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Start with three things you can do today
How to get your first customers
Find and win your first paying customers by hand.
A course on getting the first customers for a new business. It covers deciding who is most likely to buy first, starting with people you can actually reach, making a direct and honest offer, learning from every no, and turning early buyers into referrals.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I have started a small business and I need my first paying customers. I do not have a marketing budget or an audience, and I want a practical way to find the first ten people who will actually buy.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Four things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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List 20 people or places to start
Original example for a dog-walking service: neighbours with dogs who work long days, colleagues who mention their dog, the vet's noticeboard, a neighbourhood group. Write 20 names or places. People you can reach today beat strangers who might find you someday.
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Send a short, specific offer
Original example: 'I have started walking dogs in our area on weekdays. A 45-minute midday walk is $20, and the first one is half price so you can see how your dog gets on. Would that help you?' One clear offer, a price and a question.
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Ask every no one question
Original example: 'No problem. Out of interest, how do you handle walks now?' Each answer hints at whether the price, the timing or the audience is wrong. Several similar answers are a pattern worth acting on.
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Follow the rules for commercial email
In the US, the FTC's CAN-SPAM guidance covers commercial email, including business to business. Among its requirements: accurate sender details, honest subject lines, a valid postal address, a clear way to opt out, and honouring opt-outs within 10 business days. Other countries have their own rules.
Sources: FTC: CAN-SPAM compliance guide for commercial email. Practical examples are starting points, not promised results.
- Best for
- Business
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- What do you sell, and who do you think buys it?
- Who could you reach this week: friends, former colleagues, a local community, or an online group?
- Have you asked anyone to buy yet, and what happened?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
Selling feels awkward
Asking people to pay makes you want to hide.
No budget for ads
You need customers before you can afford marketing.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Who buys first
People with the sharpest problem and the least patience with current options.
Your reachable network
Contacts, communities and places where those people already gather.
The direct ask
A short, honest message with a specific offer and price.
Handling no and silence
Following up once, asking why, and moving on.
Serving the first ten
Delivering by hand and learning what they value most.
Referrals and reviews
Asking happy customers to tell others, honestly.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Find likely first buyers
Identify who feels the problem most and where you can reach them.
Make a direct offer
Ask clearly, honestly and in a way that is easy to say no to.
Learn from each answer
Use every yes, no and silence to sharpen the offer.
Ideas this course corrects
Customers will find a good business
A new business is close to invisible. The first customers usually come from someone asking directly.
You need ads or a big audience first
The first handful usually come from direct contact. Paid reach makes more sense once you know who buys and why.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to get your first customers: what can I do today?
List 20 people or places to start. Original example for a dog-walking service: neighbours with dogs who work long days, colleagues who mention their dog, the vet's noticeboard, a neighbourhood group. Write 20 names or places. People you can reach today beat strangers who might find you someday. Send a short, specific offer. Original example: 'I have started walking dogs in our area on weekdays. A 45-minute midday walk is $20, and the first one is half price so you can see how your dog gets on. Would that help you?' One clear offer, a price and a question. Ask every no one question. Original example: 'No problem. Out of interest, how do you handle walks now?' Each answer hints at whether the price, the timing or the audience is wrong. Several similar answers are a pattern worth acting on. Follow the rules for commercial email. In the US, the FTC's CAN-SPAM guidance covers commercial email, including business to business. Among its requirements: accurate sender details, honest subject lines, a valid postal address, a clear way to opt out, and honouring opt-outs within 10 business days. Other countries have their own rules.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on getting the first customers for a new business. It covers deciding who is most likely to buy first, starting with people you can actually reach, making a direct and honest offer, learning from every no, and turning early buyers into referrals. It sits under Business in the Work & ambitions part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I have started a small business and I need my first paying customers. I do not have a marketing budget or an audience, and I want a practical way to find the first ten people who will actually buy.