Building a Customer Acquisition Strategy for Startups

I've bootstrapped two SaaS startups from $0 - $1,000,000 ARR in the Shopify ecosystem, making every mistake you can imagine. Here’s how I’d do it again if I started today: 1. PICK A LANE: - There are two lanes. Brands doing > $1M and brands doing < $1M. - The GTM motions for each are RADICALLY DIFFERENT. - Don't try to do both until you have mastered at least one. Let’s focus on building for brands > $1M, as this is where I’ve screwed up the most. 2. PRODUCT: - Don’t write a_single_line_of_code. - Spend 60-90 days talking with brands. - Refine the pitch/solution/value each time. - Look at their face for signs of interest, instead of their words. - Focus on where you are adding revenue for the lowest lift possible. - Brands will not switch providers or onboard a new tool otherwise. - See how many will commit to a 3-4 month free trial based on hardcoded screenshots of what the solution will look like. Super hard, but it's gonna be a tough first 18 months without this. 3. DISTRIBUTION: - Build in public on LinkedIn and X as a founder. 100x more effective than any paid ads you could run at this stage. - Build a TAM list in Hubspot (around 25,000 brands) to work from. Companies and Contacts. Enrich the data and work backwards. Track how much of the market you are penetrating as you grow. Study how Romain Lapeyre did this at Gorgias (his SaaStr videos are essential viewing) - GOOD cold email. Good, being the key. I’ve been fortunate to have some people in the ecosystem share their strategies in detail with me recently. Still works if done right vs spray and pray. - Invest in SEO early. I’m surprised at how much traffic we get from our blog and the people who show up through RB2B every day. - Buy a $299 Webflow template and hire a good designer to work on branding. Update the template. - Build best-in-class integrations for Klaviyo / Postscript / Gorgias / Skio/ etc. Use their latest tech/API's they want to promote. There’s a chance they could refer/promote to their customer base based on the strength of the integration. At the very least you'll make connections. Tech partnerships will be critical. - Do the same for agency partnerships. No one will take you seriously yet and that’s fine. We’re playing the long game. For every brand you onboard, identify if they’re currently looking for X,Y,Z solution if possible. Refer business to agencies whenever it makes actual sense. Start small, work up. This will come back to you eventually. Leads are the currency. - Show up to every event in your area and every event you can financially make it to. Meet people IRL, it goes a long way and most people in the ecosystem are happy to help. - As soon as you deliver over-the-top service for a brand, ask to put their logo on your site, and plaster over your social. Social proof is HEAVILY Weighted here. Ask for case studies once real results come through. Looks like we're going to the comments to continue 👇

The most overlooked startup growth strategy isn't the latest AI ads platform or improved funnel optimization. It's actually hiding in plain sight: how your product naturally spreads from one user to another. Teams that understand their product's inherent distribution mechanics outperform those relying solely on paid acquisition. This is less about forcing virality, and more about recognizing your product's natural sharing dynamics: - For communication tools, it's inviting collaborators - For design software, it's exporting and presenting work - For consumer apps, it's sharing results or achievements - For B2B platforms, it's onboarding team members At Gamma, we discovered our growth accelerator was reducing friction in how users share their presentations. And while that lever was specific to our product, the principle still applies universally: Identify where your product naturally creates opportunities for exposure, then systematically optimize that pathway. To this end, there are two questions worth asking: 1. When users get value from your product, how do others naturally see that value? 2. What's preventing that moment of visibility from happening more often? Every product category has different answers, but the approach is consistent: - Map out your product's natural exposure points - Measure how often those moments occur - Remove friction from that process - Build features that amplify visibility This thinking transformed our product roadmap. Features aren't just about utility; they're about enabling natural discovery. Your growth strategy might look completely different from ours, but the mindset remains the same: The best acquisition strategy is built into how your product is naturally experienced and shared.

