"You cannot outsource acquiring those first ten customers. You can't do it."

In this episode of Not Another CEO, David breaks down the six tactical ways he's used, three separate times now, to land his first customers from zero. From holding a pizza party for international students to handing out fliers at the Atlanta airport taxi stand to asking his own uncle to buy a phone system, David gets specific about what actually works when you're starting from nothing.

What's covered:

-Why getting your first customers is harder now than ever, even though building product has never been easier
-Reconnecting with former employers and coworkers who already trust you
-How to actually use your investor network, even at the angel stage
-Why showing up in person at trade shows and meetups still beats almost everything else
-Building in public on social media, even when almost nobody engages at first
-The one BCC email that got David a customer and an important hire at the same time
-How to do cold outreach that people actually respond to
-Why none of these six tactics scale, and why that's exactly the point

If you're a founder still chasing your first ten customers, this one's for you.

We cover more topics like this in full playbooks on our Substack. Subscribe to get the tactical deep dives, not just the highlights: notanotherceo.substack.com

Chapters:
00:00 - Trailer
00:44 - Why Finding Your First Customers Is Harder Than Ever
05:20 - Tactic 1: Reconnect with Former Employers & Coworkers
06:28 - Tactic 2: Tap Into Your Investor Network
08:14 - Tactic 3: Show Up in Person (Trade Shows & Meetups)
09:42 - Tactic 4: Build in Public on Social Media
11:02 - Tactic 5: Tell Your Friends and Family
12:02 - Tactic 6: Cold Outreach Done Right
13:53 - Why Doing Things That Don't Scale Is the Entire Point