First ten customers: ShowScore 0.1.1 beta
Status: Beta · demand unproven. Post-show math only. Nothing is uploaded.
Target: independent US craft-fair, farmers-market and pop-up vendors who work 5–30 shows a year. Not wholesale reps, not fair organizers as buyers — organizers are a channel, not the customer. The vendor is still deciding next season by gut.
Outreach for the kit buyer: individual, relevant, truthful, brand-only, non-spam, no bulk, clear opt-out. One honest message beats fifty clever ones.
Channel 1 — Craft-fair organizers (highest trust)
Organizers hear "was it worth it?" every season. Ask (don't pitch) whether their vendors get anything that helps them decide on rebooking. Offer the free pilot as something the organizer can pass to vendors — the organizer's endorsement does the selling.
"Hi {name} — I built ShowScore, a free beta tool that scores a vendor's
worked shows (profit, profit/hour vs. their own target) and produces a
rebook list for next season. Post-show math only; nothing is uploaded. I'm
running three free pilots with {fair/region} vendors this season and would
love your eye on it — happy to share the demo and take honest feedback. No
pitch, no cost. Want the link?"
Channel 2 — Vendor-group admins (Facebook groups, Discords)
Find "craft fair vendors [state]", "market vendor tips", "handmade market sellers" groups. Don't pitch on day one: answer two admin/bookkeeping questions helpfully, then offer the pilot:
"I build a post-show scorecard for market vendors — enter what each show
cost and earned, get a grade and a rebook verdict for next season. Free,
no account, nothing uploaded. I'm looking for 3 vendors to try it free
this season in exchange for honest feedback. DM me if your rebooking
decisions are still gut feeling and group chat."
Channel 3 — Fair-season wrap-up moments
Vendors talk numbers right after a show. Comment helpfully on "was this fair worth it?" threads with the actual math a vendor should run (booth + travel + hours vs. revenue), then mention the free pilot once. Never spam; one measured comment.
Channel 4 — Etsy workbook reviewers
Etsy sellers move ~$27 show-economics workbooks; their reviewers are buyers who already pay for show math. Filter reviews mentioning post-show tracking or season planning. Angle: "the workbook is the before; this is the after — a grade and a rebook verdict per show, free for the first three vendors."
Channel 5 — Your first three, free
The first 3 vendors are free pilots (see START-HERE.md step 4 and PILOT.md). Their payment: honest feedback and one referral each. Convert to $79 setup only after the pilot season, only if they'd genuinely pay.
Outreach script (text/DM/email)
Hi {name} — I saw your post about {fair/show/season planning}. I built
ShowScore, a free beta that scores the shows a market vendor already
worked: profit, profit/hour against your own target, a grade, and a rebook
verdict for next season. Post-show math only — no account, nothing is
uploaded, and I'm labeling it beta because demand is unproven. I'm giving 3
vendors a free season pilot to prove it works — want one of the spots?
Always include a clear opt-out ("ignore this if it's not useful — no hard feelings") and never message the same person twice about it. Run outreach from a business address (never a personal one) and sign with the business name, never your personal identity.
Follow-up cadence
Day 4: one nudge. Day 12: close the loop ("spots are filled / closing this week"). Never more than two touches per vendor. Track every conversation in a simple sheet: name, channel, date, response, pilot yes/no, converted yes/no.
What success looks like
10 conversations → 3 pilots → 1–2 paying vendors = the hypothesis survives. 10 conversations → 0 pilots = the wedge is wrong; re-scope (different vendor segment, different output) instead of pushing harder. Vendors scoring 2+ shows and downloading the rebook list is the demand signal; everything else is noise.