How to get your first customers

Getting your first customers can be one of the hardest parts of starting a business. Without an established reputation or marketing channels bringing people to you, you’ll often need to go out and find those early customers yourself. The good news is that you don’t need a big audience or marketing budget to get started – just a clear idea of who needs what you offer and where to reach them.

Why your first customers matter more than the sale itself

A paying customer helps you validate your business idea, but your first customers can tell you much more than whether people are willing to pay. Pay attention to who buys, what problem they are trying to solve, what convinced them to choose you, and what nearly stopped them.

For example, a gift seller might discover that prompt delivery before a birthday matters more to customers than extra packaging options. They could make delivery dates more prominent in their listings, then see whether the same priority comes up in future enquiries and purchases.

Look for patterns across your early customers before making bigger changes. What you learn can help you refine your offer, focus on the customers most likely to need it, and make your next approach more relevant.

Give customers reasons to trust your business

When you approach your first potential customers, remember that they don’t know your business yet. They may be cautious about paying or sharing their details until they’ve checked that you’re genuine, particularly if they first find you through social media or an online marketplace.

Look for simple ways to make your business feel established and easy to verify. Forming a limited company can add credibility by creating a registered business that customers can look up. Having a professional business address can also help you build trust with new clients, presenting a more established presence rather than using your home address.

If you don’t have a physical office or shop, a registered address service can be a practical solution. It gives your business a professional address while helping keep your personal address off the public record.

Your contact details matter, too. A dedicated business phone number can look more professional than using a personal mobile number. Display consistent business information across your website and Google Business Profile so potential customers can easily check who they are dealing with and how to reach you.

You don’t need to pretend your business is bigger than it is. The aim is to remove avoidable reasons for doubt and give customers enough information to feel comfortable taking the next step.

Start where your potential customers already are

First, narrow down who you want to reach. “Homeowners within five miles who need small repairs” gives a handyperson a more useful starting point than “anyone who needs help”.

Use small-business market research to check where these customers search and what frustrates them about existing options.

Choose a starting point based on how customers buy:

Buying situation	Where to start	First action
Someone needs local help soon	Community Facebook groups, noticeboards, and local business directories	Reply to a request you can fulfil, stating your availability and area
Buyers compare service providers	Bark, where it covers your service, or Checkatrade for trades	Complete a profile with examples of your work, then respond to suitable enquiries with a specific proposal
Shoppers want to inspect products, or retailers need stock	Local markets or independent shops	Demonstrate products to shoppers, or contact local retailers to ask if they’re interested in stocking your products
Buyers search online for gifts or creative products	Etsy or Not On The High Street	Start with a small selection of products, using clear photographs, delivery information, and prices
A business needs specialist help	Industry associations, business events, or LinkedIn	Find a relevant event or discussion and ask business owners about a problem your service addresses

Before joining a platform or booking a market stall, check eligibility, application requirements, and fees, including any charges for contacting leads or making sales.

For software or app businesses, niche Reddit communities or Indie Hackers, an online community for people building and growing their businesses, may also suit your audience. Follow community promotion rules wherever you participate.

Try one route first. If you cannot find relevant requests, buyers, or conversations there, investigate another before paying for greater visibility.

Ask your existing network first

Start with former colleagues, suppliers, friends, or family members who have relevant connections. Give them enough detail about your service and location to think of someone who might need it. A new commercial cleaner could ask:

“I’ve started an evening cleaning service for small offices in Leeds. Do you know any office managers who are looking for a cleaner? If someone comes to mind, could you check whether they’d welcome an introduction?”

Complementary businesses can also introduce you. A wedding photographer could meet local florists, show their portfolio, and explain which bookings they can accommodate. Our small-business networking guide covers building these relationships.

Build a simple online presence

Potential customers may look up your business before deciding whether to get in touch. Give them somewhere simple to check what you offer and how to contact you. You don’t necessarily need a web developer to get started: website builders such as Wix or Squarespace let you create your own site using ready-made templates, often for a relatively low monthly cost. Start with the essentials, including what you sell and practical information such as prices or the areas you cover.

For a local business, a Google Business Profile can help you appear in Google Search and Maps. Keep the details accurate and, once you have customers, you can use your profile to start building up genuine reviews.

Make your social profiles useful, too. Use your business name and logo, or a professional profile photo if you trade under your own name. Make sure people can also quickly find your contact details and website.

At this stage, having a small audience can work in your favour. You have more opportunity to speak directly with the people who follow or contact you, helping you understand what they want while making your business feel more approachable.

Direct outreach that works

For cold outreach, focus on people with a current need you can meet. When approaching a business, find out who can approve the purchase and ask for an introduction if your contact cannot commission the work.

Connect a specific observation to something useful you can offer, then make one small request. A product photographer approaching an independent retailer could say:

“I noticed you’re launching a homeware range. A photograph of each piece beside a familiar object could help shoppers judge its size. I offer product photography for independent shops. Would you like to see examples and pricing for a five-product shoot?”

Use observations you can verify. For in-person approaches, ask whether it is a convenient time before discussing your service.

