The solopreneur鈥檚 guide to getting your first users
The solopreneur鈥檚 guide to getting your first users
Getting your first customers is one of the hardest parts of building a business. Since your business is new and you鈥檙e still figuring things out, there鈥檚 no momentum yet 鈥 no word of mouth, no testimonials. So where do you even start?
In this guide, Mercury, a fintech platform that offers business and personal banking services*, breaks down how to get your first users by following actionable, scrappy strategies, all designed for when you鈥檙e building solo.
Redefining what 鈥榝irst users鈥 actually means
is harder than getting your hundredth. But those first users are also the most important. That鈥檚 because those early customers can give you critical insights that can shape the trajectory of your business.
As a founder, when you are researching strategies for how to get your first 10 customers, you鈥檙e often thinking about growth. But before you start trying growth tactics, you鈥檒l need to get clear on what you鈥檙e trying to accomplish. At this stage, learning is the primary goal.
Your first users will help you:
- Validate that people will actually pay for what you鈥檙e offering
- Get clear on who your really are
- Gather feedback that helps you improve your product or service
- Build relationships with early adopters who might refer others
- or social proof that lend credibility and
Take time to clearly understand your first users, including 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. When you go in with the intention of learning and improving, the entire process can feel less daunting.
Start where your users already are
One of the big traps founders can fall into is trying to 鈥渃reate鈥 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鈥檙e already spending time. Here鈥檚 what that could look like.
Communities and forums
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. When you answer questions, offer feedback, and celebrate your peers, people will notice, and you have the chance to develop relationships, which have the potential to turn into new customers.
Industry-specific and niche groups
Digital networks and platforms that focus on specific industries, hobbies, and demographics often are gold mines where you can find an audience that鈥檚 already looking for a solution like yours. Indie Hackers groups for founders, Product Hunt groups for early adopters, GitHub communities for developers, and LinkedIn groups for specific roles (like consultants or realtors, for example) are all great places to find your ideal clients.
The key is to show up consistently and to participate and contribute first before you pitch. When you鈥檙e genuinely focused on learning, helping, and building a network, you may naturally generate interest in your offering and potentially foster the first few leads.
Direct outreach that actually works
At some point, you鈥檒l be doing , 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. Here are a few tips to make direct outreach work for you.
Cold DMs and emails
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鈥檙e building, and write each of them a personalized note.
In your message, reference something specific about their work, like a post they wrote, a webinar they spoke at, or a problem they鈥檝e talked about. But don鈥檛 ask for a sale up front. Ask for feedback instead or pose a genuine question, like 鈥淎s a business owner, have you ever struggled with X?鈥 You can also ask to set up a 15-minute chat to talk about their struggles in a specific area and what solutions they鈥檝e tried, without pitching your product as a solution. This could not only give you valuable customer insights to include in your own and marketing plan, but it also helps to build more warm connections.
On platforms like LinkedIn or Substack, you can warm up connections by being active and sharing comments and feedback on your ideal prospects鈥 posts. This way, when you eventually send a direct message, you鈥檙e not a total stranger.
Warm intros
One way to increase your chances of getting a response is to try to get an introduction via someone your prospect already knows. Ask friends, colleagues, or other founders if they know anyone who fits your target profile. You can make it easier for them by drafting an email they can forward to their contact. Building a few genuine connections like this can outperform 100 generic messages.
Build in public as a distribution engine
鈥 sharing what you鈥檙e working on, your wins, what you鈥檙e learning, and what鈥檚 working (and what鈥檚 not) 鈥 can help you attract people who are interested in the problem you鈥檙e solving. As people watch your progress and cheer you on, they鈥檒l begin to trust you. And when you launch, these may be the first people to buy from you or at least recommend you to connections, since they feel like they鈥檝e been part of your journey.
This strategy works especially well on platforms like LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter), as well as in groups like Indie Hackers. Your first users may come from those who have been following your story as it unfolds.
