Your first ten customers will teach you more than a large advertising campaign can. They will show you who notices your products, what makes them interested, what causes hesitation and what finally gives them enough confidence to buy.
At this stage, the goal is not to reach everyone. It is to learn how a small number of real people move from discovering your work to becoming customers. You can then repeat what works and improve what does not.
01 · Learn the skill
Founders and Makers should learn how to sell.
Selling is not about pressuring people. Good selling starts with understanding. You learn what someone wants, explain how your product may help and make the next step clear.
As the Maker, you already have an advantage. You know why the product exists. You understand the materials, the process and the choices behind it. You can answer questions with honesty. That knowledge is difficult to outsource.
Speak to potential customers yourself. Listen carefully to their questions. Notice which part of your story holds their attention. Pay attention when they misunderstand a size, price, ingredient, delivery option or preparation time. Every conversation can improve both your sales message and your store.
Practise explaining your product in one or two sentences. Use everyday language. Say what it is, who it is for and why it is worth considering. Then make a direct invitation: visit the store, follow the Maker, join the waitlist or place an order.
02 · Start personally
Begin with things that do not scale.
It is tempting to open a store and immediately pay for advertising. Advertising can be valuable later. It is often a poor substitute for learning at the beginning.
Early customers rarely arrive automatically. You may need to introduce the store one person at a time. Send a thoughtful WhatsApp message. Show someone the product in person. Answer a direct message yourself. Attend a local market. Explain how an item is made. Help a buyer choose the right option. Follow up after delivery.
These actions take time. That is precisely why they are useful. They create conversations that an advert cannot. You hear the words customers use. You discover which photos make sense and which ones confuse people. You learn whether your price, packaging and delivery promise feel credible.
Do not worry that this process cannot serve thousands of people. It does not need to—not yet. The purpose is to build a small working sales process. Once you understand it, you can decide which parts to automate, advertise or delegate.
03 · Understand the journey
Learn the stages of your sales funnel.
A sales funnel is simply the journey from first attention to a completed purchase. It is called a funnel because many people may notice a product, but fewer will move through every stage.
For a Maker Store, the journey often starts with discovery. Someone sees a product in a WhatsApp status, an Instagram post, a community group, a market stall or an Earn+ recommendation.
Interest comes next. They pause, ask a question, follow the store or send the product to a friend. Some then visit the store and consider the details. They look at the photographs, description, price, available options and delivery information.
A smaller group will place an order. The experience after checkout still matters. Clear updates, careful fulfilment and a product that matches its description can turn one purchase into a repeat order or recommendation.
Track these stages simply. You do not need complicated software. A spreadsheet or notebook can record how people found you, how many visited the store, what they asked and whether they purchased. The purpose is to see where interest disappears.
04 · Prove the value
Your first customer should make a real purchase.
Free samples can create attention, but they do not prove that someone values the product enough to buy it. A paying customer gives you stronger information.
You may offer an introductory price or a small launch special. Be clear that it is an offer. Do not make free products your main way of finding demand. Your price must eventually cover the real cost of making, packaging and fulfilling the order.
A “no” is useful too. Ask what stopped the purchase. The answer may be price, timing, trust, delivery cost, unclear photographs or simply the wrong customer. You do not need to persuade every person. You need to find the people for whom the product and offer make sense.
05 · Plan the activity
Work backwards from your goal.
“Get more customers” is difficult to act on. “Get ten paying customers in the next thirty days” is clearer. It gives you a number and a timeframe.
Now work backwards. Imagine that one in every five genuinely interested store visitors makes a purchase. To reach ten purchases, you may need fifty interested visitors. If half the people who receive a personal introduction visit the store, you may need to reach one hundred relevant people.
Those numbers are only an example. Your real conversion rates may be very different. That is why tracking matters. After each week, compare your activity with the result. If many people see the product but few visit the store, improve the message or call to action. If they visit but do not buy, improve the listing, offer, price or delivery information.
Turn the goal into small weekly actions. You might personally introduce the store to five relevant people each day, publish three useful product stories each week and attend one community event during the month. A simple plan makes the work less emotional. It also prevents you from giving up after a handful of messages.
06 · Find the right people
Look for your easiest first customers.
Your easiest customers are not necessarily your closest friends. They are the people who already understand the category, need the product or regularly buy similar things.
Start with people already connected to your work. Contact previous customers, people who have asked about your products and followers who regularly respond to your posts. Ask friends and family to share the store with someone specific rather than pressuring them to buy.
Then look for communities where the product naturally belongs. This might include local WhatsApp or Facebook groups, neighbourhood networks, school communities, hobby groups, weekend markets, community events or Instagram pages focused on your category. Join respectfully. Understand the group rules. Contribute something useful instead of repeatedly dropping a link.
Partnerships can help too. A baker might collaborate with an event planner. A ceramicist might work with a florist. A clothing Maker might partner with a photographer or stylist. Look for businesses that serve a similar customer without selling the same thing.
Lead with one clear product.
Do not make a new customer understand your entire catalogue at once. Choose a strong first product or a small collection. Explain who it is for, what makes it special, what it costs and how delivery works.
Keep personal messages short.
A useful introduction can be simple: “Hi, I make small-batch chilli sauces in Johannesburg. I have just opened my Earn+ Maker Store, and I thought you might like the new smoked chilli range. Here is the link. I would love to know what you think.”
Change the message so it feels relevant to the person receiving it. Do not send the same vague paragraph to everyone. A thoughtful message from the Maker should feel like an invitation, not spam.
Stay close after the order.
The first sale is not the end of the funnel. Confirm the order, fulfil it carefully and ask whether the customer is happy after delivery. Invite them to follow the store. If the experience was good, ask for feedback or a recommendation. Your first ten customers can become the foundation of the next ten.
Summary
Start small, learn quickly and repeat what works.
Your first customers are a learning project as much as a sales target. Speak to people yourself. Begin with personal actions before paid advertising. Track the stages from discovery to delivery. Charge a real price. Work backwards from a clear goal.
- Choose one strong product or offer to lead with.
- Explain it clearly in one or two sentences.
- List the people and communities most likely to care.
- Introduce the store personally and invite a clear next step.
- Record what happens at each stage of the funnel.
- Learn from every question, purchase and delivery.
Ten customers may sound like a small number. Reaching them deliberately teaches you how your business grows. That knowledge is what allows you to reach more people with confidence later.