First 1000 · Research from the trenches
Useful notes for finding your first customers.
Original research, concise summaries, and practical lessons from building products and studying how companies grow.
TL;DR · Updated September 18, 2026
How Uber got its first customers
Uber's early acquisition, checked against its 2010–2011 announcements: friends, demos, ride credits, referrals, and the supply problems behind growth.
Read the note →TL;DR · Updated September 18, 2026
TL;DR: 53 Ideas to Get Your First Customers
The short version of Ali Abouelatta's guide to finding your first users, with the pattern underneath all 53 ideas.
Read the note →TL;DR · Updated September 18, 2026
How Stripe recruited its earliest customers
Stripe’s early growth was less about a secret channel and more about aggressive installation, a narrow wedge, and unusually direct feedback.
Read the note →TL;DR · Updated September 18, 2026
TL;DR: Uber, Snapchat, and Walmart Preselected Annual Plans
A short summary of the annual-plan experiments Ali Abouelatta observed across Uber One, Snapchat+, and Walmart+ in 2023.
Read the note →TL;DR · Updated September 18, 2026
TL;DR: 12 Go-To-Market Motions from 100 Unicorns
The short version of Ali Abouelatta’s GTM flowchart: choose the motion based on intent, alternatives, market maturity, and product complexity.
Read the note →