If you build it, they will probably do nothing.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” - Laozi
“If you build it, they will probably do nothing.” - Me
The First 10 Customers are the key to unleashing your business.
I’ve had a front-row seat advising and coaching hundreds of business builders for over the last 7 years. I’ve witnessed the struggles as well as the wins, and the importance of showing up and committing to the process of building a business. I’ve seen people have huge “A-ha!” moments and turn their business around. I’ve seen people realize that the dream they were pursuing wasn’t possible, and see them pivot and move, and keep moving. I’ve seen business ideas fail at the first hurdle. It’s been an experience and an education. It’s been humbling, and it’s been inspiring.
It’s inspiring because I’ve seen up-close the attention and drive that business builders bring to their ideas, to their desire to change their corner of the world. They might be launching a brick-and-mortar clothing store in Downtown Detroit, a crypto app on the Apple Appstore or a freelance personal training business. Being able to sprint alongside them for a part (or all) of those early days has been a fascinating experience.
In all my time coaching business builders, both individually and as part of Seth Godin’s altMBA, Freelancers Workshop, Bootstrappers Workshop, Marketing Seminar, and Small Business Essentials Workshops, a few things have emerged as gold standard practices that can make or break a new business. One of those things is the importance of the First 10 Customers.
Every successful company started with 10 customers. Those first ten customers are the hard push to get the Flywheel moving. Those first few customers are crucial. They help you refine your product, mould your messaging and positioning, and understand your target market. They teach you to ask better questions, and to refine your mindset. They teach you the “hard skills”, such as sales and marketing, as well as the “real skills” of listening and connecting in a meaningful way.
After the First 10, it’s a matter of building on that momentum. 10 can lead to 100 can lead to 1,000.
Today I am launching my new podcast, The First 10. I will be interviewing business builders on their First 10 Customers - who they were, how they found them, and what effect they had on their business so that you can learn what worked, and what didn’t.
Having the idea isn’t the hard part. Asking people to believe in the journey ahead, to join you on this adventure, that’s the part that matters.
It’s a privilege to help people build their businesses, to create the lives they want, and the world they want to live in. And in those early days, I'm often asked “But, where do I start?”
Start at The First 10.
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Subscribe here to listen to the podcast, or search for “First 10 Podcast” on your favourite podcast app (iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts etc).
Need help finding your First 10 Customers?
