How to landing your first client as a solo software agency
Jan 23, 2025How to Land Your First Client as a Solo Software Agency
When I started my journey building a software agency, I did what everyone else was doing - grinding away on LinkedIn, sending cold DMs, and burning money on Facebook ads. I even built side-projects and prototypes thinking potential clients would flock to it. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.
Here’s what actually worked: joining and actively participating in tech communities.
The Traditional Route (That Didn’t Work)
LinkedIn was a time sink. I spent hours crafting the perfect profile, writing posts, and sending carefully worded messages. For every 100 DMs, maybe 2-3 people would respond, and those conversations rarely led anywhere meaningful.
Facebook ads? That was just throwing money into a void. Sure, I got some clicks to my MVP cost calculator, but zero actual clients. People weren’t ready to trust a stranger with their software projects just because they saw an ad.
The Better Way: Community First
Everything changed when I started hanging out in Slack and Discord communities where founders and tech leaders actually spend their time. Not to pitch - just to help and connect.
I joined channels focused on specific tech stacks, startup communities, and founder groups. Instead of selling, I answered questions, shared experiences, and became known as the “dev agency guy” who actually knew his stuff.
The key differences:
- Trust is already built into these communities
- People can see your expertise in action through your discussions
- Referrals happen naturally
- You learn what clients really need, not what you think they need
My first real client? They reached out after seeing me help someone else debug a nasty React issue in a tech Slack channel. No pitching required.
The Strategy That Works:
- Find 3-5 active communities in your target market
- Show up consistently and help others
- Share your experiences (not services)
- Let your expertise speak for itself
Here’s a list of communities I frequently use.
Today at 500K Agency, we still get most of our best clients through community connections and referrals. It’s slower than aggressive outbound tactics, but it builds a foundation that lasts.
Remember: Your first client isn’t just about the money - it’s about starting a reputation that will bring you the next ten clients.
I learned many things on the way to making $500k/y, things that every developer turned agency founder should know and have in the their tool belt.
It took me a long time to realize that being good at selling is really just having the thick skin to repeatedly try new ways to become a more likeable person, while being repeatedly told no.
I spent hundreds of hours over 3 months, 120 interviews, and a decade and half of my agency and software development experience to create the Practical guide to building a $500K/Year Solo Dev Agency playbook.
Join 400 readers and agency owners who've used my playbook to boost their existing revenue.