How do I get my first customers?

Your first 10 customers won't come from ads, SEO, or viral posts. They'll come from direct conversations where someone says "oh, I have that exact problem."

Why early customers are different

Your first customers aren't browsing. They're not comparing 5 options. They're stuck, frustrated, and looking for something. Your job is to be in the room when that happens, with a message clear enough that they recognize themselves.

The 5-conversation test

Before spending money on anything, have 5 real conversations with people who might need what you built. Not pitching. Listening.

Ask: "What's the most frustrating part of [the thing your product helps with]?"

If their answer matches your product, you have a customer. If it doesn't, you have market intelligence that's worth more than any ad campaign.

Where to find them

Reddit. Subreddits like r/Entrepreneur, r/smallbusiness, r/SaaS, r/Shopify. People post their frustrations daily. Don't pitch. Respond helpfully. Include your site if relevant.

LinkedIn. Post about the problem you solve, not the product. "Most founders can't explain their business in one sentence" gets engagement. "Check out our new tool" doesn't.

Communities. Indie Hackers, niche Slack groups, Discord servers. Anywhere your people gather to complain about the problem you solve.

The message matters more than the channel

A clear message on the wrong channel still works better than a confusing message on the right channel. If you can describe someone's frustration better than they can, they'll find you.

The positioning shortcut

Most "first customer" problems are actually positioning problems. You know what you built, but you can't explain it in a way that makes strangers care.

servo fixes that. It helps you build the one-liner, the pitch, and the homepage copy that turns "what is this?" into "how do I sign up?"