How to get your first 10 customers

You get your first ten customers by going to them one at a time, not by waiting for them to find you. Start with a list of people who have the problem, write to each of them personally, offer to help them get started, and ask for something small in return. This is slow and it does not scale, which is exactly why it works at the start.

Updated 3 October 2026

Where do the first customers come from?

They come from you, working by hand. Paul Graham wrote an essay on this in July 2013, called "Do Things that Don't Scale". In it he says that one of the most common types of advice Y Combinator gives is to do things that don't scale. He says that startups take off because the founders make them take off. He adds that the most common unscalable thing founders have to do at the start is to recruit users manually. His advice is blunt: you can't wait for users to come to you, and you have to go out and get them.

He also gives examples of founders doing this. Of Airbnb, he says the early work consisted of going door to door in New York, recruiting new users and helping existing ones improve their listings. He says Y Combinator uses the term "Collison installation" for a technique the Stripe founders invented: when anyone agreed to try Stripe, they would ask for the person's laptop and set them up on the spot. These are his accounts of those companies, so read them as ideas to borrow, not as a recipe that guarantees anything.

Who should I ask first?

Ask the people who are closest to the problem, in this order:

People you already talked to. If you followed the steps to validate your idea, you have ten conversations behind you. Go back to the ones who showed the problem most clearly.
People on your waiting list. Write to each of them by name. A waiting list is a list of people who asked you to write.
People who share a place with the problem. That could be an online group where you are already a member, a trade fair, a street, or a workplace. Go there and listen before you offer anything.
Introductions. Ask each person you talk to one question: "Who else do you know who has this problem?" A warm introduction beats a cold message.

If your customers are local, a free listing helps them find you. Google says that when you add and verify your Business Profile, customers can find your business on Search and Maps, and that you can add or claim your business at no charge. Only some businesses are eligible, so check the rules on that page.

For example, someone who builds a booking tool for dog walkers in Malmö could list twenty walkers from a local group, write to each, and visit two dog parks on a Saturday. This is an example, not a real result.

What do I write in the first message?

Keep it short and specific, and ask for one small thing. A good first message has four parts:

who you are, in one line;
why you are writing to this person in particular;
what you can do for them, described as an outcome;
one easy next step, such as a ten-minute call this week.

Do not attach a long deck. If you write by email to people who do not know you, laws apply, and they differ by country. Read cold email to your first clients: what works, and the rules to follow before you send the first one.

How do I turn a conversation into a customer?

Offer to do the first piece of work with them. In the Stripe example above, the founders set the product up on the spot. You can do the same: help them start, in a call or in person, so that they do not have to learn anything first.

Then ask for something real in return. Money is the best answer, even a small amount. If they will not pay yet, ask for their time every week, for feedback in writing, or for a promise to try it by a set date. Write down what each person said yes to, in a simple list: name, last contact, next step. Ten careful relationships are enough at this stage.

If you take payment before the product is ready, the rules for pre-orders apply. They are covered in the validation guide.

Can I ask my first customers for reviews?

Yes, if you ask honestly. In August 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a final rule on fake reviews and testimonials. It bans reviews that misrepresent that they are by someone who does not exist, such as AI-generated fake reviews. It also covers providing compensation or other incentives conditioned on the writing of consumer reviews, and reviews and testimonials written by company insiders that fail to clearly and conspicuously disclose the connection. The rule is American, and other places have their own rules, but the habits it describes are good everywhere.

In practice: ask real customers, in your own words, what changed for them. Never write a review yourself or pay for good wording. If a friend or a colleague gives you a quote, say who they are.

Where can I get free help?

In the United States, the SBA says it and its partners offer free or low-cost counseling and training in your area. Many countries have a similar service through a business start-up site or an enterprise agency. A mentor who has sold to customers like yours can shorten your list.

What is a quick checklist?

I have a list of at least twenty named people who have the problem.
I can reach ten of them this month, and I have a time set for each.
My first message is short, specific and asks for one small thing.
I know the email rules that apply where my customers live.
I have a way to help each person get started, in person or on a call.
I keep a list with the last contact and the next step for every person.
I ask real customers for honest words, and I do not pay for praise.

The free idea check asks, among other things, whether you can reach ten people who have the problem this month.

Can Easeable help with this?

Easeable helps you structure an idea and take it into execution, including your first messages. Describe your idea in the box at the end of this page.