First 1,000 Users

Getting traction with early products feels paralyzing when advice columns throw dozens of tactics at founders without explaining which ones matter for their specific situation. A Show HN post works differently for developer tools than for mobile games, yet most resources treat all products the same way.

This resource solves that by structuring go-to-market guidance into six distinct stages, starting from idea validation and progressing through waitlist, private beta, launch, first 100 users, and first 1,000 users. Rather than overwhelming founders with a flat list of 50 tactics, it narrows recommendations by both stage and product type, allowing builders of web apps, mobile apps, browser extensions, developer tools, AI tools, open-source projects, marketplaces, newsletters, and games to find what actually applies to them.

The core contribution is clarity through filtering. Each of the 25 guides includes a fit assessment against product categories, explaining why certain approaches succeed or fail in specific contexts. A founder can answer "I'm building X" and "I'm at stage Y," and the interface immediately shows which tactics matter. This eliminates the mental load of sifting through irrelevant advice. Time estimates accompany each guide, ranging from under an hour to ongoing effort, so builders can prioritize based on capacity.

The guides themselves cover standard early-stage moves: problem interviews, keyword research, community listening, pre-sales, waitlist setup, building in public, directory listings, referral mechanics, cold outreach, beta recruitment, platform launches, and press outreach. The differentiation lies in sequencing and intelligent filtering. The resource acknowledges that a newsletter founder needs different early tactics than a marketplace operator and routes recommendations accordingly rather than treating all products as identical.

The resource is freely available with no account requirement and no email gating, removing friction for first-time visitors. This approach reflects the creator's belief that useful guidance should be accessible rather than walled off.

The main tradeoff is depth over breadth. At 25 guides, this functions as a starting framework rather than a comprehensive playbook, with each guide intentionally kept brief. Founders seeking detailed execution instructions for any single tactic must look elsewhere. But for the specific problem it targets—figuring out which plays matter at your current stage for your particular product—it delivers focused utility without noise.