Bootstrapped SaaS: Getting the First 100 Customers

Starting With Nothing

When I launched my SaaS, there was no audience, no mailing list, and no funding.

Just an idea, a weekend MVP, and a lot of uncertainty.

The hardest part wasn’t building the product — it was convincing the first few people to care.

The First 10 Customers

The first users didn’t come from growth hacks.

They came from:

  • Posting honestly on Indie Hackers
  • DMing people who complained about the problem
  • Offering free onboarding calls

Every signup felt unreal.

What Didn’t Work

I wasted weeks on things that didn’t move the needle:

  • Polishing the landing page endlessly
  • Building features nobody asked for
  • Waiting for traffic to magically appear

Momentum only came when I talked to users daily.

The Breakthrough

Around customer #47, something changed.

People started:

  • Referring friends
  • Asking for paid upgrades
  • Giving unsolicited testimonials

That’s when I knew this could become a real business.

Advice for New Builders

Don’t aim for scale on day one.

"Your first goal is not growth — it’s validation."

Talk to users. Charge early. Stay scrappy.

The first 100 customers are earned one conversation at a time.