10 learnings from the first 10 episodes of The First 10 Podcast
2020 has been a year and a half, and as we come to the end of it, I was so happy to be able to launch The First 10 Podcast, where I interview business builders on their First 10 Customers - who they were, how they found them, how to talk to them, and what effect they had on their business so that you can learn what worked, and what didn’t.
I'll be honest…I was nervous shipping the podcast. Going from “is this a good idea?” to sending the first actual invite to posting those first episodes and telling the world about them felt like a leap. At the same time, it always feels good to ship. As downloads appeared, and messages started coming in from friends and strangers alike about how much they liked the theme and the content, I was able to let out a little sigh of relief. It feels good to create, to ship before you know it’s perfect, and to get generous feedback on what works, and what needs improving. It’s the only way to get better, to develop your ideas and process and product, to make it the best it can be for those who care. I'll never know who the First 10 listeners were, but I'm infinitely grateful to this Seasons guests - Amir, Carla, Jade, Adam, Diana, Rick, Brian, Howard, Kristen and Jaime - for their time, and their wisdom.
It’s some of that wisdom that I would like to share here.
In my First 10. I had a mix of founders, bootstrappers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and consultants, as well as other podcast hosts (that’s always a little scarier). Between them, they filled pages of my notebook with snippets of their experiences finding their First 10. This included:
Jaime Arredondo: “We are not selling our skill, we are selling the final result for the customer”.
This is something I have to constantly remind myself of - it’s not what I'm selling, it’s what they’re getting. Always remembering that makes life a whole lot simpler, and makes a ton of decisions for you.
Is your offering about your customers, or you?
Kristen Dionne: “The first 10 people you meet aren’t going to be your first 10 customers”.
Rejection is as much a part of the game as acceptance. Regard each conversation as a rep in the gym, it’s making you stronger and stronger, and making the long-term process easier and easier.
Are you putting in your reps and “seeking no’s”?
Howard Gray: “Look closer than you want to".
Often there are answers to what we seek right in front of us, that we don't realise are there. We often want to find the “perfect customer” or the “best brand” but sometimes, that’s not the really interesting option. We can often trip ourselves up in looking too far out, too quickly when we need to focus closer to home.
How can you look even closer, today?
Jade Waterman: “[Your first 10]…will inform everything else you do.…your product, your target market, how you sell to them and approach them”.
The First 10 Customers will touch on every part of your product or service, from design to marketing to the internal processes you use to run your business. Treat that data as the gift of making your business better in every way.
What do your customers say that you really need to listen to?
Brian Kenny: “Identifying people and having a one-on-one conversation with them…and you would be really surprised how people want to help, as long as you make a genuine and you ask them in a really nice and transparent way.“
Before you start to have conversations with your customers, it can feel daunting to bring them your ideas. Will they want to talk to me? What will they say? Realising that the vast majority of people will be happy to talk to you, to help you figure out your idea, is a really helpful way to engage with the world.
How do you approach your customer conversations?
Rick Kitagawa: “If you are solving a real problem for people, you don't need a website”.
Time and money spent on logos and websites before you know what your idea really is, is usually wasted. Instead, seek to have a conversation before you, and figure out how the world sees you.
Where else are you hiding from having real conversations with real people?
Carla Bredin: “Divert all your energy to those who are excited and want to engage with it”.
Your product or service isn’t for everyone. When you find the people it is for, double down.
Who are you chasing that isn’t the perfect fit? Where else can you redirect that energy?
Adam Thomas: “Make a hypothesis, and build on it. Make it small. Experiment.”
Every part of the early days of a business is like a little bet. Not much is “life or death” and approaching every interaction as an experiment will help you build better products.
What would it look like to start a sentence with “My hypothesis is…” and go from there?
Amir Bazrafshan: ”Curiosity is the biggest thing you can bring to the conversation"
When we go into a conversation with our eyes and ears closed, we miss out on the gold that we need to hear from people who aren’t us. At all times, be curious.
Ask yourself - what does being curious in a customer conversation mean?
Diana Chen: “The most important thing you can do is listen”
As Diana said this I thought about Amir’s “curiosity” point above. It feels like the rule of thumb for listening/talking in a customer conversation is 80/20.
In any conversation, am I truly listening, or just waiting to talk next?
It was a magic first Season of The First 10 Podcast and my guests made it so.
Work With Me: If you liked the podcast and are trying to find your First 10 Customers, have a look at some ways we can work together.
Bootcamp: Based on the feedback I have received from this podcast, I'm launching The First 10 Bootcamp in early 2021. The goal of the Bootcamp is to help you find your First 10 Customers, using a process I’ve refined over the last 4 years. The first version will be small (max. 10 people) so places are limited. Details are here.
