When we think about growth, it's easy to get caught up in numbers: 1,000 users. 10,000 visitors. Impressive graphs and hockey-stick charts.
But ask any founder who's made it past the early days, and they'll likely tell you the same thing:
"The first handful of users matter more than the next 500."
Why? Because in those first few signups lies everything you need to build something people actually want.
These Users Aren't Just Users. They're Co-Creators.
When you only have five users, you can afford to treat each of them like royalty.
- You're answering every email and responding to every message.
- You're taking their feedback seriously.
- You're iterating features based on real feedback, instead of hunches.
They're not "traffic". They're a feedback loop, and they'll give you more valuable insights than any expensive consultant or ad campaign ever could.
Your first five users tell you what works, why it works, and what you can do to make it even better.
Early Users Give You Direction
Let's be honest. In the early days, your product probably won't be great.
It won't scale. It will break. It'll be missing obvious features. But these early users know that. And they're still here.
That tells you something important: there's a pain point strong enough that they'll tolerate all the friction just to solve it.
And that signal is gold.
If someone is willing to jump through hoops to use your rough MVP, you've found a problem worth solving.
The First Five Become Your First Advocates
When you treat early users with care, they become more than customers. They become your co-creators and advocates.
- They share your product with friends.
- They defend you in communities.
- They give testimonials, reviews, and referrals.
These users are your proof of concept. They help you tell a story that's real. When the time comes to raise money, pitch to press, or just build momentum, these stories carry weight.
"Here's what our users are saying" means a lot more when you actually talked to them.
How to Find and Keep Your First Five
If you're still searching for your early believers, here are some tactical tips:
- Start with conversations, not funnels. Go where your potential users already hang out (forums, Discords, Reddit, Twitter, etc.) and start being helpful.
- Be bold with outreach. Cold DM people. Share your idea publicly. Ask people to test and give honest feedback.
- Don't automate. Talk to users manually. Schedule Zoom calls or take your time to write a thoughtful email or message. You'll learn 10x more in one real conversation than from analytics.
- Reward feedback like it's gold. A user who reports a bug is doing you a favor. Treat them like a VIP.
In Summary
Growth will come later. SEO, ads, and social proof all work better once you already know what works.
So if you're early in your startup journey, don't worry about scale just yet.
"Worry about delighting five humans. Then grow from there."
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