50 Founders Share How They Got Their First Customers
Y Combinator
4 min, 0 sec
Entrepreneurs share their experiences and methods of finding their first customers, highlighting the importance of networking, cold outreach, and leveraging online platforms.
Summary
- Founders discuss various strategies used to acquire their first customers, including cold emails, door-to-door visits, and leveraging social media and professional networks.
- One entrepreneur describes success in finding a customer by standing outside a food truck waiting for the owner to take a break.
- Another entrepreneur shares a story of converting users from a Reddit group to a waitlist, leading to a successful closed beta launch.
- Several founders emphasize the significance of using personal networks and community referrals to gain initial customers.
- Strategies such as creating mock-ups, launching on social platforms, and directly converting interested companies are also mentioned as effective customer acquisition methods.
Chapter 1
Founders narrate their early attempts at acquiring customers through cold outreach and in-person visits.
- One founder describes using cold email as an effective tool for customer acquisition.
- Another recounts the method of going door-to-door and waiting for a business owner at a food truck to take a break and then seizing the opportunity to pitch.
- Voicemail left for a potential customer leads to a positive response due to the founder's genuine background story.
Chapter 2
Entrepreneurs leverage online communities and social media to attract their first customers.
- Founders share stories of using Reddit to gather a thousand people on a waitlist within 24 hours, indicating a strong market need.
- A Twitter launch results in a significant increase in followers and website visitors, showcasing the power of social media.
- LinkedIn proves to be a useful tool for one founder who shares their business progress and attracts inbound interest.
Chapter 3
Personal and professional networks play a crucial role in acquiring the initial set of customers.
- One entrepreneur successfully gets introductions to big companies from a well-connected advisor.
- Another plans to visit production companies in Los Angeles to pitch their tool.
- Turning down job offers in favor of proposing the founders' own software solution helps in customer acquisition.
Chapter 4
Founders tap into their friends and family networks to gain early customers and test their products.
- Friends and acquaintances serve as the first customers for some founders, allowing them to refine their offerings.
- Launching with friends and family helps test pricing strategies and business processes before scaling to a broader market.
- Referrals from close networks lead to organic growth and more customer acquisition.
Chapter 5
After utilizing their networks, founders aim to expand their customer base using various marketing strategies.
- Founders rely on their professional networks to gain initial customers who are willing to invest in their products.
- Positive feedback from these first customers, along with other marketing techniques, is expected to help scale the business.
- The goal for many is to significantly increase their customer base by the time of their demo day presentations.
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