1. Mine Your Existing Network

Your first customers are already 1–2 degrees away.

• Post on LinkedIn/X about your problem → solution story

• DM 20–50 contacts who might be in your ICP

• Ask warm intros from mentors, investors, ex-colleagues

2. Use Simple Scripts That Work

Reaching out can feel awkward, but it doesn’t have to. Keep it casual, human, and focused on learning. Here are 3 plug-and-play scripts you can use 👇

Script 1: The Advice First Ask
“Hey [Name], I’m working on something new to help [ICP] with [problem]. I’d really value your take on whether this would be useful or not. Totally not a sales pitch,  just looking to learn from people who get this space. Would you be open to a quick 15-min chat?”

👉 Sounds casual and collaborative, lowers defenses, but still opens the door to a customer convo.

Script 2: The Referral Ask
“Hi [Name], I’m building [solution] to help [ICP] tackle [problem]. I think it could be a good fit for folks dealing with [specific pain point]. Do you know one or two people who might be dealing with this that I could connect with?”

👉 Keeps it light and easy to say yes,  no pressure on them to be the customer, just to point you in the right direction.

Script 3: The Direct Problem Call-Out
“Hey [Name], quick question! Are you running into [specific pain point] right now? I’m working on [solution] that’s built to fix exactly that. If it sounds relevant, I’d be glad to walk you through how it works. If not, no worries at all. Appreciate your time either way.”

👉 Friendly, direct, but respectful. Works best with warm or close contacts.

3. Hang Out Where Your ICP Already Is

Don’t wait for people to come to you. Go where they live.

• Join 3–5 niche Slack/Discord groups

• Answer questions on Reddit, Indie Hackers, or Quora

• Search LinkedIn posts with relevant hashtags and add thoughtful comments

The goal is to add value first, then invite people to try your product.

4. Offer “Founding Customer” Deals

Make early adopters feel like insiders.

• Lifetime discounts (“locked-in” pricing)

• Extra perks (1:1 onboarding, custom setup)

• Exclusive community access

People love being “first.” Frame it as a partnership, not a transaction.

5. Do Things That Don’t Scale

Paul Graham was right: hand-hold every early customer.

• Personal onboarding calls

• White-glove setup

• Daily check-ins

These customers give you feedback loops that improve your product and testimonials that sell your next 10.

6. Track Outreach Like a Sales Pro

Don’t wing it. Create a simple system:

• Google Sheet with columns: Name | Channel | Status | Notes

• Update daily. Know exactly who you reached out to and what happened

• Follow up 2–3 times. Most people don’t buy on the first touch.

📊 Example Funnel (Week 1–2)

• Reach out to 50 warm contacts → 20 conversations → 5 customers

• Engage in 3 communities daily → 15 conversations → 3 customers

• Offer “founding customer” deals on LinkedIn → 2 customers

= 10 customers in ~2 weeks

🛠 Tools to Help

• Clay → Build and enrich prospect lists

• Apollo.io → Email outreach at scale

• Typefully → Write LinkedIn/Twitter posts faster

• Calendly → Book early calls without back-and-forth

• Notion / Google Sheets → Simple pipeline tracker
  

⚡ The Result

Instead of waiting for some perfect launch campaign, you hit the ground running.

10 paying customers =

• Proof people will buy

• Real feedback to improve

Social proof to attract the next 100

🔑 Final Thought:

Your first 10 customers are earned, not marketed.

If you can’t sell it directly in conversation, no funnel or ad budget will save you. But once you can, everything else gets easier.

So stop polishing. Start reaching out. The first 10 are waiting.

DON’T FORGET TO GET ROASTED!

👋 Got an idea you’re building and want a PMF gut check?

I’ll give you my honest take — no fluff, no pitch.

Let’s make sure you’re building the right thing, for the right market, in the right way.

– Patrick

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