Step #20 of my Top 20 Tips for Small Business Start Ups is the really exciting part: finding your first customers. They might be friends and family, or people already in your network. Whoever they are, they're gold, because they give you something no amount of planning can: real feedback you can use to shape your business as you go.
Before you sell: a quick readiness check
Take five minutes to tick these off. If something's missing, go back to the relevant step first:
• ☐ Employment contract checked (Step #3), if you still have a job
• ☐ Licences and registrations in place (Step #15)
• ☐ Insurance sorted (Step #19)
• ☐ Business bank account open and ready to take payments (Step #10)
• ☐ Tax registration done, or a plan for it (Steps #3 and #19)
• ☐ Simple terms agreed: prices, what's included, payment dates, cancellations
• ☐ Privacy basics covered if you're collecting details (Step #16)
1: Start with the people you know
Your warm network is the easiest place to begin. Write a list of maybe 30 people: former colleagues, friends, neighbours, family, people from clubs, old bosses, local business owners. Next to each name, note:
• Could they be a customer, ie. are they my target market?
• Do they know someone who could be?
• Are they connected to a group or community of my ideal customers?
The goal is not to pester everyone to buy. It's to ask for a conversation, feedback and introductions. Some of your best early customers will be friends of friends.
2: Make a clear, friendly offer
People can't say yes to something they don't understand. Keep your message personal and specific. For example:
"Hi Sam, I've just launched [business], where I help [who] to [result]. I'm taking on my first few customers this month and I'd love your thoughts. Do you know anyone who might be interested, or would you like to have a go yourself?"
A few tips:
• Be honest that you're new. People are often delighted to help someone starting out.
• Think about a founder offer, such as a limited-time introductory price, but be careful not to undervalue yourself. Make it clear it's for a limited number of customers or a limited time.
• Set boundaries. Free or heavily discounted work should come with a clear end point and an agreement to give honest feedback.
• Make it easy to say yes. Give them a clear next step: a link, a date, a reply.
If you tested your idea with a pilot in Step #2, the people who took part are your first people to approach.
3: Go where your customers already are
Once your network is warmed up, widen the circle:
• Local and online groups where your customers hang out. Be helpful first, and sell second.
• Networking events and your local chamber of commerce or business groups.
• Referral partners. Businesses that serve the same customers as you, but don't compete, can recommend each other.
• Social media. Share what you're doing, including your launch, as we covered in Step #17.
• Markets and events, for product and local service businesses.
Remember to follow the rules when you promote yourself. The ASA's advertising rules apply to your website and social media.
4: Deliver brilliantly
Your first customers are also your first test of whether you can do what you say. Remember what we said about word of mouth marketing so aim to impress always, and do:
• Set expectations clearly at the start: what happens, when and how much.
• Communicate more than you think you need to. Silence worries people.
• Do what you said, when you said.
• Fix problems quickly and graciously. How you handle a hiccup can win more loyalty than a flawless job.
5: Ask for feedback, and listen
After each customer, ask a few simple questions:
1. What worked well?
2. What could have been better?
3. Was anything confusing or missing?
4. Would you recommend me, and who to?
Then look for patterns. One person's quibble is an opinion. Three people saying the same thing is a signal. Feed it back into your USP (Step #1), your plan (Step #4) and your marketing (Step #17). This is how your business gets better as you go.
6: Turn happy customers into proof
Once someone's pleased, you can ask for:
• A testimonial or review. Ask them to share it in their own words. Keep it genuine and get permission to use it. Never make up or edit reviews to mislead.
• A referral. "Do you know anyone else who might need this?" is one of the most powerful questions in business.
• A case study. With their permission, tell the story of what you did and the result.
• Permission to use their name, photo or details. Be clear and keep a record, as per Step #16.
7: Get paid properly
Getting a customer is only half the job. Make sure you:
• Agree payment terms upfront, and put them in writing.
• Invoice promptly.
• Chase politely. If a business customer pays late, you have rights. GOV.UK explains how to claim interest and debt recovery costs on late commercial payments.
• Record every payment and put your tax percentage in your tax pot (Step #10).
If you take more than £1,000 in a tax year, remember what we covered about telling HMRC.
8: Track and improve
Keep a simple customer log. A spreadsheet is fine. For each customer, note:
• who they are and how they found you
• what they bought and what you charged
• how it went, and what they said
• whether they'd refer or buy again
Review it once a month alongside your cash flow forecast (Step #12). It'll show you where your best customers come from, whether your pricing is right and what to do more of.
And now, you've done it!
That's all 20 steps. You don't have to have ticked everything off perfectly, and your business will keep evolving. The point is that you've thought it through, taken action and started learning from real customers. That puts you ahead of most people who say they'll start a business one day.
If you've missed any steps, you can go back to the Top 20 Tips overview and revisit them.
So how to tackle this
Don't panic, you don't have to do everything today!
• ☐ Work through the readiness checklist
• ☐ Write your list of 30 contacts
• ☐ Draft your offer message and send it to five people
• ☐ Set up a simple customer log and feedback questions
Ready to get your first customers?
If you'd like help with your launch message, your marketing or what to do after your first sales, I'd love to help. Book a call with me here.
