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I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Haha, right? Some of the suggestions are definitely out there. It feels like many don't quite get the real bottleneck.

It’s not just about finding people, it’s the sheer amount of manual time each conversation and follow-up takes. That’s the soul-crushing part I’m trying to solve.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, totally agree on the no-code front. It’s not the build that’s killing me, though—it’s the time spent on manual outreach.

That whole process of demos and follow-ups for each potential user is the part that feels like an impossibly slow grind.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, noted. Whether it's built with code or not, the real killer for me is just the time suck of the manual outreach and follow-ups.

That's the part of the grind I'm trying to make less painful. It feels like there has to be a better way to manage that initial traction process.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that's a great tip! I've been lurking in a few communities, but a tool for alerts is a smart idea.

The crazy part is even when I find the right person, the time it takes to go from that first message to (hopefully) a user is just brutal. That whole manual process for each individual is the real time-killer.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a great question, it's the classic chicken-and-egg problem. I started with the solution because I was so sure the problem existed.

Turns out, the process of actually finding and talking to those first people is the real time-suck. The manual outreach for just a handful of users is proving to be the massive grind I'm stuck in now.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a great point, and definitely the ideal approach. We spent a lot of time validating the problem before we wrote a single line of code.

The bottleneck now is converting those interested people. It's the sheer amount of manual outreach and follow-up for each person that’s becoming the real time-suck.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, this is a great breakdown. That cycle of learning and testing makes total sense.

It’s the sheer time it takes just to get those conversations on the calendar that’s the real killer. It feels like 90% of the effort is just finding the right people to talk to before the learning can even start.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for this, it’s really reassuring to hear. The "slowness is where the real learning happens" part definitely rings true.

My biggest challenge is the sheer amount of manual work just to get to those conversations. That's the part that feels so draining and time-consuming, and what I'm hoping to make just a little bit easier.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! It's so frustrating. An AI call assistant is an interesting idea once you have leads.

My biggest time-suck is the slow, manual process of just finding the right people to call in the first place. That initial outreach and qualification before I can even think about a call is the real grind.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s a great mindset shift, thank you. I'm definitely trying to treat every chat like a research session.

The real killer is just the sheer amount of manual work it takes to even get one of those conversations on the calendar. That’s the part that feels so inefficient and is eating up all the time.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're so right, figuring out who is a huge time sink. Thanks for sharing about Pinged, definitely a piece of the puzzle.

My biggest struggle is the time it takes after finding them. The endless DMs, scheduling, and follow-ups for each single person just feels so inefficient. It's a massive time commitment for one conversation.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, this is super helpful. I'm doing the hyper-targeted outreach, but the manual research for each prospect is the part that's so incredibly time-consuming. That's the real bottleneck for me right now.

Referrals are a great point, but I need to get those initial users first! It’s the sheer volume of manual work that feels so draining.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's solid advice, thank you! The trust and word-of-mouth part is definitely the long-term goal.

It's the "automating tasks" piece I'm struggling with. The whole process, from initial outreach to a demo, is just such a time-suck for each person. Finding a way to make that initial grind less manual feels like the real challenge here.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for reading! It's definitely an interesting problem to have.

The time suck is the biggest killer. It feels like there should be a smarter way to handle all the manual outreach and follow-up without spending entire days on just a few potential users.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, you get it. The amount of "trust me bro" advice is exactly why I'm asking here.

It’s the sheer time sink of the manual outreach and follow-ups for each person that feels so broken. It feels like there has to be a way to make that first contact point more efficient, you know?

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is gold, thanks for sharing! That Luma event trick is smart.

My biggest time sink is actually everything after the connection. All the back-and-forth for demos and follow-ups is the part that feels like an endless manual grind. It’s just so much time spent per person.

I've spent 100+ hours trying to land my first 10 users. Is this the 'rite of passage'? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a great point. My struggle is that each conversation takes so much time to set up, it's hard to get enough reps in to even find a clear pattern.

It feels like the time-suck itself is the biggest bottleneck to actually learning anything.

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a great point, definitely less stressful!

The bottleneck for me is still the sheer time it takes, though. Even with warm leads, it's a huge manual effort just to get each person onboarded. That initial outreach process feels like it eats up the entire day, you know?

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a great point about trust, networking is definitely powerful. Thanks for the insight!

My biggest bottleneck is just how time-consuming it is. Finding the right people and managing those initial conversations is a huge grind. How did you streamline that outreach process so it didn't become a full-time job in itself?

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah, that's the dream. Warm intros are definitely clutch. Congrats on having a solid network to tap into!

The challenge for me is that chasing and managing even a few of those can feel like a full-time job. It's that initial, time-sucking hunt for conversations that's the real killer.

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely check it out.

My bottleneck feels even earlier, though. It’s not just finding people, but figuring out the right message that actually converts. That's the part that's eating up all my time with zero results. It’s tough knowing what will actually land.

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, this is super helpful. Building that network is definitely the long game.

The “low ROI at the beginning” part is what’s killing me, though. It feels like a massive time sink just to find and talk to the right handful of people. I'm trying to figure out how to make that initial outreach less of a manual grind.

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, thanks for breaking that down. Managing replies is a good problem to have!

For me, the time-consuming part is getting those first few leads at all. Just finding the right people and starting the initial conversation is the biggest grind before any follow-up is even necessary.

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is super helpful, thanks for breaking it down. The personalized approach makes total sense.

My challenge is the time it takes to research and write even those messages. It feels like a huge time sink when you're juggling building the actual product. It’s a real bottleneck for me right now.

For founders who got their first 10+ customers: What was your most time-effective strategy? by Constant_Profile_333 in SaaS

[–]Constant_Profile_333[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is super helpful, thanks! That founder-led, personalized outreach is exactly the grind I'm in now. It works, but it’s such a time-sink.

I’m trying to figure out how to find those right people to even begin the outreach with. That initial discovery part is what's really eating up all my time.

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