Most startup advice tells you to "try everything." That's a trap.

Before $100K ARR, you don't have the team or budget to run 8 channels. You need 1-2 that compound. Here's what I've seen work repeatedly:

1. Cold outbound (but personal)

Not spray-and-pray. I'm talking 20 hyper-targeted DMs a day on LinkedIn/Twitter to your ICP. No templates — reference their content, their company, their problem. Response rates: 15-25%.

2. Content that solves one specific problem

Forget thought leadership. Write the post that answers the exact Google search your customer types at 2am. One deep piece per week > 5 shallow ones.

3. Community-led growth

Join 3 communities where your buyers hang out. Add value for 30 days before you ever mention your product. Then, when you do — they already trust you.

The meta-lesson: at this stage, you're not optimizing funnels. You're having conversations. Every customer is a case study. Every conversation teaches you positioning.

I break down frameworks like this weekly inside MarketMind. If you're a founder trying to crack your first growth channels — come hang.