How do I get my first 100 customers?Start-up founders and marketers I’ve coached and advised over the years have asked this question time and again. This article is the first in a five-part series summarizing lessons I’ve learned alongside entrepreneurial coachees as they navigated the journey to their first 100 customers.
The Series:
This series, published weekly, will cover the following topics:
Let’s get started with Part 1: Establish What Your Business Stands For
Part 1: Establish What Your Business Stands For
Most startups have a compelling origin story driven by passionate founders. It often begins with a moment of realization—a pain point they experienced firsthand, a gap in the market, or a frustration they wanted to solve. That lightbulb moment sparks their business idea, setting the tone for the company’s identity.
Why Your Story Matters
Your story reflects the founders’ character, experience, and vision. It shapes your brand and sets you apart in the marketplace.
Examples of Founders’ Stories:
MailChimp: In the 1190s, Ben Chestnut was interning as a designer at an appliance company, but he felt uninspired. With the burgeoning internet offering new possibilities, he teamed up with two partners to start a web design company. While their design services gained traction, it wasn’t the game-changing success they envisioned. Surprisingly, the email marketing tool they offered as a side feature began to outshine their primary services. Recognizing its potential, the founders made a pivotal decision in 2007 to focus exclusively on email marketing. They named the product MailChimp, and it quickly became the cornerstone of their success.
TaskRabbit: One snowy night in Boston, Leah Solivan found herself out of dog food for her 100-pound yellow lab, Kobe. With prior commitments and the nearest store inconveniently far away, she faced a dilemma. She thought,
“Wouldn’t it be great if someone nearby could run this errand for me? I’d gladly pay for the convenience!”
This simple question sparked the idea for TaskRabbit, an online platform connecting users with “taskers” to handle deliveries, errands, and other chores. What began as a personal need turned into a groundbreaking service that redefined convenience and community-based solutions.
Airbnb: In 2008, Joe Gebbia’s rent had just gone up by 25% and he did not have a full time job. He and his friend Brian Chesky were surfing on the internet and came across an industrial design conference to be held in San Francisco a couple of weeks out. They noticed hotels in the city were fully booked for the event, but since they already lived in San Francisco, they didn’t face that challenge themselves.
Recognizing a need, they came up with an idea: they could rent out space in their apartment to conference attendees. They pulled out an air mattress, offered airport pickups, shared local travel tips, and even included breakfast as part of the deal. To advertise their offering, they quickly created a simple website, www.airbedandbreakfast.com.
The response exceeded their expectations. Realizing they had tapped into a significant market gap, Joe and Brian decided to turn their side hustle into a full-fledged business. That simple idea laid the foundation for Airbnb, which went on to revolutionize the travel and hospitality industry.
Houzz: When Adi Tartako and her husband moved to the Bay Area and purchased a fixer-upper, they quickly realized how challenging it was to navigate the home improvement process. From understanding project needs and possibilities to estimating costs and timelines, hiring professionals felt overwhelming and confusing.
As they spoke with neighbors and others in their community, it became clear that many people shared their frustrations. Adi envisioned a solution: a platform where users could share ideas for home improvement, find inspiration, and connect with professionals who could transparently showcase their work.
Initially, Adi and her husband had no plans to leave their stable corporate jobs, which provided both satisfaction and visa sponsorship. However, as the platform gained traction and exceeded all expectations, Adi made the bold decision to leave her finance career and dedicate herself fully to expanding Houzz. Today, it’s a go-to resource for homeowners and professionals alike, bridging the gap between inspiration and execution in home design.
To craft your company story and the fundamentals of your brand identity, ask yourself and your founding team the following questions:
What was the pain point / the problem statement?
How is your business solving the pain point / the problem statement? i.e. what is the value proposition?
What is your business’ USP (Unique Selling Point)? i.e. how is your business different than others? What is different about YOU? About YOUR brand?
For more tips on how to tell a compelling business story, you can check out my blog post about the power of storytelling and the Leadrise storytelling templates worksheet.
After defining your foundational elements, the next crucial step is developing your brand strategy. Your brand is one of the most valuable intangible assets of your business—it embodies what your business stands for and shapes the image your clients associate with you.
