Nomiki Petrolla

October 19, 2025

How Do I Find My First 100 Customers?

Theanna founder Nomiki Petrolla shares a step-by-step plan to get your first 100 customers. Learn how Build Mode helps women founders launch faster, validate demand, and turn ideas into revenue.

Why the First 100 Customers Matter More Than the Next 1,000

The hardest milestone in any startup isn’t scaling — it’s starting.

Your first 100 customers are everything. They give you validation, data, and momentum. They shape your product more than any investor ever could.

But here’s the truth: they won’t appear magically. You have to earn them — through clarity, consistency, and community.

That’s why inside Theanna, we built frameworks to make this process faster and smarter.

In Build Mode, founders can see exactly what to do next to reach early traction — with daily check-ins, conversion tracking, and AI-powered insights that guide them to their first paying users.

Where Do My First Customers Even Come From?

Spoiler: not from ads.

Your first 100 customers come from conversation, not conversion campaigns.

At Theanna, we call this the “Human Beta” phase — using relationships, curiosity, and proof instead of paid traffic.

Start here:

  • Talk to people in your target audience directly — DM, email, or Zoom.
  • Share early versions of your product with people who already trust you.
  • Use your personal network to learn faster, not just sell faster.

💬 “The best founders treat their first 100 customers like research partners, not transactions,” Nomiki says. “That mindset builds retention from day one.”

How Theanna’s Build Mode Helps You Reach Traction Faster

Inside Build Mode, Theanna tracks your entire journey from idea to first 100 customers using milestones and AI-powered insights.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Launch to Learn

    You’ll use Theanna’s Customer Discovery Framework to identify who your ideal user is, what they care about, and how they describe their pain point.

  2. Build Visibility

    You’ll create a mini launch page using our pre-built templates or our partner Lovable — a no-code tool that lets founders publish their MVP in days.

  3. Early Outreach

    Theanna’s AI helps you craft personalized DMs and outreach emails based on your user persona and industry.

    You log your outreach attempts inside Build Mode, and the system will formulate your next steps.

  4. Revenue Proof

    When you land your first 10–20 paying users, Build Mode tracks those metrics and unlocks your next milestone, get to $10k MRR.

This structure gives founders focus. No guessing. No wasted motion.

How Do I Find the Right 100 Customers — Not Just Any 100?

Not all customers are equal. Your early users should represent the core persona you’ll serve long-term.

Inside Theanna, we use the Customer Fit Pyramid:

  1. Top: Your “dream users” — people with the exact pain you solve
  2. Middle: Adjacent audiences — interested but not desperate
  3. Bottom: Curious but misaligned

Focus your first 100 on that top layer.

If you can make them successful, scaling becomes simple — because their results become your marketing.

💬 “The first 100 aren’t just customers — they’re your case studies,” Nomiki says.

What Should I Actually Do to Get Those Customers?

Here’s a step-by-step roadmap founders follow inside Build Mode:

1️⃣ Announce Your Idea Publicly

Use your social platforms, email list, or a small community to share what you’re building.

Ask for early testers — people love to help shape something new.

2️⃣ Create a Simple Offer

Define a clear transformation (“I help [who] do [what] with [solution]”). Keep it focused on one promise.

Build Mode gives you messaging templates to tighten this into one sentence.

3️⃣ Talk to 100 People

Literally. DM or email 100 people who fit your ideal user profile.

Track each one in Theanna’s Customer Tracker to see how many convert, reply, or refer others.

4️⃣ Collect Testimonials Early

Even before you hit 100, record short feedback quotes or videos.

You’ll use them later for credibility — and Build Mode helps you store and tag each one.

5️⃣ Iterate Weekly

At the end of each week, Theanna’s AI will help you calculate traction:

  • Conversion %
  • Common objections
  • Recommendations for next week’s focus

It’s like having a growth coach built into your dashboard.

How Do I Turn Those First 10 Customers Into 100?

Momentum multiplies through systems, not luck.

Here’s how Theanna founders scale their traction:

  • Referrals: Build a simple referral loop. Theanna offers templates for “Invite 3 friends, get 1 free month.”
  • Visibility: Use Theanna’s built-in PR framework to pitch podcasts, founder features, or LinkedIn posts.
  • Partnerships: Collaborate with another startup or community targeting the same audience.
  • Automation: Connect your waitlist, CRM, and email system inside Build Mode to track every touchpoint automatically.

💬 “You don’t need a big audience — you need a clear system,” says Nomiki. “Our founders scale by repeating what works, not reinventing it.”

What If I’m Scared to Sell?

You’re not alone — 8 out of 10 founders in Theanna admit that early sales felt awkward at first.

That’s why Build Mode reframes selling as helping.

You’re not pitching — you’re offering a solution to someone who’s actively struggling.

Theanna’s frameworks give daily prompts to rewrite limiting beliefs, practice founder language, and turn objections into insights.

The more you talk about your work, the easier it gets — and Build Mode keeps you accountable.

When Do I Know I’ve Hit Real Traction?

You’ll know when you stop chasing and start attracting.

In Theanna, that moment shows up in your metrics dashboard:

✅ consistent conversion rates
✅ organic referrals
✅ customers repeating your messaging back to you

That’s when you move from validation to growth — and your next milestone unlocks automatically: Scale to $5K MRR.

“The data doesn’t lie,” Nomiki says. “When Build Mode lights up your traction score, you’ve proven your model works.”

Final Thoughts: Traction Isn’t a Mystery — It’s a Milestone

Getting your first 100 customers isn’t luck, it’s structured execution.

When you work inside Theanna, every task, check-in, and outreach message moves you closer to that milestone — with proof at every step.

The founders who reach it fastest are the ones who:

  1. Validate first,
  2. Show up consistently, and
  3. Use systems that make data visible.

👉 Join Theanna and activate Build Mode to get frameworks, AI insights, and step-by-step traction milestones that take you from idea → launch → your first 100 customers — without guessing or grinding alone.