Forget unicorns! For those of us that don’t live anywhere near Sand Hill Road, these are things so rare that they may as well be fictional. Besides they can only survive with the magic beans of Sandhill road and wouldn’t have survived on a silly thing called generated revenue which unfortunately is the natural diet of young start uppers .
Sadly though in tech circles, the market idolize unicorns, acquisitions, and rocket-ship growth. Open Twitter or LinkedIn, and you’ll see flashy MRR screenshots, “launch in 24 hours” stories, and SaaS founders celebrating big milestones. But on the ground — in the real trenches of SaaS building — progress rarely looks like that.
The truth? Most SaaS founders spend months or even years tweaking, launching, pivoting, and sometimes failing before seeing any traction. And for many, the most meaningful moment isn’t when they hit $10K MRR or close a funding round. I’ve been thinking on this these last few weeks as we start introducing 2 new products. To me, it isn’t about the revenue in itself, its about the validation that first sale gives you and perhaps just as importantly, the knowledge you extract from it. When I started nearly 20 years ago I spent 6 months in the spare bedroom coding. After 3 pivots, and imposter syndrome, I made my first sale. I almost burst with euphoria. It wasn’t about the money — it was about finally connecting with a real need.
The Hidden Truth Behind the First Sale
Getting that first sale feels like crossing a finish line — but in reality, it’s the starting line of real discovery.
Most founders interpret the first payment as validation of their pricing, positioning, or feature set. But that assumption can be dangerously misleading. The sale proves someone saw value — but not necessarily for the reasons you think.
A customer might have bought it to solve a completely different problem than you intended. That’s why the first sale is the moment to lean in and ask why.
“You don’t know what you’re selling until someone pays — and tells you why they did.”
The takeaway? Your first customers are more than validation — they’re your most valuable research subjects. Talk to them. Ask:
- What problem were they trying to solve?
- What made them trust you?
- What other options were they considering?
- What do they wish your product did better?
Record your answers and A/B test your marketing.
Often, the real product-market fit lies hidden just beneath your assumptions. And you only find it if you’re humble enough to admit: I might not fully understand why they bought this.
The Long Road to First Revenue
The first dollar in SaaS doesn’t just take effort — it takes resilience. While founders often begin with enthusiasm and optimism, reality quickly sets in: validation takes time, building MVPs is never as “minimum” as you expect, and acquisition is a grind. I launched my first solution thinking I’d be profitable in three months. It took 6 months development to get a single paying user. I’d nearly quit twice.
This isn’t a failure — it’s the norm. In fact, many founders that I talked to mention 4-6 failed projects before finding the one that sticks and it was the same for me. That’s not wasted time. Every failure sharpens your instincts, improves your understanding of user needs, and teaches product-market fit better than any book.
What separates those sticky ideas from those that fall?
They don’t just “keep going.” They learn relentlessly. They ship faster, validate earlier, niche deeper, and listen harder. What separates sticky ideas from those that fall flat is often how well the creator integrates early feedback into their product’s evolution. It’s not just about listening — it’s about being willing to let go of your original assumptions and shape the idea around what people are actually responding to. Many products start out solving one problem, only to gain traction for an entirely different reason. When founders actively follow up on that first sale, dig into the customer’s real motivations, and iterate based on why it worked rather than why they thought it worked, the idea becomes more aligned with genuine market demand — and far more likely to stick.
Why the First Win Is So Transformative
As long as the feedback is sought that first sale — whether it’s $5 or $500 — is a validation of a vision. It says: your work matters to someone. And in the early days, that’s fuel for months. I checked my Stripe dashboard every morning for weeks. The day it finally said ‘$900 from John in Chicago’ I felt like I’d won the lottery.
These small wins are psychologically huge. In a game full of delayed gratification, they’re your first taste of proof.
And it’s not just the first sale. All sales, especially those direct sales need to be investigated. They could be:
- A user emailing to say your app saved them hours
- Someone referring a friend organically
- A churned user who returns
All of these are invaluable nuggets that, if used right, can lead to many more. Each sale marks an opportunity. Re-invest that knowledge into your revenue plan and then each sale will become a signal to whether you that you’re on the right track.
For those of you starting out. Download our free interactive demo tool to help you build out your message. Check out Demogo.com
