Tactic: Watch Behavior, Not Words

YC Partner Michael Seibel advises founders to source their first 10 customers from their personal network, targeting people who are not only willing to pay but are also eager to collaborate with an early-stage startup on an MVP. He suggests preparing 4-5 qualifying questions to gauge how intensely a prospect experiences the problem you aim to solve. This helps in identifying those who will provide the most valuable feedback. Direct outreach is a powerful, albeit unscalable, method for acquiring initial users. YC Partner Gustaf Alströmer emphasizes that founders must manually recruit their first customers. A personalized, multi-touch outreach strategy combining email, LinkedIn, and even cold calls can be effective. The key is to demonstrate genuine interest in the prospect's specific challenges and achievements, which significantly improves response rates. Online communities are fertile ground for finding early adopters. Platforms like Reddit, Hacker News, and niche forums host passionate users who are often open to testing new products. Instead of direct promotion, the strategy is to add value by answering questions and participating in discussions related to your domain, subtly introducing your product as a solution. Establishing a consistent pipeline for user discovery conversations from day one is crucial. This can be a structured, weekly process of recruiting, interviewing, and synthesizing feedback. Even for early-stage founders, a cadence of 1-2 interviews per week can provide a steady stream of insights. The goal is to create a repeatable system that continuously informs product development. Incentives can encourage early adoption and valuable feedback. Offering exclusive access, discounts, or building a sense of community can make early users feel invested in the product's success. Brex, for example, initially offered its virtual credit card to fellow YC batch startups, manually onboarding each one to gather direct feedback. Founders of successful companies like Tinder and Alibaba physically traveled to meet their first users, demonstrating the value of direct, in-person engagement. This hands-on approach allows for a deeper understanding of the user's context and challenges. The founders of Rosterfy secured their first customer, a BMX championship, by offering their platform for free and providing intensive, personalized support, making the customer feel like a true partner. A common mistake is to delay charging for a product. Gustaf Alströmer argues that customers paying money is a strong signal that you are providing real value. YC General Partner Ankit Gupta echoes this, stating that paying customers provide sharper, more valuable feedback than free users. The goal isn't immediate revenue, but rather committed feedback. Building a referral loop from the very first user can turn your initial customers into a distribution channel. Simple incentives for sharing, such as moving up a waitlist or receiving a founding member discount, can be implemented without complex technical solutions. This strategy leverages the network effects of your earliest and most enthusiastic supporters.