

Ask HN: How do you get the first businesses on your marketplace? - earlyriser

How a site like AirBnB or Foodzie or Etsy get the first 10000 listings? Now they are well know sites, but in the beginning, the first year...<p>-what is the approach of sites like these to contact businesses/sellers and get them onboard?
-by phone, email, letters...?
-which kind of profile the person who contacts them needs to have?<p>Feel free to add anything to enrich this question and share your war stories.
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gaustin
I would put my own stuff up. AirBnB? Rent out your room, find friends and
family that have a room to rent. Etsy? Sell your own crafts. App market place?
Sell your own apps there, and give other early adopter publishers a more
favorable cut than the competitors.

You have to hustle and make sales. Make warm calls. Make cold calls. Start
building an email list through your blog. Engage people who make the things
you want to sell in your market.

And that's only half of it. You also have to get the right consumers shopping
in your market.

I don't know who said it first but I like this: "Resourcefulness not
Resources"

