Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
First paying customer
2–3 weeks
Sign your first customer who pays real money. Nobody has paid yet, so your offer and your ask must carry it. Don't use free trials or discounts to lower the bar. A full-price customer predicts a real business better. The buyer must match your target customer and owe you no personal favour.
Proof required
Submit payment evidence: a Stripe transaction, PayPal receipt, bank transfer or paid invoice. Add one paragraph on who the customer is; no full name needed. Say how you reached them and what they said they were paying for.
What gets checked
- The money actually moved. 'Payment pending' or 'invoice created' doesn't count.
- The customer's context shows they fit the target profile. 'My friend' or 'a person' doesn't count.
- The note names how you reached them. That channel is what you repeat for customers 2–10.
Common mistakes
- Counting family or close friends. Ask: would they have found and paid without knowing you?
- Giving it away free first. Free users aren't customers; charge from the first conversation.
- Waiting for them to offer. Ask directly: 'Can we start today at $X a month?'
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
Masteryfor the dedicated
What a verifier looks for
- Confirm a real transaction: a charge ID, confirmed PayPal payment or cleared transfer.
- Ask how this person found the product and what problem they paid to solve.
- Ask for the exact acquisition path. 'They just reached out' isn't an answer.
You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.
5 customers
3–4 weeks
Sign 5 distinct paying customers and find the pattern that's working. Going from 1 to 5 shows whether the first was luck or signal. Find the channel and message that produce customers reliably. Log where each customer heard about you and what they said when paying.
Proof required
Submit payment evidence for customers 2–5. Add a one-page log of where each of the 5 came from. Include what each said when agreeing to pay. Add a 50-word note on your best channel and why it works.
What gets checked
- Five separate people or organisations, each with its own payment. Repeat payments don't count.
- Each source is specific. 'Word of mouth' is too vague; 'referred by customer 1' works.
- The note names the top channel and a specific reason. 'Various channels' doesn't count.
Common mistakes
- Not tracking sources. Start the log at customer 1 and update it every time.
- Treating all customers as equal. Note which were easy to close and which took many follow-ups.
- Ignoring the nos. Keep a log of who declined and why.
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
Masteryfor the dedicated
What a verifier looks for
- Count unique customers in the payment evidence. Five payments from three customers doesn't pass.
- Check the log's sources are specific. Ask who referred customer 3 and expect a name.
- Ask which channel produced most customers and how they'll get more from it.
You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.
10 customers
8 weeks total (including milestones 1 and 2)
Close 10 paying customers in total, then write a post-mortem on selling. Answer three questions. What is the repeatable path to a paying customer? Who is the ideal customer, closing fastest and churning least? What do customers consistently say they pay for? These answers drive your messaging, product priorities and hiring.
Proof required
Submit payment evidence for all 10 customers and the updated acquisition log. Add a 200+ word post-mortem answering the three questions.
What gets checked
- Ten distinct paying customers. Customers who later cancelled count if they paid once.
- Each answer uses specific evidence from the log. 'Busy professionals' isn't an ideal customer profile.
- It names at least one channel or message that didn't work.
Common mistakes
- Treating 10 as the finish line. Say where customers 11–20 will come from.
- Ignoring churn. Flag every customer who cancelled and why.
- Handing sales to someone else. The founding team must win the first 10 personally.
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
Masteryfor the dedicated
What a verifier looks for
- Count 10 distinct emails or customer IDs. A second charge to the same customer doesn't add one.
- Ask how they found the ideal customer profile. Expect patterns from the log, not intuition.
- Ask how they'll win customers 11–20. Expect a specific channel, not 'keep doing what worked'.
You'll sign in first, then come straight back here.