How To Get Your First Customers

Finding the first users for a new product is a search for specific "early adopters" rather than a mass-market persuasion effort. Success depends on identifying individuals with burning problems who prioritize solutions over brand reputation or price. Charging real money early is essential because paying customers provide the sharpest feedback, which is necessary to transform a "minimum evolvable product" into a mature organism. This evolutionary process is path-dependent; for instance, Tesla’s current focus on high-performance tech over plush comfort stems directly from the preferences of the original Roadster buyers. Startups should leverage their irrelevance to run fast experiments and embrace churn, treating early users like a hidden civilization to be studied. Ultimately, the initial version of a product serves as an "amoeba" that must survive contact with a tiny group to determine its future evolutionary direction.