Article

When Sales Isn't Just Selling: Advice for Founders in Early Markets

Martin Casado · Andreessen Horowitz Free Intermediate

Early sales is not about volume, it is about finding the few customers who want your vision badly enough to bet on an unproven product. This piece explains why the founder is the most effective salesperson at the start and what that selling actually looks like. It also names the trap of staying founder-led too long, so you know what you are aiming at and when it changes.

  • Look for the few strategically aligned customers, not a big pile of lukewarm ones
  • Customers want to talk to a founder, use that instead of hiding behind a rep
  • Personally close ten to twenty deals before you hire your first salesperson
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The question it answers

  1. What are the biggest mistakes founders make trying to land their first customers that I should avoid?

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