How to Get Your First Customers | Startup School

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  • Опубликовано: 22 дек 2024

Комментарии • 165

  • @chapterme
    @chapterme 2 года назад +76

    Chapters (Powered by ChapterMe) -
    00:00 - Introduction
    00:20 - Outline
    00:44 - Do things that don't scale
    02:17 - Startup curve
    03:40 - Founders should learn how to do sales
    05:07 - Brex (YC W2017)
    06:38 - How to write a great sales email
    08:45 - The sales funnel
    10:41 - Your first customer should be your easiest
    13:50 - Charging your first customer
    15:24 - Working backwards from your goal
    18:18 - Sales and go-to-market strategy
    19:29 - YC emails that led to customers
    19:51 - Summary
    20:08 - Resources - Tools and books
    21:28 - Non scalable way to SEM and SEO

    • @chapterme
      @chapterme 2 года назад +5

      @@alainportant6412 the video was created and was saved as unlisted 4 weeks ago but was posted publicly a few hours back! 😃

  • @aajn88
    @aajn88 Год назад +40

    I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this video and still I keep learning from it. Thanks for this Gustaf!

    • @FaizZaini-h3v
      @FaizZaini-h3v 2 месяца назад +1

      Same here

    • @Umarbit
      @Umarbit Месяц назад

      I am also watching this video third time now because I still don't have any customer.

    • @abood1x990
      @abood1x990 Месяц назад

      @@Umarbit May I ask why?

    • @Umarbit
      @Umarbit Месяц назад

      @@abood1x990 Because I'm a beginner.

  • @Modzybear
    @Modzybear 2 года назад +184

    I appreciate this breakdown from Paul Rudd's more technical brother.

  • @nwokochagospel7260
    @nwokochagospel7260 2 года назад +67

    I completely love these new style of videos, it keeps me anticipating for more. Great Job Sir Garry🙌🏽

  • @harry_barry_li
    @harry_barry_li 20 часов назад

    Last year reviewed lots of materials about marketing and sales and start to sell my B2B SaaS subscription. What I want to mention, market really important. In CIS market is in thousands times harder to sell any kind of subscription.
    Thanks for materials.

  • @chintaki
    @chintaki Год назад +10

    Dude, you made easy for all of us in less than 23 minutes. I just received a pat for myself knowing I am thinking correctly in some areas. The slap on my neurons was don't outsource sales. Hope they are listening. Thanks a lot and next time block I am going to search for your videos.
    💌from India

  • @teatimewithdre
    @teatimewithdre 20 дней назад

    i GENERALLy just listen to YC videos in the background without paying attention. This one had serious bars in it, wow!!! on repeat!

  • @AnnellaLawrence
    @AnnellaLawrence 3 месяца назад +2

    This is what i needed someone's breakdown this to me- i wish i could hug you

  • @danielgrinshpun
    @danielgrinshpun Год назад +4

    Great video! We discuss these points on a weekly basis with my SaaS clients, so great to see a successful SaaS founder re-iterating the importance of these things.
    Love this new format where you show specific examples & stories from other founders:
    - Cold outreach email from Brex + breakdown
    - Which first customers to go after + google sheet template
    - The importance of charging your first customers.
    - How most successful startups didn't start with scalable growth channels.
    Thanks Gustaf & YC. Looking forward to future videos!

  • @chan90s
    @chan90s 2 года назад +13

    Hey YC, can you make a video on how to reach out to customers as a first time entrepreneur venturing into a new industry. It's incredibly tough to get proper opinions and feedback unless there is a personal connection or a mutual friend in the domain.

    • @Levnerad
      @Levnerad Год назад

      Build a social media following on twitter, RUclips, or medium. That gives you legitimacy

  • @kussberg
    @kussberg Год назад +2

    Probably most amazing video on sales for startups I watched! Thank you!

