HowTheyGotUsersHowTheyGotUsers

Start With the People Who Already Know You

Start With the People Who Already Know You is a first users & traction tactic for getting your first users: Before paying for ads or hiring an outreach agency, work the warm audience you already have: personal contacts, past email threads, and anyone following you anywhere. Founders should run these first conversations themselves.

It's a strong fit for Agencies / services and B2B SaaS teams, and works especially well for any (especially B2B SaaS, services). As a first users & traction play, plan for low effort and expect results to show up quickly, all grounded in 3 linked primary sources.

First users & tractionLow effortFast

Why does first users & traction work for this?

Warm contacts already trust you, so they convert far cheaper and faster than cold traffic, and founder-led selling surfaces the exact language and objections you'll need later.

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
Agencies / servicesAny / universalB2B SaaS

Frequently asked

What kind of products does the "Start With the People Who Already Know You" tactic work for?
It is a good fit for Agencies / services and B2B SaaS — pick it when your product looks like one of those, since the play is shaped around how those users find new tools.
How is the "Start With the People Who Already Know You" tactic verified?
It is drawn from 3 primary sources — real founder write-ups and interviews, not generic advice. They are linked in the Sources section above so you can read the original accounts yourself.
How much effort is it and how fast are results?
It is low effort, and results tend to be fast.
Where can I see the exact step-by-step?
The full step-by-step a founder ran, documented via Get your first 10 customers and First 100 SaaS customers step-by-step, is in the paid library.

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