Article · ~15 min read

How we got our first 1,000 users

James Hawkins · PostHog Free Intermediate

This is the open-source-as-growth playbook told by a founder who lived it, aimed at products where developers are the users. Hawkins explains why they chose an open, self-hostable, transparent product to win trust as unknown founders in a crowded space, and how roughly 70 percent of early growth came from recommendations. Read it if open-sourcing is genuinely on the table, because it shows the payoff and the work involved.

  • Open source and transparency built trust that let unknown founders break into a crowded market
  • Have a plan to reach your first users before you build, not after
  • Optimize early for learning and repeat usage, not raw signups or revenue
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The question it answers

  1. Should I open-source my MVP or build in public to get early users, or does that just help competitors copy me?

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