Jared Siegal got his first customers by giving his product away for free—then converted every single one of them to paying subscribers in four months. In this episode, early-stage B2B SaaS founders will learn how to acquire first customers without spending on sales or marketing.
Jared breaks down exactly how he turned 30 consulting clients into his first customers using a "Trojan Horse" strategy. You will learn how to borrow resources from clients to build your MVP, why giving your SaaS away for free creates unbreakable stickiness, and the negotiation leverage that comes from being profitable before raising capital.
In this episode, Jared also shares the "Disney World strategy" that creates client loyalty beyond contracts—some of his first customers have literally written him into their wills.
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🔑 Key Lessons
- 🎯 Get First Customers by Giving Your Product Away: Jared gave his SaaS away for free for six months, making clients completely dependent on his tech—100% converted when he started charging.
- 💰 Use Consulting Revenue to Fund First Customers: Jared used $2M/year in consulting revenue as his own VC fund—no investors, no dilution while acquiring his first customers.
- 🛠️ Borrow Resources from First Customers: Jared got a client's engineer for free for six weeks by aligning incentives: "If this works, you save money."
- 📈 Be Profitable Before Raising Capital: Jared waited until $5M ARR to raise his Series A. His advice: "If you're profitable, you control the negotiation."
- 🤝 Build Relationships That Transcend Business: The "Disney World strategy"—annual trips with clients—creates loyalty that goes beyond contracts.
- 🧠 Let Go to Scale: A forced two-week vacation taught Jared the company could run without him—essential for scaling beyond founder-led operations.
Chapters
- Introduction & The "Luke Bryan" Quote
- From Employee to Scrappy Consultant
- Three Acquisition Offers in One Month
- Borrowing a Client's Engineer to Build the MVP
- The Deep Client Relationships: "I'm in Their Wills"
- Converting First Customers: From Free to Paid SaaS
- Hitting $1M ARR in Four Months
- The Pain of Bootstrapping & Personal Financial Risk
- Why You Should Be Profitable Before Raising VC
- Cold Emailing VCs: 100% Response Rate Strategy
- Growing Without Sales or Marketing
- The "Disney World" Client Retention Strategy
- Transitioning from Sales-Led to Product-Led
- Letting Go: How a Forced Vacation Saved the CEO
- Lightning Round
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