Creating a brand strategy that authentically reflects your values and mission is essential. However, in the fast-paced life of an entrepreneur, brand strategy often takes a backseat to more immediate tasks. Yet, it’s one of those critical (though not always urgent) efforts that, when prioritized, bridges the gap between consumer needs and emotional connection. A well-crafted brand strategy doesn’t just resonate with your audience—it drives loyalty and results in customers with higher LTV (Life Time Value).
Brand strategy is comprised of the following elements:
Mission Statement
What (Purpose)
Why (Reason for Existence)
How (Real Life Application)
Vision Statement
Long-term Goals
Aspirations and Ambitions
Impact
Core Values
Values the company embodies
How it operates
How it interacts with the world
Brand Identity
Brand Name
Brand Image
Brand Association / Tagline
MISSION STATEMENT:
A good mission statement describes:
what a company/organization does (purpose),
why it does what it does (reason for existence),
how it does what it does (real life application)
in a clear and concise manner.
Your mission statement sets clear expectations for your customers, serving as both a marketing tool and a declaration of purpose. It articulates what your business aims to achieve and why it exists, resonating not just externally but also internally. Beyond branding, a well-crafted mission statement is a source of motivation and inspiration for employees, partners, and investors.
For founders, especially in the whirlwind of startup life, a mission statement can be a grounding force. When the chaos of daily operations threatens to overshadow the bigger picture, revisiting your mission provides clarity and focus. In fact, some of the most visionary founders and CxOs I’ve worked with make it a point to revisit their mission, vision, and values regularly as part of their reflective practice.
A yoga studio owner I once coached shared how the pandemic felt like the ground was shifting beneath them. During this challenging time, she and her partner revisited their mission statement. It reminded them of their core purpose and inspired them to think creatively about how to fulfill their mission—beyond in-person classes. This reflection not only kept them aligned but also helped them adapt and thrive.
To compose your mission statement, ask these questions:
What is our overarching purpose as a company?
What is the essence of what we are trying to achieve?
How are we achieving our purpose?
How are we adding value to the world?
Why do we exist?
Why are we unique?
Some mission statement examples are:
Houzz: Deliver the best technology, user experience and products for home remodeling and design.
Nike: Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. (*If you have a body, you are an athlete.)
Starbucks: Inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.
Microsoft: Empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.
Lego: Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow.
Download the complimentary Leadrise Mission Statement worksheet for the full exercise.
VISION STATEMENT:
A vision statement complements but is separate to the mission statement in that it is future-oriented and inspirational. It describes the company’s
long term goals,
aspirations and ambitions, and
the future impact it intends to drive.
Your vision statement communicates what your business aims to achieve and offers a glimpse into the future you aspire to create. Much like a mission statement, it serves as a powerful connection point—resonating with potential customers, engaging employees, and inspiring partners, advisors, and investors.
For startups, a compelling vision statement is particularly vital. It can unite founders and teams, boosting morale during challenging times or when traction is slow. Additionally, it acts as a magnet for potential investors and collaborators, often serving as a centerpiece in business plans and pitch decks.
One tech startup founder I work with shared how their four-word vision consistently captured attention at the beginning of every pitch. It drew in partners, advisors, and investors who were inspired by the clarity and ambition of their vision. While the details of the pitch were important, the vision itself did the heavy lifting—accounting for 85% of the buy-in before they even got into specifics. A well-crafted vision statement has that kind of transformative power.
Your vision for the future needs to be clear, ambitious, and inspirational so people can easily understand and rally for it. James Collins and Jerry Porras share the results of their research in Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. that companies with a clear vision have outperformed competitors by a factor of 12 since 1925.
In the same vein, Forbes research determines that employees who find their company’s vision to be meaningful have average engagement scores of 68%. While the average for those who don’t is just 16%.
To compose your vision statement, ask yourself and your team these questions and jot down the answers, keywords, common themes on a whiteboard / piece of paper / post-its / vision board:
What are our long term goals?
What role do we want to play in the world?
What do we aspire towards?
What will change in the world when we are successful?
What kind of future do we want to live in?
Where do we see our target audience in 10 years?
What will human lives look like when we successfully deliver?
And then what? (ask this question three or four times until you get to the ‘dream state’, the ‘utopia’)
When we appear on magazine covers in the future, what will the headlines say? What amazing thing(s) will we have done?
