Introduction
🚀 You have a great product—but no customers. Now what?
Most startups fail not because of bad products but because of bad Go-To-Market (GTM) execution. A great GTM strategy helps you:
✅ Find the right early adopters
✅ Create repeatable customer acquisition systems
✅ Get to product-market fit (PMF) faster
💡 In this guide, we’ll break down the exact steps to land your first 100 customers and build a scalable growth engine.
What is a Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy?
A GTM strategy is your blueprint for launching, selling, and scaling your product. It covers:
✅ Who your ideal customers are (ICP – Ideal Customer Profile)
✅ How you’ll reach them (acquisition channels)
✅ How you’ll convert & retain them (sales + onboarding process)
📌 Why is this critical? Startups that nail their GTM hit revenue faster and scale efficiently. Those who don’t? They burn cash on marketing with no real traction.
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
📌 Your first 100 customers won’t come from mass marketing—they’ll come from laser-focused targeting.
How to Define Your ICP:
🔹 Industry → What niche are they in? (B2B SaaS, Web3, Fintech, etc.)
🔹 Company Size → Are they startups, mid-market, or enterprise?
🔹 Key Pain Points → What specific problems are they trying to solve?
🔹 Decision-Makers → Who actually buys your product? (CMOs, Founders, Growth Teams?)
💡 Example:
🚀 Bad ICP: “Anyone who needs marketing help.” (Too broad)
✅ Good ICP: “B2B SaaS startups between $1M-$10M ARR struggling with outbound lead generation.” (Niche + clear pain point)
Step 2: Choose Your GTM Model
There are 3 common GTM approaches—your choice depends on your price point and audience.
1️⃣ Product-Led Growth (PLG) – Best for SaaS & Web3
✔️ Free trials, freemium models, or viral loops
✔️ Low friction → users onboard themselves
💡 Examples: Slack, Notion, Uniswap
2️⃣ Sales-Led Growth – Best for B2B Enterprise
✔️ Direct outreach & sales reps
✔️ Requires high-touch demos & negotiations
💡 Examples: Salesforce, HubSpot
3️⃣ Community-Led Growth – Best for Web3 & Dev-Focused Startups
✔️ Build a loyal user base before monetization
✔️ Leverage Discord, DAOs, LinkedIn groups
💡 Examples: Ethereum, Solana
🔹 Most startups should mix these models depending on their audience!
Step 3: Select Your First Customer Acquisition Channels
🎯 Where do your ideal customers already hang out? Start there.
🔥 Top Channels for B2B & Web3 Startups:
✅ Outbound Sales (Cold Emails & LinkedIn Outreach) → Best for B2B & SaaS
✅ Community & Content Marketing (LinkedIn, Twitter, Podcasts, Web3 Discords) → Best for Web3
✅ Partnerships & Influencer Marketing → Best for credibility & trust-building
✅ Paid Ads & SEO → Best for scaling AFTER initial traction
💡 Early-stage GTM tip: Focus on 1-2 channels at first—nail them before expanding.
Step 4: Build a Repeatable Sales Process
📌 A clear sales funnel helps you close more deals with less effort.
🔹 1. Awareness → How do people discover you? (Cold outreach, content, ads)
🔹 2. Engagement → How do you nurture interest? (Lead magnets, free trials, demos)
🔹 3. Conversion → What’s your closing strategy? (Urgency, incentives, sales calls)
🔹 4. Retention → How do you keep customers happy? (Onboarding, support, community)
💡 Example:
🚀 Bad Funnel: “We send cold emails, but no one replies.”
✅ Good Funnel: “We send cold emails with personalized value, then invite leads to a webinar before offering a free trial.”
Step 5: Scale from 10 to 100 Customers
Once you land your first 10 customers, scale what works!
📌 How to get from 10 → 100 customers:
✔️ Double down on top-performing channels (optimize outbound, expand content)
✔️ Automate & streamline sales (use AI for outreach, lead scoring)
✔️ Leverage referrals & case studies (turn happy customers into promoters)
🚀 The goal? Build a GTM system where customer acquisition becomes predictable & scalable.
Lessons from Successful GTM Strategies
🔥 Salesforce: Used outbound sales + aggressive event marketing to land enterprise clients.
🔥 Notion: Grew via Product-Led Growth (PLG)—freemium model led to viral adoption.
🔥 Web3 Projects (Ethereum, Solana): Used Community-Led Growth to onboard millions of developers.
💡 Key takeaway? There’s no “one-size-fits-all” GTM strategy—but the best startups execute relentlessly on the right one for their audience.
Conclusion
Landing your first 100 customers isn’t about luck—it’s about having a clear GTM strategy. If you:
✅ Know your ICP & GTM model
✅ Focus on 1-2 high-impact acquisition channels
✅ Build a repeatable customer acquisition process
🚀 You’ll create a GTM system that scales beyond your first 100 customers.
📢 Your next steps:
✅ Define your ICP & best GTM model
✅ Pick 1-2 acquisition channels to start with
✅ Test & optimize until you hit your first 10-20 customers, then scale!
📢 Want a custom GTM strategy for your startup? Let’s talk—at Mythos360, we help founders launch & scale customer acquisition systems that drive real growth.
