The solopreneur’s 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’re still figuring things out, there’s no momentum yet — no word of mouth, no testimonials. So, where do you even start?

In this guide, we’ll break down how to get your first users by following actionable, scrappy strategies, all designed for when you’re building solo.

Getting your first customer is harder than getting your hundredth. But those first users are also the most important. That’s 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’re often thinking about growth. But before you start trying growth tactics, you’ll need to get clear on what you’re 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’re offering
• Get clear on who your ideal customers really are
• Gather feedback that helps you improve your product or service
• Build relationships with early adopters who might refer others
• Get testimonials or social proof that lends credibility and builds trust

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.

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. Here’s 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’s already looking for a solution like yours. Indie Hacker groups for founders, Product Hunt groups for early adopters, GitHub communities for developers, 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’re genuinely focused on learning, helping, and building a network, you may naturally generate interest in your offering and potentially foster the first few leads.

At some point, you’ll be doing direct outreach, a sales approach that new founders may not have practice with. But when done right, it can be one 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 a list of 10 to 20 people who are a great fit for what you’re 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’ve talked about. But don’t ask for a sale upfront. Ask for feedback instead or pose a genuine question, like “As a business owner, have you ever struggled with X?” You can also ask to set up a 15-minute chat to talk about their struggles in a specific area and what solutions they’ve tried, without pitching your product as a solution. This could not only give you valuable customer insights to include in your own product roadmap 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’ posts. This way, when you eventually send a direct message, you’re 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. 

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. 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’ve been part of your journey. 

This strategy works especially well on platforms, like LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter), as well as groups, like Indie Hackers. Your first users may come from those who have been following your story as it unfolds.

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’t just want to make a sale and call it a day. Your early users can offer you essential feedback that can improve your offering — and this is incredibly valuable. Ask them what they love about your product, as well as what’s confusing and what’s missing. This input can help you to quickly improve your product and reduce guesswork. Once you refine your product based on real feedback, it’s 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, “If you know someone else dealing with [problem], I’d love an intro.”

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’ve seen since using your product can boost credibility and confidence in your offering even further. 

Ask early users if they’d be willing to share their feedback or story publicly. Assure them that nothing will be published without their review and permission.

At the early stages of building your business, you don’t 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 Etsy (for physical or digital products you’ve designed and/or made by hand), Upwork (for freelance or consulting services), Amazon (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’re able to get some good reviews and mentions on reviews websites like G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and SourceForge, this can help drive early users. Even reviews on Google business pages can be quite useful.

Just as important as knowing what to do is knowing what not to do. Here are a few things that don’t work very well when trying to land your first few users.

Paid ads

At an early stage, you probably don’t have your messaging dialed in yet. You also might lack a clear understanding of your customer acquisition costs and conversion funnels. So, running ads at this stage can be a waste of money.

Over-automation

Tools and services that promise to automate your outreach or to contact hundreds of customers a day may sound appealing, but usually don’t work for founders of early-stage businesses. Personal interaction is typically what drives early users to adopt your offering. Automation and outsourcing can’t replace that.

Premature scaling

You don’t need complex funnels, outsourced advertising, more team members, or a large marketing budget when you’re first establishing your business. And don’t try to scale too fast.

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 pricing confusion that can erode trust. Show your customers you care about them and their success, not just money. That’s how you’ll develop great relationships that turn into repeat customers and your earliest advocates. 

Getting your first users happens through building traction with consistent, focused effort deployed in the right places. So, don’t worry too much about having the “perfect” marketing plan. Your tactics will evolve as your business grows. But if you’ve got the foundations right — understanding your customers, being genuinely helpful, building relationships, and adjusting based on what you learn — you’ll be well positioned to build from there.

If you’re looking for the right financial infrastructure for your business, explore Mercury’s tools and start building a strong base for your startup.