Getting Your First 100 SaaS Customers: Scrappy, Personalized, and Clever Tactics That Work

The dream of scaling to 1,000 customers is exciting but the hardest milestone to cross is the first 100.

That’s where the real work happens: validating your idea, shaping the roadmap with early feedback, and proving there’s a market before you pour money into ads or polish.

That’s exactly what Part 2 of our SaaS launch webinar series tackled. Hosted by Vova Feldman (Freemius founder & CEO), the live panel brought together makers who’ve been through the grind of going from zero to traction.

From scrappy personal outreach to building in public, using AI as a force multiplier, and turning early users into advocates, this session was packed with practical advice you can start applying today.

Meet the Panelists

Colleen Schnettler Founder of Simple File Upload and SaaS Marketing Gym

Colleen turned late-night coding into a career as a Rails developer and founder. After launching Simple File Upload, she learned what it really takes to grow a product business. Now, through SaaS Marketing Gym, she helps technical founders master marketing and get their software into customers’ hands.

Omri Dahan Entrepreneur, community builder, and co-leader at Build•Ship•Grow

Omri has led companies through growth and acquisition, and now helps early-stage founders turn scrappy ideas into real products. At Build•Ship•Grow, he fosters a community where makers share openly, build momentum, and grow together. His approach is grounded in action, resilience, and learning by doing.

Vova Feldman Freemius founder and CEO

SaaS founder, product builder, serial entrepreneur, and community voice. Vova helps developers turn side projects into sustainable businesses, powering thousands of software products through Freemius.

The insights in this recap are just scratching the surface. For the deeper story:

Watch the full webinar here

Why the First 100 Customers Matter

Vova set the tone: “Going from 0 to 100 is probably the hardest part of any SaaS journey. It’s the phase where everything feels manual, scrappy, and unscalable, and that’s exactly where your focus should be.”

For Omri, this stage isn’t about chasing vanity numbers at all. “In the beginning, I don’t even think about them as customers. They’re partners helping me shape the product. When you see it that way, every conversation becomes valuable.”

Colleen agreed, adding that the first 100 are your best litmus test: “If you can’t get them in the door, it’s a sign to revisit your product or positioning before blaming your marketing. This phase is when founders are forced to get painfully clear about who they serve and why those people should care.”

Instead of burning months perfecting features or launching paid ads that may never convert, the panel stressed the importance of using this stage to talk to real users, get fast feedback, and adjust your roadmap based on what they actually need.

Scrappy Acquisition That Actually Works

Forget “growth hacks” for now. When it comes to landing your first 100 users, the most effective tactics are often manual, relationship-driven, and unscalable by design.

Colleen shared her no-fluff LinkedIn playbook, which she now teaches to technical founders through SaaS Marketing Gym. “First, warm up your profile. Post valuable, relevant content for a couple of weeks so your DMs don’t look random.”

Then comes the outreach. Instead of blasting cold messages, she emphasized targeted, personal connections via LinkedIn searches or Sales Navigator. “Spray and pray doesn’t work. Your outreach has to do the thinking for them. Make the message so specific and so valuable, they’d feel silly saying no.”

Her pro tip? Offer value upfront. “Sometimes I’ll just solve a problem for them in the DM by giving them something they can actually use. That’s what makes the offer irresistible.”

Vova offered three sharp acquisition tactics he’s come across from fellow makers and founders:

1. Chris Cunningham, a founding member at ClickUp: Scrape 1-star reviews from competitor products → find those reviewers on LinkedIn → DM them with a clear message: “We built this to fix the exact pain you flagged.”
2. Justin Ferriman Founder of LearnDash: Browse feature request boards, build the missing feature yourself, then reach out to upvoters one by one.
3. Alex Boyd, co-founder of Aware: Partner with creators who already serve your audience, especially bloggers, newsletter writers, or micro-influencers. “Make the compensation fair and long-term,” he advised, “not just a one-off promo code.”

What unites these strategies is their focus: precision over volume, and personal relevance over scale.

Community-First (aka Building in Public Done Right)

Most early SaaS marketing advice jumps straight to social media and content creation. But according to the panel, your first few dozen customers often come from focused conversations inside existing communities.

Omri made the case for starting hyper-local: “You don’t need to build a brand right away. You need to embed yourself in a space where your ideal customer already hangs out and then contribute something valuable. That’s how you earn trust and start the right conversations.”

Rather than “marketing” in the traditional sense, Omri sees early growth as an exercise in immersion. Share your thinking. Ask for feedback. Let your first users emerge from genuine exchanges — not pitches. “Only once that loop starts working should you shift into broader marketing,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of speaking the language. “Every niche has its own tone, humor, pain points, and taboos. If you show up and pitch like a marketer, you’ll be ignored. But if you talk like one of them — and actually are one of them — it works.”

Colleen echoed this with a tactical example from her own experience.

