Your first 100 users aren't just early adopters. They're the foundation of your entire business. These are the people who will either become your most vocal champions or silently disappear, taking their valuable feedback with them.

I see too many founders making this critical mistake:

They land their first users, then immediately switch to corporate-speak. "Our platform is experiencing unprecedented growth." "We're thrilled to announce a new suite of enterprise solutions." 🤮

STOP IT.

Here's What Your Early Users Actually Want:

• The founder in their inbox, not a support ticket system: When they have a problem, they want to know the person who cares most is listening

• To hear "I built this" instead of "our team designed this solution": Authenticity creates connection; they want to know there's a human behind the product

• Real talk about what's working (and what isn't): Early users care more about your honesty than your perfection

• To feel as if they are a part of something special, not just another customer: They took a chance on you when others wouldn't, and they deserve recognition

The Bootstrapped Best Founder I Know

Let me tell you about a founder in my network who changed how I think about user relationships. When she launched her AI analytics tool, she spent the first three months focusing solely on her initial 78 users instead of chasing new ones.

She sent personalized videos showing specific use cases for each user's business and hosted weekly office hours. When her product crashed at a critical time, she personally called each affected user, explained what happened, and offered them 6 months free.

Those users became her most vocal advocates, with one writing a viral post that brought in 200 new signups. While competitors had thousands of users, her 140 users had zero churn, paid higher prices, and stayed loyal. Today, her company has 1,000s of users, and she still personally connects with those original users.

The Early User Playbook:

1️⃣ Be radically transparent

• Share your full product roadmap, not just vague promises

• Celebrate wins with specific metrics ("We just hit 92% uptime, up from 85% last month")

• Admit failures with accountability ("I messed up our database migration. Here's how I'm fixing it")

• Host monthly "behind the scenes" calls where you share the business reality

2️⃣ Create exclusivity

• "Founding member" badges and public recognition

• Private Slack/Discord channels where they get direct access to you

• Early access to features before anyone else sees them

• Founding member pricing that will never change, even as you raise prices

• Input on product decisions that shape your roadmap

3️⃣ Make it personal

• Use your name, not your company name, in communications

• Share occasional glimpses into your life (the late-night coding sessions, the victories)

• Record quick personal videos instead of sending template emails

• Remember details about their business and reference them in conversations

4️⃣ Show genuine gratitude

• Give public shoutouts on social media highlighting how they use your product

• Create case studies that make them look like heroes

• Offer free extended support or additional features as a thank you

• Send them company swag that's actually useful, not just branded junk

5️⃣ Build community among users

• Introduce users who could benefit from knowing each other

• Host virtual meetups where users can share their experiences

• Create a leaderboard or highlight innovative ways people are using your product

• Turn power users into moderators or advisors who help newcomers

The Founder Advantage

The corporate facade can wait. Your early users don't want polished - they want vibes.

Your small size isn't a weakness—it's your superpower. The ability to personally connect with every user is a competitive advantage that vanishes as you scale.

This founder told me something I'll never forget: "The moment you start treating users like 'users' instead of people who've trusted you with their time and money is the moment your company starts dying."

They're not joining a platform. They're joining YOU on an incredible journey.

Ready to apply this to your SaaS?

You can read all the growth playbooks in the world, but if you’re not turning these steps into real customers, you’re just spinning your wheels.

That’s why I created Vibe Your SaaS — a hands-on, tactical coaching program built for technical SaaS founders who want to stop guessing and start growing.

• I’ll help you define your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

• Build your first real marketing plan

• Launch a campaign that actually drives leads

• And stop wasting months “planning” without results

Spots are limited.
If you’re serious about growing your SaaS, book a free intro call here → Schedule an intro all now. Let’s vibe.