The first year of a startup is usually the toughest, especially if you’re competing against large enterprise companies with deep pockets. That’s exactly what Daryna Kulya faced when she started OpenPhone with Mahyar Raissi. OpenPhone helps businesses get a business phone number without the headache of dealing with the bureaucracy of large telecom companies.

In this episode, learn exactly what Daryna did to acquire OpenPhone’s first 100 paying customers without spending a single dollar on ads and the best advice Paul Graham gave to Daryna her the OpenPhone team during their time at YCombinator.

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The biggest advantage of a 7-day trial is learning. We can learn much faster who is going to convert or cancel. – @darynakulya from @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full podcast episode 👇 Click To Tweet The best advice I got from @paulg is that you need to be able to communicate your value proposition in one brief sentence. – @darynakulya from @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full episode 👇 Click To Tweet When we became a paid product, we got better conversions and better feedback because people took us more seriously. – @darynakulya in the latest @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full episode 👇 Click To Tweet It's easier to get feedback before you have a product because people wouldn't think you're trying to sell them something. – @darynakulya in the latest @GrowthToday podcast. Get the full episode 👇 Click To Tweet

 

1. Be helpful and add value. That’s how you make sure you don’t come across as a salesperson. And nobody likes that traditional salesperson always pushing you to buy stuff. Figure out what’s in it for them and communicate that first.
   
2. Ask for feedback. But, when you do, follow-through with it. This builds trust and delight. Imagine giving feedback and they actually implement it. That’s amazing! That’s actually what happened with me. I found a bug with Transistor.fm, my podcast hosting. And they fixed it within three hours. I was amazed!
3. When you’re early-stage, optimize for learning and not “growth.” Daryna and her team implemented a 7-day trial because it gave them the opportunity to learn as quickly as possible who was going to be their best customers. They also got better feedback because they’re listening to paying customers, versus users who just want free stuff.