Built Without a Budget

Built Without a Budget lands at a moment when many Gen Zs are chasing the entrepreneurial dream—but most books only tell the stories that end in glory. This one doesn't.As a finance student at the University of Toronto, Tejas Trikha launched CouBon. This two-sided, dynamic pricing marketplace connected restaurants during their slow hours with students seeking deals. Armed with limited resources and plenty of persistence, CouBon grew from a dorm-room idea into a live platform used daily by students and partnered with dozens of restaurants—generating real revenue before closing due to scalability limits and macro headwinds.Written while the journey was still fresh, this candid account goes beyond highlight reels to share the real grind: pitching investors cold, solving the two-sided marketplace paradox, managing churn, and knowing when to walk away. It's a survival guide for student founders—and a reminder that even when the outcome isn't what you planned, the lessons can be life-changing.The startup story you don't see on Instagram.Tejas Trikha, a 21-year-old graduate of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, has worked in private equity, contributed to academic research in finance, and held leadership roles in early-stage ventures, including a Forbes 30 Under 30-recognized startup. He launched his own student-led business while in university, gaining firsthand experience in building, scaling, and ultimately winding down a venture. Built Without a Budget is his debut book, offering an unfiltered look at entrepreneurship from a Gen Z founder's perspective.