How to get your first customers

Gustaf Alströmer explains Y Combinator's practical approach to early customer acquisition: founder-led sales, manual recruiting, simple funnels, charging for value, and working backwards from customer goals.

4 sections · 8 lessons

Course outline

Manual Takeoff

  1. Founders Make Startups Take Off
  2. Founder Sales Duty
  3. Manual Takeoff

First Outreach

  1. Start With Something Useful
  2. Write a Short Sales Email
  3. First Outreach

Pipeline Discipline

  1. Track the Whole Funnel
  2. Choose Easy Early Adopters
  3. Pipeline Discipline

Paid Funnel Goals

  1. Charge to Prove Value
  2. Work Backwards From Goals
  3. Paid Funnel Goals

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