Free sample lesson · How to get your first customers
Founders Make Startups Take Off
Why doesn't a good product take off by itself?
Lesson 1 of the Wondering course How to get your first customers
Overview of Founders Make Startups Take Off
This lesson prevents the early mistake of hiding in product work when the real bottleneck is manually recruiting and learning from customers.
The Myth of Automatic Growth
Many founders believe that a great product will grow itself once it is launched. They focus on code and design while waiting for users to arrive.
In reality, products rarely take off in isolation. Launching is just the beginning of the journey.
- Myth
- Reality
Gustaf Alströmer explains that early growth is not automatic. It requires founders to step away from the screen and find users manually.
Do Things That Do Not Scale
At the start, you must personally recruit your customers. This is a core founder task, not a temporary embarrassment.
- Recruit: Personally recruit your first customers instead of waiting for passive signups.
- Engage: Meet hosts or users face-to-face to understand their needs deeply.
- Commit: Do manual work like taking professional photos to ensure users stay and pay.
Airbnb is a famous example of this approach. The founders traveled to meet hosts and take professional photos of listings.
They did not wait for an advertising button to work. They did the unscalable work required to get their first users to stay and pay.
Surviving the Trough of Sorrow
The startup curve shows that excitement often fades after the initial launch. This period is known as the trough of sorrow.
Progress might look like this over time:
- Launch excitement (Peak)
- Trough of sorrow (Low point)
- Wiggles of false hope
- Product-market fit
Founders must persist through these stages by listening to users and improving the product every day.
The Power of Learning Loops
A post-launch lull is not a sign to quit. It is a signal to start a learning loop.
Instead of building more features in secret, watch how your manual recruits use the product. Identify why they stay or leave.
Manual recruiting provides the data you need to reach product-market fit. Use this time to test, listen, and refine your positioning until the product truly sticks.
How to Apply It in Real Life
- Step 1: Stop Hiding: Step away from writing code and identify potential users to contact directly.
- Step 2: Do Things That Don't Scale: Provide bespoke, high-touch onboarding to your very first users to secure paying customers.
- Step 3: Run Learning Loops: Analyze customer behavior during the trough of sorrow to refine your product offering.
Keep going
This is lesson 1 of 8 in How to get your first customers. Next up:
- Founder Sales Duty
- Start With Something Useful
- Write a Short Sales Email
- Track the Whole Funnel
- Choose Easy Early Adopters
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