Under $1m ARR? READ THIS 26 hyper-specific growth lessons for early stage b2b startups that will help you scale revenue today.  • A lot of your outbound is not about the copy or clever tactics, it's about a no-brainer offer people feel stupid to refuse. That's it.  • As a founder- you need to be 'head of sales' and the main AE for at least 24-months.  • Have a clause that gives you consent to use user logos for marketing. State explicitly that they are your users.  • Add a discount clause where case studies or social media mentions can get users discounts or additional features.  • Maintain a list of credit-based software or agencies you want to use but aren't urgent. Wait for Black Friday or Christmas to buy with discounts.  • Set up your CRM well with reporting systems for your most important revenue drivers- close rates, meeting rates, inbound submissions, messages sent.  • Set up a referral system the moment you have product market fit - reward both the referrer and the person being referred.  • Have 2 demo accounts - one built to show ideal results, the other for marketing screenshots and recordings. Saves tons of time.  • Have email outbound systems and Google ads set up day one. Even if you don't use them, you can test messaging and offers.  • Build a founder-led brand. If you're not active on LinkedIn, you're losing out. Every day you don't post, you're losing a customer.  • Great design needs to be functional before pretty. Optimize for utility before aesthetics.  • When giving instructions to creative teams, share your vision in writing + concrete examples of inspirations.  • For founder branding with limited time - use Twitter for fleeting ideas and have your team create LinkedIn content for you to review.  • When low on cash, performance marketing is not your hail mary. It takes significant money to get right.  • Write weekly letters to your team explaining the state of the business so everyone stays aligned.  • Ownership, proactiveness, and initiative are constantly used by founders for a reason.  • 7s kill companies. If a team member is just "good enough" and not great, start looking for a replacement.  • Pay a 2-5% premium for employees who consistently post on LinkedIn about your company.  • Keep churn under 10% monthly. Avoid paid collaborations or trials until users like the product.  • Find your product's key "aha" moment. Bring it as close as possible to onboarding.  • Pitch quarterly and annual plans first. Only come down to monthly if necessary.  • Your sales dashboard should track unqualified calls and no-shows to identify problems.  • Don't add qualification questions if you're struggling to get enough sales calls. Add them only when unqualified calls become problematic.  • Mid-market is not easier than enterprise- choose one.  • Hire people who give a fuck.  • Use IIE when making hires [Integrity > Intelligence > Energy] What have you learned scaling under $1M ARR?

In less than 18 months, Onward went from zero to a $5m annual run-rate. Going from 0 to our first 10 customers was the hardest. Here’s exactly how I’d get my first 10 customers (and build a system to land the next 100): ~~ Step 1: Choose a narrow niche At Onward, we focused on high-GMV DTC brands already using shipping protection. Why? • They felt the pain we were solving. • Switching costs were low. • They were desperate for differentiation. Your ideal first customers = high pain, low friction. == Step 2: Sell before you build Before we wrote a single line of code, I validated our concept. I emailed 10 brand founders and asked: 1. Does this problem resonate? 2. Would you pay for a solution? 3. Could I follow up with a mockup? Half said yes—and 3 verbally agreed to sign on if we built it (!) == Step 3: Founder-led sales In the early days, nobody sells better than the founder. I did cold emails, Zoom demos, and calls myself. Why? • You’ll get unfiltered feedback. • You’ll hear objections directly. • You’ll learn how to position your product. Iterate fast and stay close to customers. == Step 4: Use your network Your first customers aren’t random—they’re people who already trust you. At Onward, I tapped: • Fellow founders from YPO. • Former colleagues. • Partners I’d worked with at StackCommerce. Warm intros are your secret weapon—don’t be afraid to ask. == Step 5: Create scarcity Instead of pitching to everyone, we positioned Onward as an “invite-only” beta. This: • Made brands feel special. • Gave us time to refine the product. • Built demand (we had a waitlist within 3 months). Scarcity works—use it strategically. == Step 6: Obsess over outcomes Early customers don’t just want a product—they want results. For our first 10 brands, we overdelivered: • Weekly calls to optimize results. • Custom features just for them. • Quick fixes for any issue. Happy customers = referrals and case studies. == Step 7: Build a repeatable system Getting the first 10 was manual—but that’s OK. The goal was to build a playbook for scaling: • Narrow niche → Expand. • Cold outreach → Warm intros. • Founder sales → Hire sales reps. Turn early wins into a scalable machine. == Getting your first 10 customers is hard, but it doesn’t have to be complicated: 1. Pick a niche. 2. Sell before you build. 3. Use your network. 4. Overdeliver. Follow Josh Payne for more startup lessons, leadership insights, and scaling advice.