Before sending marketing emails or direct messages, check which rules apply to the recipient. Under UK electronic marketing rules, unsolicited marketing emails to limited companies generally don’t require consent, while messages to individual consumers and sole traders generally require prior consent. Social media direct messages can also fall under these rules.

Identify yourself, provide a way to opt out, and respect objections. Since data protection requirements also apply when you use personal information, follow the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) guidance on business-to-business marketing for your intended approach.

Where contact is permitted, one polite follow-up after several working days may be reasonable. If someone asks you to get back in touch later, agree a date; if they decline, move on.

Reach new customers through partnerships

You don’t always have to build an audience from scratch. Look for established businesses or creators that already reach the people you want to sell to, without directly competing with you, and consider what you could offer each other.

For a B2B business, that might mean contributing to a webinar with an industry expert or creating useful content together. An ecommerce brand could collaborate with a complementary business on social media or feature each other in their newsletters.

Choose partners whose audience is genuinely relevant to your business. A useful collaboration can introduce you to potential customers through a name they already recognise, while giving your partner something valuable to share with their own audience.

Build trust before you ask for the sale

When a potential customer has doubts, show them evidence that addresses their specific concern. If they ask whether you can match an existing paint finish, show a comparable decorating project. If they cannot judge a handmade product’s quality online, show close-ups of the materials and finish.

If you have no paid work to show, create a relevant sample: a consultant could work through a fictional business problem, while a product-based business could film its product in use. Label sample projects clearly and use work from previous employment only with permission and an explanation of your role.

Share these examples in your product listings, or on your business’ social media, and explain what they demonstrate. A brief account of how you solved a problem helps buyers assess whether you could handle theirs. A brief account of how you solved a problem helps buyers assess whether you could handle theirs.

Reply when you promise to, answer the customer’s question, and flag limitations early.

Think carefully about your first offer

For a lower-cost product or straightforward service, display the price, what’s included, delivery, or appointment availability, and how to pay. For example, a dog groomer could offer a bath-and-brush appointment, stating which dog sizes the price covers.

For bespoke work, ask what the customer needs to achieve, when they need it, and what budget they have. A website designer, for example, should establish the required pages and functionality before quoting, then confirm the scope in writing, including revisions and exclusions.

End with a clear next step: “Shall I send a quote for those five pages by Thursday?” For a straightforward purchase, ask whether they would like to book or order.

If the commitment feels too large, offer a smaller paid piece of work that lets the customer try what you do with less risk. You could also give early customers a reason to act now, such as an introductory price, early access, or a small extra at no additional cost. Make the terms clear and keep the offer limited, so you are rewarding early adopters rather than setting a price you cannot sustain.

Avoid discounts or freebies that leave your time and expenses uncovered.

Turn your first customers into more customers

Once the customer has used your product or service, check in to find out what worked and what needs attention. If their feedback leads to a change, let them know what you have done.

You can also ask for an honest review or permission to use their feedback as a testimonial. For more involved work, a short case study can explain the original need, your approach, and the outcome, with permission to publish any identifying details or images.

Encourage word of mouth with a specific referral request:

“If you know another shop owner who needs product photographs, I’d appreciate you passing on my details.”

If you can afford a referral reward, consider credit towards a future booking and explain when the customer will receive it. Keep these rewards separate from review requests.

For recurring services, discuss the next booking while the work is fresh in the customer’s mind. Agree when and how they would like further contact.

What to avoid when chasing your first customers

Wait until you have evidence people will pay before committing a substantial advertising budget, keeping any early tests small and capped. Avoid automating outreach before you know which messages get useful responses, and check that you can fulfil existing orders reliably before taking on more.

If enquiries aren’t turning into sales

Keep a simple record of where each enquiry came from, what the customer requested, your quote, the outcome, and any agreed next step. A spreadsheet may be enough when you are starting out, while a free customer relationship management (CRM) tool such as HubSpot can help you keep track of enquiries as their number grows. Reviewing these together can help you decide what to investigate:

What you notice	What to check next
No relevant enquiries	Are suitable buyers seeing your offer, and can they tell it is for them?
Outreach goes unanswered	Check the recipient’s role, your reason for contacting them, and whether your request is easy to answer.
Enquiries but no bookings	Ask whether price, timing, scope, or confidence is holding people back.
Products added to baskets but no orders	Test checkout and check whether delivery charges or dates arrive as a surprise.
Sales but little money left	Review what you spend finding each customer, plus product or material costs and the time spent fulfilling their order.

Change one thing at a time where practical, then compare subsequent enquiries. Avoid treating one unanswered message or abandoned basket as proof that your approach has failed.

Turn what works into a repeatable process

Your approach will become more structured as you learn what works. Conversations that you handle personally now might eventually become a call script, while regular follow-ups could be supported by automated emails as your business grows.

Use this early stage to build those foundations, but take advantage of the personal contact you can offer while customer numbers are still small. Not every enquiry will become a sale, but a helpful experience still matters. People who are not ready to buy today may remember your business, recommend it to others, or come back when the timing is right.

Get ready to invoice your first customer

Prepare your first invoice with the templates or invoice generator in Rapid Formations’ Business Document Template Library. For help deciding which accounting tasks to handle yourself, read our guide to managing accounting for a limited company.