HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Pre-Sell the MVP to Friends and Ex-Colleagues

Pre-Sell the MVP to Friends and Ex-Colleagues is a first users & traction tactic for getting your first users: Putting a bare-bones MVP in front of friends and former coworkers and collecting real revenue before any public launch.

It's a strong fit for B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for solo devs, micro-SaaS. As a first users & traction play, plan for low effort and expect results to arrive at a steady pace, all grounded in 1 linked primary source.

First users & tractionLow effortMedium

Why does first users & traction work for this?

Money from people who know you validates demand and de-risks the launch before you invest in growth.

The exact steps (4)

The full step-by-step this founder ran, what they posted, where, and in what order, plus the watch-outs, is part of the library.

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Sources

Works for
B2B SaaS

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Pre-Sell the MVP to Friends and Ex-Colleagues" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like that, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Pre-Sell the MVP to Friends and Ex-Colleagues" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 1 primary source — a real founder write-up or interview, not generic advice. It is linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original account yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is low effort, and results tend to be medium.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Source — IndieHackers, is in the paid library.

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