Getting your first 10 customers is the hardest milestone in any solo business — and they are completely different from every customer that comes after them. They don’t find you through SEO. They don’t come from ads. They almost never discover you by accident.
In This Article
They come from deliberate, personal effort. And the strategies that work for landing your first 10 customers through your first ten customers are almost nothing like the strategies that work once you’ve already established traction.
This guide is specifically about landing your first 10 customers — the ones who require the most effort, reject the most shortcuts, and matter the most for what comes next.
Start With Who You Already Know (Your First 10 Customers Are Closer Than You Think)
The most common mistake when starting out is looking outward for customers before you’ve fully looked inward. Before you build a website, run an ad, or post on social media, make a list of every person you know who might have the problem you solve — or who might know someone who does.
This list is bigger than you think. Former colleagues. Friends who’ve started businesses. People from your professional network. Old clients from previous jobs. Alumni from your school. This isn’t about bothering people — it’s about letting people who already trust you know what you’re doing.
Send them a short, personal message. Not a sales pitch. Just something like: “I recently started doing X for Y type of businesses. If that sounds relevant to anything you’re working on, I’d love to talk. And if you know anyone who might need this, I’d really appreciate an introduction.”
This approach feels too simple to work. It works almost every time. The first customer for most successful service businesses came from a direct personal message to someone who already knew them.
Get Specific About Who You Help
The clearer you are about exactly who you help and exactly what you do for them, the easier it is for people to refer you. “I do marketing” is impossible to refer. “I help e-commerce brands reduce cart abandonment” is very easy to refer — because when someone knows an e-commerce brand struggling with cart abandonment, they know exactly who to call.
Specificity also makes conversations easier. When you talk to potential customers, a focused value proposition is more compelling than a broad one. People don’t want a generalist who might be able to help. They want someone who has solved exactly their problem before.
If you’re not sure who your ideal customer is yet, that’s fine — you can figure it out by talking to people. But the sooner you can get specific, the faster your first ten customers will come.
Do Things That Don’t Scale
In the early stages, forget about scalability. The goal isn’t to find a system that works for a thousand customers. The goal is to find one customer, then another, and another. Do whatever it takes — even if it’s completely manual and you couldn’t possibly do it at scale.
Research potential clients individually. Write personalized outreach emails. Offer to do a small piece of work for free to demonstrate your value. Get on a call with anyone who seems like a possible fit. None of this can scale, but all of it works in the early days when you have the time to be thorough.
Paul Graham, who has funded hundreds of successful companies, advises early founders to do things that don’t scale. His point is that the things that feel inefficient are often the things that work — especially when you’re small enough to do them without it being a problem.
Ask for Referrals Directly
Most solo founders never ask for referrals. They assume that if they do good work, referrals will just happen. Sometimes they do. More often, you need to ask.
After every project that goes well, send a short message to your client: “I’m glad this worked out well. If you know anyone else who might need help with X, I’d really appreciate an introduction.” That’s it. Most clients are happy to do this — they just need a prompt.
A referred customer is the highest-quality customer you can acquire. They come with built-in trust, they close faster, and they almost never haggle on price. A consistent flow of referrals is the most sustainable growth engine a small service business can have — and it costs nothing except the willingness to ask.
Use Content as a Long-Term Engine
Content doesn’t get you your first ten customers quickly. But it builds the foundation for customers eleven through a thousand. Start writing, recording, or publishing in whatever format works for you — even if the audience is tiny at first.
The goal of early content isn’t reach. It’s credibility. When a potential customer hears about you and looks you up, what do they find? Ideally, something that demonstrates you know what you’re talking about. A few well-written articles, a newsletter, some thoughtful posts on LinkedIn — these signal expertise even when your client list is still short.
Over time, content compounds. Something you wrote two years ago continues to bring in leads. A post that gets shared once leads to someone following you who becomes a customer six months later. The return on content is slow at first and then suddenly significant.
What Happens After Ten
Your first ten customers give you something more valuable than revenue: they give you information. You learn what type of customer you work best with, what problems you can solve most effectively, and what parts of your offer resonate. That knowledge is the foundation for everything that comes next.
Once you have ten customers and a clear picture of what works, growth becomes much more straightforward. You know who to target, you have case studies and results to point to, and you’ve refined your pitch through dozens of real conversations. The first ten are the hardest milestone you will ever face in business. Everything after that becomes progressively easier because you have proof, confidence, and a growing network of advocates working on your behalf.
For more on this topic, check out HubSpot customer acquisition guide.
Outreach Strategies That Actually Work for Getting Clients
Cold outreach has a bad reputation, but it works when done correctly. The key difference between effective outreach and spam is personalization and relevance. Before contacting anyone, research their business, identify a specific problem you can solve, and reference something specific about their situation. This shows you have done your homework and are not just sending mass emails.
LinkedIn is the most effective platform for B2B solopreneurs seeking their first 10 customers. Start by optimizing your profile to clearly state what you do and who you help. Then connect with potential clients and engage with their content for a week or two before pitching. Comment thoughtfully on their posts, share relevant insights, and build genuine familiarity before asking for anything. This warm approach converts at five to ten times the rate of cold messaging.
Email outreach works best when you lead with value rather than a sales pitch. Send a potential client a brief audit, a relevant article, or a specific suggestion for improving their business. This demonstrates your expertise and generosity before asking for money. Many solopreneurs land their first 10 customers entirely through this give-first approach, building genuine relationships that lead to natural sales conversations rather than forced pitches. The key is consistency — send three to five value-first emails per week for at least a month before expecting results. Each email should take you no more than fifteen minutes to personalize, making this one of the most time-efficient customer acquisition strategies available to solo founders.