  • @BarryFranks
    @BarryFranks Год назад +11

    Love these videos. My one criticism is based on the assertion that Sales is "probably the easiest job to learn at your start up" if you don't have a background in it. Technical founders without a background in sales struggle with this - and it's many times the reason a startup never gets off the ground.

    • @SleepyPaul
      @SleepyPaul 11 месяцев назад

      I’d argue it’s the number 1 reason companies fail. Either they don’t do sales, do the wrong types or spend to much on it.
      The issue here is YC confirmation bias. They have so much brand recognition and connections that companies who go thru YC don’t have has hard a time upfront selling as non-YC do

  • @JetSoftProHQ
    @JetSoftProHQ Год назад +6

    What an insightful session on kickstarting customer acquisition! The idea of doing things that don't scale resonates deeply, as early interactions can set the tone for long-lasting relationships.

  • @raminajem274
    @raminajem274 Год назад

    This is probably the best video on the internet about this topic. Thank you!

  • @archiee1337
    @archiee1337 Год назад +2

    This is the best video for early stage startups ever. Love it. Thank you, thank you!!!!!

  • @posthocprior
    @posthocprior Год назад +1

    This is very general, mostly good, advice. I'm the founder of a SAAS startup. All of these points need to be quantitatively further defined. It's difficult, for instance, to "work backwards" in your sales funnel if you can't quantify who is more likely to be a customer than not. (Btw, I found charging for your product, at first, to be the most counter intuitive advice. We haven't been doing this and are going to start -- and see what difference this makes.)

  • @DavidS1er
    @DavidS1er 11 месяцев назад +1

    Besides your network, how else do you find qualified prospects and feed the top of the funnel? There has to be more than leads databases.

    • @adityagowda2146
      @adityagowda2146 10 дней назад

      Look at your competetiors.
      Say, you're in the business of hiking equipment.
      Look at what your competitors in the same space are doing.
      - Where are they finding customers to engage with?
      - Do they sponsor events/hikes etc?
      - Call their customer info team as a customer to learn their strategies.
      While the effectiveness of this may vary for B2C vs B2B, copycat tactics are just great.

  • @latu3585
    @latu3585 Год назад

    This has been one of the best videos I've ever seen from YC. Super useful.

  • @amischthaker
    @amischthaker Год назад

    This is an excellent "How to do sales at the beginning" video. Would request YC to have more video around sales. B2B, B2C etc.

  • @benjackson103
    @benjackson103 4 месяца назад

    I appreciate this video. It's interesting that it seems to be B2B advice. Marketing should replace sales for a B2C style business. Sales is boots on the ground, marketing is sales without the direct our reach. Of course at some point this must scale.

  • @clavid87
    @clavid87 Год назад +5

    This feels very SaaS/B2B. What about consumer?

  • @CezAgora
    @CezAgora 11 месяцев назад

    Regarding the fact that we should avoid offering free trials, I can see how offering a money back guarantee or opt-out can be a good approach for subscription based pricing model, I wonder which is the recommended approach for transaction fee based pricing?

  • @louisp385
    @louisp385 Месяц назад

    The most valuable youtube channel, thank you !

  • @nwokochagospel7260
    @nwokochagospel7260 2 года назад +1

    YC will have 1m+ subscribers by March 2023. Who's with me on this.🙋🏽‍♂️

  • @minc33
    @minc33 Год назад +11

    Will this series on Startup School continue? If so, how often can we expect new videos?
    Great work, btw! I'm working at an Ed-Tech Startup right now (second full-time hire) that has been growing quite rapidly and these vids are super useful for me, since I don't actually have a business background.

    • @ycombinator
      @ycombinator  Год назад +12

      We have about 6 more videos in the works that will be published every other week

    • @stonier92
      @stonier92 11 месяцев назад +1

      Hello,How did you get your initial clients? Are they through cold emails or advertising?

  • @aligulaj
    @aligulaj 2 года назад

    It is interesting listening to this talk and realizing i have made a good number of these mistakes ....wow....i know have a good idea on what to do. Thank you guys

  • @fabricioRegisCanal
    @fabricioRegisCanal Год назад

    Gustaf, this class was really incredible! Thanks!

