Getting started
How to get your first 100 customers
Your first 100 customers don’t come from ads — they come from showing up where your customers already hang out and giving them one clear reason to buy once. Do that on repeat for a month, ask every buyer what almost stopped them, and the next 100 come from fixing what they tell you.
The seven cheapest channels
| Channel | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Friends and community | Free | First 10 orders, real feedback |
| Local market / pop-up | Low | Products people can touch |
| Instagram DMs + comments | Free | Warm audience, fast trust |
| TikTok native posts | Free | Reach when you’re consistent |
| Reddit / niche groups | Free | One audience, real questions |
| Email you already have | Free | Reactivation, not acquisition |
| Partnership (one store, one creator) | Trade | Borrowed trust |
The weekly rhythm for the first month
- 01
Pick two channels, not seven — depth on two beats a thin spray across all of them.
- 02
Talk to five potential customers a week, not in a form — in their words.
- 03
Make one small, time-boxed offer each week (first batch, small drop, pre-order).
- 04
On Friday, ask every buyer: “what almost stopped you?” Write the answers down.
- 05
Fix one friction they named, then repeat. That’s the loop.
The retention loop
The first 100 matter more as repeat buyers than as one-time buyers. A thank-you note, a refill nudge, or a small loyalty perk inside the first 14 days is where the next 100 hides.
What not to do yet
Don’t spend on ads before you can describe, in one sentence, who the product is for.
Don’t build a loyalty program before anyone’s loyal — do a second-order nudge instead.
Don’t chase followers — chase replies and saves, which actually predict orders.
The next hundred customers are hiding in the reasons the first hundred almost didn’t buy.
Next step
Get your first customers with Clymb
Tell Clymb what you’re building and the store, brand, and social content get built and deployed — not a template, an actual business.