Using Content Marketing to Attract Your First Clients
Content marketing is a long-term strategy, but it can start generating leads within weeks if you target the right topics. Write about the specific problems your target customers face. Answer their most common questions. Share case studies and results. Each piece of content becomes a permanent asset that works for you around the clock, attracting potential clients through search engines and social media.
You do not need to publish daily. One high-quality article per week that directly addresses your target audience’s pain points is more effective than daily posts that lack depth. Focus on topics where you have genuine expertise and strong opinions. Search for questions your potential clients are asking on Reddit, Quora, and industry forums, then create content that provides thorough answers. This positions you as an expert and drives organic traffic that converts into clients.
Social proof accelerates everything. After working with your first 10 customers, ask each one for a testimonial. Feature these prominently on your website and in proposals. Potential clients trust peer recommendations far more than your own marketing claims. Even brief quotes from satisfied customers can dramatically improve your conversion rate for future prospects.
Turning Interested Leads Into Paying Clients
Finding potential customers is only half the battle. Converting them into paying clients requires a clear, repeatable process. The biggest conversion killer for solopreneurs is the gap between initial interest and formal proposal. If a potential client expresses interest on Monday and you send a proposal on Friday, you have already lost momentum. Respond within 24 hours with a clear next step — usually a brief call to discuss their needs.
During discovery calls, listen more than you talk. Ask about their goals, their current challenges, what they have already tried, and what success looks like to them. The more you understand their situation, the better you can tailor your proposal. Clients who feel heard are far more likely to hire you than clients who feel sold to. Take notes during the call and reference specific details in your follow-up proposal.
Your proposal should be concise, specific, and focused on outcomes. State the problem you are solving, your recommended approach, the deliverables, the timeline, and the investment. Avoid vague language and overly complex documents. The best proposals for landing your first 10 customers are one to two pages long and make it easy for the client to say yes. Include a clear call to action and a specific deadline for acceptance to create appropriate urgency. Follow up exactly once if you do not hear back within three business days. Your follow-up should add value — share a relevant case study or answer a question they raised during your conversation. If they still do not respond, move on without resentment. Not every lead converts, and chasing unresponsive prospects wastes time you could spend finding your next client. The discipline to move on quickly is what separates founders who get their first 10 customers in weeks from those who spend months chasing the wrong prospects.
Building a Referral Engine From Your First Clients
Your first 10 customers are not just revenue — they are the foundation of your referral engine. Every satisfied client can introduce you to two or three more potential clients. But referrals rarely happen automatically. You need to actively create opportunities for them.
The best time to ask for referrals is immediately after delivering a great result. When a client thanks you or expresses satisfaction, respond with something like: “I am glad you are happy with the work. If you know anyone else who could benefit from this kind of help, I would love an introduction.” Be specific about who you help so they know exactly who to refer you to.
Make referring easy. Offer to write a brief introduction email that your client can forward. Create a simple referral landing page on your website. Some solopreneurs offer referral incentives — a discount on future work or a small gift card — but often a simple thank-you note is enough. People enjoy connecting others, especially when both parties benefit from the introduction.
Track your referral sources carefully. Knowing which clients send you the most referrals helps you prioritize those relationships. Over time, referrals can become your primary source of new business, reducing your need for active marketing entirely. Many established solopreneurs report that 70 to 90 percent of their clients come from referrals once they have been in business for two or more years. This means your effort spent acquiring and delighting your first 10 customers is not just about immediate revenue — it is about building the foundation of a self-sustaining growth engine that reduces your marketing costs and sales effort permanently for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get your first 10 customers?
Most solopreneurs can get their first 10 customers within 30-90 days if they focus on direct outreach and personal connections. The timeline depends on your niche, pricing, and how aggressively you pursue sales. Service businesses tend to land first 10 customers faster than product businesses.
Where should I find my first customers?
Your first 10 customers are usually in your existing network — former colleagues, friends of friends, LinkedIn connections, and local business communities. Start by telling everyone you know what you do and who you help. Personal referrals convert far better than cold outreach for early customers. The trust is already built through the mutual connection, so the sales process is shorter and significantly easier. Make it easy for people to refer you by having a clear one-sentence description of what you do and who you help. When someone asks what you do at a networking event or social gathering, you should be able to answer in under ten seconds in a way that immediately makes them think of someone specific who needs your help.
Should I offer discounts to get my first customers?
Avoid deep discounts when trying to get your first 10 customers. Instead, offer a limited beta or founding member rate that is close to your target price. Steep discounts attract price-sensitive clients who rarely convert to full-price customers later. Instead of discounting, offer extra value at your target price — a bonus consultation, an additional deliverable, or extended support. This maintains your rate while giving early adopters a reason to commit. Your first 10 customers set the tone for your business pricing for years to come, so establish the right precedent from the beginning.
What is the best way to pitch to potential customers?
The best pitch focuses on the customer’s problem, not your solution. Ask about their biggest challenge, listen carefully, then explain how you solve that specific problem. Keep it conversational, not salesy. Your first 10 customers will come from genuine conversations, not polished pitches. Practice your pitch with friends and family first. Get comfortable talking about your business naturally. The more relaxed and authentic you sound, the more trust you build. And remember: rejection is not failure — it is information. Every no teaches you something about your positioning, pricing, or target market that makes the next conversation better.