  • @vedocapp
    @vedocapp 2 года назад

    We got our first customers by doing a simple google search of social groups who we were targeting, reached out to several organizer and eventually we got a hit. It does take the right email, established team but if you have the basics you can bet someone out there is dealing with the problem you are solving!

  • @dosytung86
    @dosytung86 Год назад +1

    Thank you so much for valuable instruction, may I have the link of Atlanta bog that you mention in the video. Thank you so much!

  • @koikahi
    @koikahi Год назад +1

    How would your recommend we allocate time for product dev, investor pitching and sales - i think of these three as pillars of founding a company in first 6 months. As a tech founder, I tend to fall overly in love with the problem statement and solutioning.

  • @moneypro85
    @moneypro85 5 месяцев назад

    Y'all helped alienate stock growth from profitability. That model is falling out of favor. How will you change your ethos to encourage profitability over monopoly?

  • @tranthenhat5602
    @tranthenhat5602 Год назад

    great, thank you Gustaf and YC.

  • @sto700
    @sto700 Год назад

    I love that article by paul graham. Such a great insight

  • @ChrisWilliams808
    @ChrisWilliams808 2 года назад +1

    I really loved this video and immediately added to my favorites. I will be watching again, and again, and again....
    The part about the sales funnel was useful to understand the metrics involved in getting a paying customer. But how do you find the 500 customers to add to the funnel? Do you suggest buying lists? What about if we have customers from product A we've sold, but we want to sell product B, but we know they're not the target customer. Should we send mail and say "please forward to your IT department", for example?

  • @dollaya8893
    @dollaya8893 Год назад +1

    Thank you so much. It helps me a lot.

  • @wastethesweat
    @wastethesweat 6 месяцев назад

    I have a question, why is it important to have data on whats working and whats not, as with time, post your 1st 50 customers, I think the strategy completely changes based on customer feedback, or am I wrong ?

  • @ahmedyahya3593
    @ahmedyahya3593 2 года назад +1

    I really love this guy, thanks my man🤝

  • @glauberbannwart7165
    @glauberbannwart7165 2 года назад +9

    The tips for building a product are useful, but there are certain limitations that the product development team may face, especially if the founders are non-tech and/or have difficulty putting together a team to create a minimum viable product.
    In this case, it may be more advisable for the founders to become full-stack developers themselves and pursue a different idea, as the timing for the original idea may have passed.
    It is uncommon to receive investment during the bootstrapping process, but it can help develop a product if you have already gained some sales. If the founding team is struggling to raise funding in a developing country, it may face a higher risk of failure and financial debt.
    It is important to understand the culture of the local market of investors in order to create a business idea with the potential for exponential growth. Tackling a true problem not always is achievable, especially if the market & team conditions impose certain constraints.

  • @dangrissom7791
    @dangrissom7791 12 дней назад

    Gustaf brilliant video Thanks !!

  • @raymondlam9999
    @raymondlam9999 Год назад

    So the ideas of unscalable is to the activities a founder does. To narrow down a market first before reaching out. "Unscalable" doesn't mean building an "Unscalable" product/service right.... ?

  • @drtech6521
    @drtech6521 Год назад

    One word, AMAZING!!!! ❤

  • @krishnachhajed1813
    @krishnachhajed1813 Год назад +1

    Why are most videos made on "acquiring the first few customers" mostly focused on B2B?
    How to tackle this issue for B2C, fintech startups?
    Influencer marketing, running ads, and PR are these the only way to go for B2C, fintech startups? It would be great if you could make a video for B2C founders.

    • @maze.p
      @maze.p Год назад

      Yeah it is not totally clear if he also thinks this is the way to go for B2C companies. But I think that he means that either B2B and B2C companies should sell the first customers directly - also to learn more about their problems which helps in all facets of the company.