When building a tool for chiropractors, she joined multiple Facebook groups where they actively discussed marketing. “I offered help publicly — tips, feedback, small wins — and when people responded, I followed up in the DMs.” Her rule? If someone engages, ask for the sale. “You don’t need a funnel when you’re already in the conversation.”

Don’t Overbuild Because Makers Gave You Ideas

It’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing “smart” feedback, especially when it comes from other product makers. But as Vova warned, not all advice is created equal:

“Just because a fellow builder has a cool suggestion doesn’t mean your users actually want it or will pay for it.”

In the early days, you’ll get ideas from Slack channels, indie forums, mastermind groups. While some of it might be gold, Vova urges founders to “mentally park” anything that doesn’t come directly from your ideal customer.

From feedback to feature creep, here’s how founders get stuck:

• You show your MVP in a product-maker group
• Someone suggests a “must-have” feature
• You build it… but no one uses it
• You repeat. Suddenly, you’ve shipped 6 features no one asked for

Instead, Vova recommends:

• Filter every feature idea through your ICP
• Only prioritize requests from paying users or highly qualified leads
• Validate urgency, not just enthusiasm

The point isn’t to ignore good feedback. It’s to recognize when it’s not grounded in buyer behavior.

Systems > Heroics (Content, Email, and Repurposing)

It’s tempting to think growth will come from a single viral tweet or the perfect launch post. But Colleen pointed out that many technical founders overestimate the power of “posting on X” and underestimate the compounding effect of basic, repeatable systems.

“Many devs are out there grinding on social media, hoping something will stick. Meanwhile, they haven’t set up an onboarding email, or a simple cancellation survey. These are things you can automate once and get value from forever.”

Colleen’s low-lift, high-impact system:

• Start with one long-form asset — like a YouTube video.
• Cut it into 10 short-form clips (for Shorts, Reels, LinkedIn, etc.).
• Schedule weekly to stay visible without burning out.

Don’t forget the “boring” stuff that works:

• Onboarding sequences
• Churn-saving cancellation flows
• Regular email touchpoints (even just monthly check-ins)

These systems don’t just reduce churn — they build trust, rhythm, and retention over time.

AI That Helps (and AI That Hurts)

AI is everywhere but that doesn’t mean you should hand it the keys to your growth engine.

The panel was clear: AI is a force multiplier, not a replacement for real engagement. Used right, it can help you move faster and test more ideas. Used wrong, it can make you sound like a bot and drive away your early users.

Use AI for:

• Idea generation (especially when you’re staring at a blank doc)
• Outlines and first drafts — then polish by hand
• Auto-cutting Shorts from longer videos to boost discoverability

“YouTube Shorts is one of the most underrated channels right now,” Colleen noted.

Don’t use AI for:

• Fully auto-written or scheduled LinkedIn content

“It reads as inauthentic and it performs like it,” Colleen said. Authenticity is especially important when you’re still building trust.

Omri introduced a new frontier: “Start thinking about GEO or AEO — Generative or Answer Engine Optimization. If LLMs are the new search engines, how do you get your product mentioned when someone types, ‘What’s the best tool for X?’”

This won’t replace traditional marketing yet, but it’s a forward-looking edge worth exploring early.

Nurture Early Customers so They Stick and Spread the Word

It’s easy to focus all your energy on acquisition — but if your first users quietly churn, you’ll lose the most valuable growth lever you have: word of mouth.

Colleen emphasized the importance of treating your early adopters like VIPs, not just data points. “I always recommend creating a Founding Customer Group, even if it’s just 20 or 30 people. Give them a name. Invite them to shape the roadmap. Make them feel like insiders.”

The benefits go far beyond warm feelings. Founding users are more forgiving, more engaged, and more likely to share feedback that can steer your product in the right direction. But only if you keep the relationship alive.

Colleen’s touchpoint strategy:

• Personalized welcome emails
• Regular check-ins or feedback calls
• Sneak peeks into what’s coming next

These early interactions help reduce churn, uncover high-leverage product insights, and turn satisfied users into advocates who spread the word for you.

One Thing You Can Do Tomorrow

Feeling inspired but overwhelmed? The panel left us with one final push: Start small, but start smart.

Omri’s advice: “Form a small focus group. Even just five people. That’s your micro-community. Use the distribution you already have — your LinkedIn, your network, your newsletter. Most founders overlook the channels sitting right in front of them.”

Colleen’s advice: “Pick one channel. Define exactly who you’re selling to. Find the community they hang out in. Join it. Add value. And then — when someone shows interest — ask for the sale. Don’t try everything at once.”

Replay and Next Steps

Want to revisit something from the session or share it with your co-founder?

Watch the full webinar here

Missed What you need to know before launching your first SaaS?

Watch Part 1 here

Up next:

Stay tuned for the next live session in our SaaS series: a hands-on walkthrough with Freemius’ VP of Engineering on how to build and monetize a micro-SaaS from scratch. Live coding, monetization tips, and no-fluff execution.

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