Your first 100 customers rarely come from viral growth. They come from direct outreach, niche communities, and solving one painful job better than spreadsheets or incumbents.
Tactics that work pre-seed
- Founder-led sales — 20 conversations per week
- Launch in one vertical (e.g. study halls, not all SMBs)
- Simple pricing — one plan, clear value
- Case studies and SEO content targeting long-tail problems
- Partnerships with tools your customers already use