Turn early adopters into momentum
Your first few users can help you unlock momentum that helps you grow your business. Here are a few things to focus on.
Feedback loops
You don鈥檛 just want to make a sale and call it a day. Your early users can offer you essential feedback that can improve your offering 鈥 and this is incredibly valuable. Ask them what they love about your product, as well as what鈥檚 confusing and what鈥檚 missing. This input can help you to quickly improve your product and reduce guesswork. Once you refine your product based on real feedback, it鈥檚 easier to get your next 10 users.
Referrals
Happy users can often be your best growth channel. Most people are more than willing to refer you to others if they have a good experience with you. Make it easier for them by asking directly, 鈥淚f you know someone else dealing with [problem], I鈥檇 love an intro.鈥
Testimonials or case studies
Social proof can build substantial momentum and trust. Even one good testimonial can help you close your next customer. And a more detailed case study outlining the problem they were struggling with and the results they鈥檝e seen since using your product can boost credibility and confidence in your offering even further.
Ask early users if they鈥檇 be willing to share their feedback or story publicly. Assure them that nothing will be published without their review and permission.
Simple channels that work early on
At the early stages of building your business, you don鈥檛 need a complex marketing stack. A few simple channels that are easy to execute and put you in front of your ideal clients can go a long way. Here are a few channels to focus on.
Marketplaces
Listing your product or services on relevant marketplaces can help you get in front of the right audience and drive some sales. Depending on your offering and vertical, this could be platforms like (for physical or digital products you鈥檝e designed and/or made by hand), Upwork (for freelance or consulting services), (for physical or digital products), Gumroad (for digital products), Creative Market (for design assets), Payhip (for digital downloads and courses), GitHub marketplace (for developer tools), app stores (for tools), or Product Hunt and AppSumo (for SaaS products).
Directories
In addition to marketplaces, directories that list products in your category can also be particularly helpful in widening your reach. Examples of directories include SaaSHub, SoftwareSuggest, AlternativeTo, GetLatka, Startup Stash, and others.
Social proof platforms
If you鈥檙e able to get some good reviews and mentions on review websites like G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and SourceForge, this can help drive early users. Even reviews on Google business pages can be quite useful.
What to avoid at this stage
Just as important as knowing what to do is knowing . Here are a few things that don鈥檛 work very well when trying to land your first few users.
Paid ads
At an early stage, you probably don鈥檛 have your messaging dialed in yet. You also might lack a clear understanding of your and conversion funnels. So running ads at this stage can be a waste of money.
Overautomation
Tools and services that promise to automate your outreach or to contact hundreds of customers a day may sound appealing, but usually don鈥檛 work for founders of early-stage businesses. Personal interaction is typically what drives early users to adopt your offering. Automation and outsourcing can鈥檛 replace that.
Premature scaling
You don鈥檛 need complex funnels, outsourced advertising, more team members, or a large when you鈥檙e first establishing your business. And don鈥檛 try to scale too fast.
Turning first users into repeat users
Getting your first users feels like a big milestone when starting your business. But retaining those users is what will actually build your business. To do so, make your customers feel special. Give them an exceptional experience and deliver on your brand promise. Also, be sure to respond quickly to any communication, fix any problems they encounter, and iterate based on feedback.
Be clear and transparent about pricing to avoid that can erode trust. Show your customers you care about them and their success, not just money. That鈥檚 how you鈥檒l develop great relationships that turn into repeat customers and your earliest advocates.
Traction before tactics
Getting your first users happens through building traction with consistent, focused effort deployed in the right places. So, don鈥檛 worry too much about having the 鈥減erfect鈥 marketing plan. Your tactics will evolve as your business grows. But if you鈥檝e got the foundations right 鈥 understanding your customers, being genuinely helpful, building relationships, and adjusting based on what you learn 鈥 you鈥檒l be well positioned to build from there.
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