  • @tanmai5785
    @tanmai5785 5 месяцев назад

    I have a question, how do we get the emails of potential customers in the first place?

  • @looppp
    @looppp 4 месяца назад

    question: brex' initial email didn't ask for payment either
    what makes them different?

  • @harry_barry_li
    @harry_barry_li 20 часов назад

    As founder in any part of your startup you should know how to any type of work by your own first. And only after when you know how to do that job, hire candidates.

  • @antoinelb8509
    @antoinelb8509 2 года назад +2

    Sad that the resource (Lenny's Newsletter) has a paywall

  • @siansroadtonirvana
    @siansroadtonirvana Год назад

    This was great! Thank you for sharing!

  • @rodolfokohn3414
    @rodolfokohn3414 Год назад

    Great video! Very elucidative! Thanks!

  • @NokthulaMadondo
    @NokthulaMadondo Год назад

    This was fire🔥🔥🔥. There were flames all over this video, from beginning to end. I nearly called fire fighters, it was that smoking hot. (and yes I am that corny). Seriously though, this was insane.

  • @soumen_das
    @soumen_das 2 года назад

    Grt video! Love the actionable insights! Pls keep them coming.

  • @BarneyOram
    @BarneyOram 4 месяца назад

    2:53 do you mean trough? you said 'through'.

  • @StreamAgency
    @StreamAgency 2 года назад

    Great visualization of the startup curve.

  • @educationforeveryone214
    @educationforeveryone214 Год назад

    So much valued video bro. 😊

  • @RecipesLive
    @RecipesLive Год назад

    Thank you, a very thoughtful presentation, personally I never open emails, not that I am not curious. Just a lack of trust.

  • @chinfanster
    @chinfanster 7 месяцев назад

    How do you know they open the emails?

  • @martinstine
    @martinstine Год назад

    Thanks again Gustaf. Great job YC.

  • @zeydtc
    @zeydtc Год назад

    This is gold!

  • @nuhhassan8557
    @nuhhassan8557 Год назад

    How should i word the subject field for the email?

  • @trennmeddl
    @trennmeddl Год назад +3

    Great video! One question tho: How do you get the e-mails of your potential customers efficiently?

  • @MartinA-oz6em
    @MartinA-oz6em 9 месяцев назад

    Is cold emailing allower in the US?

  • @xavierabdulkarem5057
    @xavierabdulkarem5057 2 года назад

    This will help to launch my tech startup in the future I.a

  • @APD606
    @APD606 Год назад

    I am planning how to launch and marketing my products as beginners.. Thanks..

  • @mgill404pfft
    @mgill404pfft Год назад

    what in the world is he saying is the blog at 18:21? I can't decipher what he is saying.

    • @ycombinator
      @ycombinator  Год назад +1

      www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-todays-fastest-growing-b2b-businesses

  • @tonyvercetti2284
    @tonyvercetti2284 Месяц назад

    Greatest content, I like it a lot

  • @fekete-kiss-sandor
    @fekete-kiss-sandor 5 месяцев назад

    Thank you,excellent help for me.

  • @qureshiowais6951
    @qureshiowais6951 Год назад

    Any book for market reserch i want to check my idea and get insight

  • @AJ-ht2eh
    @AJ-ht2eh 3 месяца назад

    This is gold

  • @hutchinsolutions7665
    @hutchinsolutions7665 2 года назад +1

    Concise and to the point! Great strategies...

  • @prdyzor
    @prdyzor 2 года назад

    Wow, everything I need i 20 minutes, incredible

  • @ethanjones.
    @ethanjones. Год назад

    What website do you use or app to track email engagement?

  • @Merianayahya
    @Merianayahya 8 месяцев назад

    Thankss!!! Very technical❤

  • @Baltictravellerblog
    @Baltictravellerblog Год назад

    What are the best websites where I can find lists of newest stratups? I am launching a CRM platform, and I would like to target mainly early stage startups. Thanks! P.S. I loved the video, a lot of great tips!

