First $1k MRR

A decision tree for builders. Stop guessing. Start deciding.

The Math

$1,000/month requires:

10
customers @ $100/mo
20
customers @ $50/mo
40
customers @ $25/mo

That's it. Not thousands of users. Not viral growth. 10-40 people who value what you built.

?

Where are you?

Start here to find your path

▶

Do you have something built?

No, nothing yet
Go to Section A: Validate before building
Yes, but no paying customers
Go to Section B: Get your first sale
Yes, with some customers (under $1k)
Go to Section C: Scale to $1k
A

Nothing Built Yet

Validate before you write code

▶

Have you talked to 5+ potential customers about their problem?

No

STOP BUILDING. START TALKING.

Action

Find 5 people with the problem you want to solve. Ask:

  • "What's the hardest part about [problem]?"
  • "What have you tried?"
  • "Would you pay $X/mo if something solved this?"

Do this before writing any code.

Yes, talked to 5+

Did 3+ say they'd pay for a solution?

Yes: Build the smallest thing that solves the core problem. One feature. One week max. Ugly is fine.

No: Wrong problem or wrong audience. Try different audience (same problem) or different problem (same audience).

B

Built, No Paying Customers

Distribution and sales problems

▶

Have you asked anyone to pay?

No, haven't asked

THIS IS THE PROBLEM.

You're not getting rejected. You're not asking.

Action: Contact 10 people TODAY

Script: "I built [X] that solves [Y]. It's $[Z]/mo. Want to try it?"

  • DM people who complained about the problem on Twitter
  • Email people from your customer conversations
  • Post in communities where your customers hang out
Yes, asked but no sales

What's the objection?

"Too expensive"
Test: Offer 50% discount to next 3 prospects. If still no buy, price isn't the problem - value isn't clear.

"Doesn't solve my problem"
Ask: "What WOULD solve your problem?" If small change, make it. If big change, wrong audience or product.

"Need to think about it"
This means no. Ask: "What would need to be true for this to be a yes?"

"Don't trust this"
Offer free trial, show testimonials, money-back guarantee, build in public.

Asked, got interest, they ghost

Follow up. Most sales happen on follow-up 2-5.

  • Day 1: Initial ask
  • Day 3: "Hey, any questions about [product]?"
  • Day 7: "Checking in - still interested in solving [problem]?"
  • Day 14: "Last follow-up. Here if you need [solution]."

Not pushy. Persistent. There's a difference.

C

Have Customers, Under $1k

Scale and pricing problems

▶

How many paying customers?

1-3 customers

You've proven someone will pay. Now prove it's repeatable.

Ask your customers:

  • "Why did you buy?"
  • "Where do you hang out online?"
  • "Who else has this problem?"

Their answers are your marketing strategy. Find 10 more people exactly like them.

4-10 customers

You're close. Do the math:

Current MRR = [customers] x [price]

Need more customers? Double down on what's working. Where did your last 3 come from? Do more of that.

Price too low? See below.

10+ customers but under $1k

YOUR PRICE IS TOO LOW.

10+ customers and not at $1k MRR means you're charging less than $100/mo.

Raise your prices

  • New customers: new price immediately
  • Existing: grandfather or raise with notice
  • Test: Raise price 50% for next 10 prospects

"But I'll lose customers!" - Some will leave. The ones who stay value it more. You need fewer customers at higher prices.

$

Pricing Check

You're probably charging too little

▶

What are you charging?

Less than $20/mo

Too low. At $20/mo you need 50 customers for $1k MRR. Support will eat you alive. Raise to minimum $49/mo or find a different market.

$20-49/mo

Acceptable for prosumer/creator tools. You need 20-50 customers. Doable but tight. Consider adding a $99+ tier for power users.

$50-99/mo

Good range. You need 10-20 customers. Very achievable with focused effort.

$100+/mo

Solid. You need fewer than 10 customers. If you can't find 10 people to pay $100/mo for real value, the problem is positioning or distribution, not price.

!

Speed Check

You're probably moving too slow

▶

How long have you been working on this?

Less than 1 month

Good. Keep moving.

  • Week 1: Build and ship v1
  • Week 2: Get in front of 20 potential customers
  • Week 3: First paying customer
  • Week 4: 3-5 customers
1-3 months

You should have paying customers by now.

If you don't: Stop building features. Start selling. The next line of code should be AFTER someone pays you.

3+ months, no/few customers

Something is fundamentally wrong.

Hard questions:

  • Are you avoiding sales because building is comfortable?
  • Is there actually a market? (Paying customers = market)
  • Are you the right person? (Do you have access to customers?)
  • Are you attached to the idea more than the outcome?

The Uncomfortable Truth

Most people who don't hit $1k MRR fail for one of three reasons:

1. They don't ask for money

Building feels safe. Selling feels vulnerable. But nobody will pay you if you don't ask.

2. They build for themselves, not customers

"I needed this" isn't validation. Other people paying for it is validation.

3. They quit before the math works

10-40 customers takes time. Most quit after 10 rejections. The ones who win keep going to 100 asks.

What's your ONE next action?

Based on where you are in this tree, write it down. Do it today.

Not tomorrow. Today.