, based in London. Thanks for being here.

Hey, starter! 👋

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with small businesses.

Not the startup bro kind. The real ones – the cafe owner in Lisbon who roasts her own beans, the guy in Brooklyn who quit finance to make candles, the couple in Tokyo running a four-seat wine bar out of a converted garage. The people who bet on themselves and build something from nothing.

I’ve spent my career telling their stories. I hosted one of the podcast industry’s earliest business shows, The Entrepreneurs, at Monocle. Then I became editor of Courier, a global magazine about living and working on your own terms, which was eventually acquired by Mailchimp, where I now work as an editorial director.

The starter gap

But somewhere along the way, I noticed something…

While advice for new business founders is everywhere, it’s mostly geared towards VC-backed tech startups, despite tech making up a tiny fraction of all new businesses.

What about the other 99% of business owners who choose a different path?

I wanted to create a place for them – for the shop owners, makers, artisans, creatives, freelancers and side hustlers who are building profitable businesses around their skills. For the ones figuring it out, for first-timers, for career-changers, for side-hustlers ready to go all in. For starters.

So in January 2025, I did it.

What we believe

We believe in learning by doing, in starting before you're ready, and in asking for help along the way. We believe starters make the world more interesting – and that they deserve better than generic advice and recycled playbooks.

Subscribe for free

Every Friday, I send out a free briefing jam-packed with all the stuff you need to start and grow the small business of your dreams…

  • inspiring stories from around the world
  • actionable tips & advice
  • fresh ideas and market gaps
  • resources & tools worth trying
  • opportunities from our community


P.S. Tell me what you’re working on! [email protected]

—Danny

© 2026 For Starters.
Report abusePrivacy policyTerms of use
beehiivPowered by beehiiv