First Customers

Overview

Help founders sell to their first 100 customers through manual, founder-led sales. Based on the philosophy of The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavingia. The core insight: skip the launch and focus on selling. "Viral success" is a myth — every seemingly overnight success is built on months or years of hard work. Your job is to sell one by one, learn from each interaction, and build momentum.

Instructions

The Concentric Circles of Sales

Sell outward from the people who care most about you to the people who care least:

Circle 1: Friends and Family

• Start here. Yes, it's uncomfortable. Do it anyway.
• Pitch them on being your first customers, not investors.
• They trust you more than anyone else. If they won't buy, who will?
• Ask for their honest feedback, not social media posts.
• Kickstarter says: "Support always begins with people you know."