  • @samsrilanka
    @samsrilanka Год назад

    Valuable video!

  • @AnyScribeIO
    @AnyScribeIO 7 месяцев назад

    An insightful video

  • @Sanerah
    @Sanerah 11 месяцев назад

    How about "free" as in transaction fee, e.g. AirBnb.

  • @joshking9537
    @joshking9537 2 года назад

    Working on a prop tech idea for property managers, having really tough luck with cold outreacH ( dont have much social proof).
    Any suggestions for growth?

    • @temez1
      @temez1 2 года назад +1

      Forget growth. Sounds like the message is not working or you are not sending enough messages as said in the video. In the former case, talk to users to understand their problem better and refine the message accordingly.

  • @AnnellaLawrence
    @AnnellaLawrence 3 месяца назад

    What is a good crm

  • @amanketebo
    @amanketebo 2 года назад

    Awesome video and thank you for all the great information!

  • @Guustaaf
    @Guustaaf Год назад +1

    What happened to the audio?

  • @rohan7kohli
    @rohan7kohli Год назад

    Can I get the slides somewhere?

  • @christobalmendoza9363
    @christobalmendoza9363 Год назад

    What software do you guys use to track data?

  • @IgorIvanchenkoChinese
    @IgorIvanchenkoChinese 2 года назад

    super info! I am looking for business hustlers to brainstorm ideas. Thanks!

  • @colbr6733
    @colbr6733 Год назад

    Very useful, thanks.

  • @stephenstanton6860
    @stephenstanton6860 2 года назад

    Any reason why not to use html in the email? I would think it makes it look more professional.

    • @nwaneri0
      @nwaneri0 2 года назад +2

      Because your email then has a higher chance of landing in one's ''promotions'' inbox.

    • @SteveBoyer10
      @SteveBoyer10 2 года назад +1

      It looks more personal if you don’t use html. HTML emails look like marketing messages.

    • @sharathkumar83
      @sharathkumar83 10 месяцев назад

      Technical reason being, what if the entire email message is broken, images not loading, link not working or may be structure of email is not loading properly.

  • @chrisevans2241
    @chrisevans2241 9 месяцев назад

    Thank You!

  • @billprin
    @billprin 2 года назад

    Great video. I really like content with more tactical tips like this.

  • @Thebeautiverse
    @Thebeautiverse 2 года назад

    Amazing video!

  • @alexmacgregor
    @alexmacgregor 2 года назад

    Great advice!!!

  • @KaizenWithLevers
    @KaizenWithLevers 3 месяца назад

    Even if you end up with the new era for developers in foraign countries.
    We need to make things better, faster, and simpler.

  • @zzzggg388
    @zzzggg388 2 года назад

    It's easy. You get admitted to YC and they other YC companies become your customer. Then you raise a big round and do online advertisement and get customers unporfitably.

  • @josephjones7878
    @josephjones7878 Год назад

    Who does your video edits?

  • @nguyenbang4942
    @nguyenbang4942 Год назад

    Thanks so much

  • @ronniejindal3055
    @ronniejindal3055 8 дней назад

    Steve Jobs is casually at the end of the list lol 5:00

  • @Math_kru_earng
    @Math_kru_earng Год назад

    Thanks !!

  • @RizkAverze
    @RizkAverze Год назад

    fantastic

  • @sherrysyed
    @sherrysyed 2 года назад

    Ah. Industry Norms expedite processes which is why these things are important to learn.

  • @boringmanager9559
    @boringmanager9559 Год назад

    I used to think getting software to work was the hardest part.
    That's until I got my MVP and tried to sell it to customers

  • @seymurrasulov
    @seymurrasulov 21 день назад

    Brex did not do any sales. They just gave 10 cards for free. How is that sales?

  • @alamskmustafin4544
    @alamskmustafin4544 2 года назад

    Great 👍

  • @ambitionhut
    @ambitionhut Год назад

    Why is it a bad idea to offer trials, or even fremium products in b2b? I dont get the whole argument.