How to Get Your First 10 Customers: The Playbook Nobody Talks About
Real stories from Stripe, Airbnb, Slack, and Figma — the uncomfortable math, the unscalable tactics, and the five-step playbook that actually works.
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How do iconic companies get their start? It’s rarely a scalable playbook. It’s uncomfortable, hands-on, and unforgettable. From Stripe installing code on laptops, to Airbnb photographing apartments by hand, and Slack begging friends to try their beta — the real story begins with pure, unscalable hustle.
The Uncomfortable Math of Customer Acquisition
Before we dive into strategy, let’s face the numbers that nobody wants to hear.
typical conversion rate
contacts for ~2 customers
Dropbox’s failed CAC via ads
Dropbox famously struggled with paid ads — at three hundred dollars per customer for a ninety-nine dollar product, it was a dead end. The first ten customers don’t come from a funnel. They come from founder hustle.
Strategy 1: Start With Who You Know
Your single greatest advantage is your existing network. Here’s how the best companies used it:
“All of the first dozen customers were some sort of personal connection.” — Co-founder Amit Bendov
Stewart Butterfield “begged and cajoled” friends at other companies to try it — starting with just 6-10 companies.
First 10 customers were friends starting businesses in California — mostly YC peers and personal connections.
Early customers included former colleagues. One was even discovered while a team member was standing in line at a market.
Your network is your unfair advantage. Exhaust it before trying anything else — friends, former colleagues, investors, accelerator peers.
Strategy 2: Go Where They Already Are
Once you’ve tapped your network, it’s time to fish where the fish are. Go to the online communities your ideal customers already frequent.
Dylan Field used Twitter data to identify the most influential designers, filtered by people he found inspiring, then cold emailed them or found introductions.
Googled app integration questions, found a StackExchange thread, and turned that into their first customer. Their landing pages converted at 50% because they solved an exact problem.
Posted restaurant menus as PDFs with their own phone number on campus sites, then personally delivered the orders.
Strategy 3: The Cold Outbound Machine
When customers aren’t in forums, deploy the cold start engine. Cold outreach is the second most common way successful B2B startups land early customers, according to Lenny Rachitsky’s research.
average reply rate
reply rate (2x email)
Combine LinkedIn and email in a personalized cadence, and response rates jump by 287%. Deeply personalized emails (not just merge tags) drive 52% higher replies.
Strategy 4: Do Things That Don’t Scale
Paul Graham’s most famous advice. The things that feel “too manual” are often exactly what you should be doing.
When someone showed interest, the Collison brothers didn’t send a link. They said “give me your laptop” and set them up on the spot.
Founders went to NYC, helped hosts improve listings, and personally photographed apartments. Weekly revenue went from $200 → $400 → $1,400.
Sent every single new user a handwritten thank-you note — for as long as they possibly could.
“I have never once seen a startup lured down a blind alley by trying too hard to make their initial users happy.” — Paul Graham
The Follow-Up Is Everything
Getting a conversation started is only half the battle. Here’s the stat that changes everything:
Yet most founders give up after just one email. Build a structured 10-touch cadence over 4-6 weeks: LinkedIn invite → call → “why you, why now” email → another call → something unexpected.
Choose the Right First Customers
Not all early customers are equal. You’re looking for what investors call “design partners” — users willing to collaborate so closely that they’re effectively co-designing the product with you.
- Facebook launched exclusively to Harvard students, got critical mass there, then expanded to other Ivy League schools.
- Notion’s first users were friends and fellow San Francisco startup founders.
- Figma’s first company customer was Coda — Dylan Field and Shishir Mehrotra were already friends.
The right first customers help you build a better product, not just bigger revenue.
The First 10 Customers Playbook
Exhaust your network — friends, former colleagues, investors, accelerator peers
Go where they are — forums, communities, Twitter, Slack groups, events
Build a cold outbound system — LinkedIn + email with deep personalization
Do things that don’t scale — install it yourself, photograph their apartment, send the note
Follow up relentlessly — 60% of wins happen after the second touch
Your Turn to Hustle
Every billion-dollar company, every game-changing product, started this way. There is no automated playbook on day one. Stripe, Airbnb, Slack, Figma — none of them had a scalable system when they started. They had founders willing to do the work nobody else would.
Your first ten customers won’t come from a viral launch or a marketing funnel. They’ll come from you — showing up, reaching out, and making it personal.
Your future customers are already out there, waiting to hear from you. Start today.