Some vision statement examples are:
Ikea: Create a better everyday life for the many people
Disney: Make people happy
TED: Spread Ideas
NASA: Explore the secrets of the universe for the benefit of all.
Patagonia: Save our home planet.
Download the complimentary Leadrise Vision Statement worksheet for the full exercise.
CORE VALUES:
Core values are the fundamental beliefs, philosophies, and principles that guide a company’s actions and shape its culture and identity. Like mission and vision statements, core values act as a bridge—connecting employees to a shared purpose, defining the brand’s essence, and inspiring customers, partners, and investors to become loyal advocates.
Once clearly defined, core values serve as a compass for decision-making and accountability, especially during challenging times. As a cornerstone of organizational success, they play a vital role in building and sustaining a healthy company culture. Core values also become a powerful tool in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring talent that aligns with the company’s ethos, ensuring long-term cultural cohesion. For customers, these values foster trust and alignment with the brand, strengthening loyalty and advocacy.
To arrive at your company values, ask yourself and your team these questions and jot down the answers, keywords, common themes on a whiteboard / piece of paper / brainstorm board:
What values do we stand by no matter what?
What is important for us as the founders / leadership?
What do we stand for?
What is the driving force behind your startup?
What can we not live without?
What are our must haves?
What impact do we want to drive in the world?
What frustrates us about the world today?
What are the founders' personal values?
To further dig into your values, you can check out the complimentary Leadrise Coaching Core Values worksheet
Some examples of company values are:
Apple: Accessibility, Education, Environment, Inclusion and diversity, Privacy, Supplier responsibility
Adidas: Confidence, Collaboration, Creativity
Lego: Imagination, Creativity, Fun, Learning, Caring, Quality
Affirm: Honesty, Transparency, Putting people first
Columbia: Enjoy an Active Life, Compete to Win, Relentless Improvement, Culture of Honesty, Respect & Trust, Doing the Right Thing for Consumers, Customers, Employees, the Company & our Communities
BRAND IDENTITY:
Once you’ve defined your company’s mission, vision, and brand story, the next crucial step in solidifying what your business stands for is creating the right brand identity. This includes a name that resonates with your purpose, fosters strong brand recall, enhances visibility, and builds trust with your target audience.
For many founders, landing the perfect name becomes an exhaustive process—they brainstorm endlessly, consult with professionals, involve friends and family, and stress-test countless options. While dedicating time to this is worthwhile, it’s essential to remember that the brand name itself isn’t as significant as your ability to own and embody it.
What truly matters is that the name aligns with your story, resonates with your mission, and is something you can confidently stand behind. A brand identity that feels authentic to you will naturally connect with your audience. So, find a name you believe in, and the rest will follow.
Here are some questions that might help you stress test your options for a brand name:
What do(es) the word(s) mean?
How do(es) the word(s) relate to and align with the brand vision?
What is the story behind the word(s)? How does it fit with your overall company / brand narrative?
How easy is it to pronounce, spell, and recall?
(If relevant e.g. if you aim to be global) Is it easy to translate to other languages / cultures? Does it mean anything you don't want it to mean in other languages?
Are there any negative associations with the name?
Are there any trademarks associated with the name?
Is there availability online for the name? (e.g. domain, social media pages, etc.)
Following the brand name, you want to look at other visuals that will constitute your brand book: the logo, fonts, color palette, slogan) You want your brand visuals to be simple, sticky, memorable, sleek, and once again, representative of your brand identity!
Here are some questions you might ask when designing the brand book:
What best represents the mission, vision, and values of the company?
What fits into the brand story and identity?
Which colors best represent your brand?
Do your logo and fonts pass the squint test?
Does your logo resemble a design or gimmick?
What are some associations people make with the brand when they see your logo / fonts / color pallette? (e.g. Google's colorful logo might be associated with 'fun')
Is the brand collateral timeless?
Some great examples include the Apple logo, red color associated with Coca-Cola, Disneyland's famous tagline "Happiest Place on Earth", and Twitter's blue bird.
Congratulations on establishing what your business stands for! Next week, I will be back with a piece about understanding your potential customers - stay tuned!
Hi! I'm Merve. 👋 I help leaders build high performing teams, amplify their business impact, and advance their careers.
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