As a solopreneur, getting your first customers is one of the hardest parts of building a business. Since your business is new and you’re still figuring things out, there’s no momentum yet — no word of mouth, no testimonials. So where do you even start?
Learning from First Users
Your first users will help you take time to clearly understand what drew them to your product or service, why they decided to pay for it, and what problems it solves for them. Use this knowledge to inform how you approach customer acquisition.
One of the big traps founders can fall into is trying to “create” demand for their product or trying to build an audience from scratch. Unfortunately, this takes up a lot of early time and energy. The fastest way to find your first customer is to go where they’re already spending time.
Communities and Forums
Communities and forums like Reddit, Slack groups, Discord servers, and Facebook communities are great places where people in specific industries, roles, and professions gather to discuss problems and seek advice. One of the fastest ways to get in front of your ideal clients is to join the conversations in these communities and forums and be genuinely helpful.
Industry-specific and niche groups like Indie Hackers groups for founders, Product Hunt groups for early adopters, GitHub communities for developers, and LinkedIn groups for specific roles are all great places to find your ideal clients.
Direct Outreach
At some point, you’ll be doing direct outreach, a sales approach that new founders may not have practiced with. But when done right, it can be one of the most effective ways of getting your first users.
Cold DMs and emails can be effective if you strive for relevance, not volume. Generalized and templated messages often get ignored. Instead, start by identifying 10 to 20 people who are a great fit for what you’re building, and write each of them a personalized note.
Building in Public
Building in public — sharing what you’re working on, your wins, what you’re learning, and what’s working (and what’s not) — can help you attract people who are interested in the problem you’re solving. As people watch your progress and cheer you on, they’ll begin to trust you.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
