How to Get Your First 10 Customers

The Startup Founder's Guide to Landing Your First 10 Customers

You have an idea and you are excited.

You built your startup and now you are ready for the world to use it.

You launch.

You wait.

No one is coming.

Getting your first real customers is when your startup actually becomes real.

It’s the part where most startups crash and burn. 

You don't need a fancy website, or a huge marketing budget.

You just need 10 people who care enough about what you are building to pay for it.

Here's how to get your first 10 customers -broken down into simple steps.

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1: Start with your Inner Circle 

Start with the people you know. Friends and family. Your colleagues.

Your whatsapp group or discord groups.

People who aren’t strangers to you. Literally anyone you know.

Call them and tell them you are working on this - get their thoughts and if they would like to buy/use your product.

2: Solve a specific person's problem

Find one person with the problem you are solving. What do they need? How can you make their life simpler?

Then ask for others who are facing a similar problem.

People don’t care what your app or your website does.

They care about how it helps them and why they should go through the trouble to use it.

3: Go where your audience is 

Find out where your audience is. For example, if you are building a solution for startup founders, see where they hang out. They could be at coffee shops literally in the physical sense or certain reddit groups or discord servers. Are they part of a community or a Facebook group? Join the group, listen to them and then talk to them.

4: Make your product easy to try (And Fun)

Your first users should be treated extremely well. They will be your VIP users. Offer them perks or free trials. Make sure your Beta users feel like it's great to be the first users. When your first users give you feedback, respond immediately, implement quickly if possible. 

Make saying yes a no-brainer for your first customers.

5: Get comfortable with rejection 

Here's the harsh truth no one talks about: To get 10 customers, you might be rejected by 100 people. Don’t worry, this is the process. Most successful founders have been rejected and have been in uncomfortable situations getting their first users.

6: Share your journey, Not Your "Launch" 

People want to hear about your journey, not your product. Instead of saying this is my big launch, try and build in public. People like a good story. Involve people in your journey. See how they root for you as you grow.

7: Ask for referrals 

When someone uses your product or service and likes it, ask simply if they would know others who would use this. Don’t be afraid to ask people, but don't be over pushy.

8: Write down everything you learn

Your first 10 users will be extremely important in your startup journey. Write down every question, all the feedback, all the negatives, positives and suggestions. Update it daily. This will help make your product much better.

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Finding those first users will be tough.

You will face uncertainty. You might find yourself in awkward social situations.

You will definitely be out of your comfort zone.

But don’t be scared, it’s the first step.

You don’t need 10,000 users today.

You need 10 people who really care.

Airbnb founders literally knocked on doors to get their first users.

Discord started by getting 10 people together for a gaming chat.

They didn’t start by going viral.

They found their initial users and built on that.

So go find your first 10 customers. Serve them and learn from them.