First 1,000 Customers
Growth Tactics Library
How 42 companies including Airbnb, Stripe, Notion, and Discord got their first 1,000 customers. Organized by strategy, each with the full story and original sources.
Commonalities of how MVPs of current billion-dollar businesses got their first 1,000 customers:
- • Obsessing with your first customers and developing your product based on their feedback.
- • Ship your MVP fast and later iterate. (If your MVP is good, it's too late.)
- • Creating viral features lets you outsource marketing to your customers.
- • The market you're in is more important than your product.
Reach Out Online
Online Channels
Targeting the right audience through online communities, forums, product launches, and direct outreach.
Reach Out Offline
Offline Channels
Going directly to where your target audience is: in person, at events, and in local communities.
Word of Mouth
Viral Effect
A viral effect happens when the product needs at least 2 people to work. People naturally invite their friends to use it.
WOW Product
Product Excellence
Products that either solve a specific problem exceptionally well, or provide a distinctive "Wow" experience through innovation.
Use Your Network
Family, Audiences, Partnerships & PR
Tapping into existing networks: friends and family, existing audiences, partnerships, and PR/influencer marketing.
Hack the System
Loopholes & Creative Hacks
Successful businesses often abuse loopholes in systems to get more traffic, or fake engagement to bootstrap social proof.
Want to learn the full framework?
Explore growth playbooks covering rapid experimentation, ABM systems, and strategic planning.
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