First Money Stories

Most startups launch to silence.Nuri Otus launched DUO, an AI-powered matchmaking community built for real relationship outcomes without endless swiping. He expected a slow start. Instead, users showed up the same day. Nuri has been building companies since 1995. Multiple exits. Featured on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, the New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Time Magazine. He's worked with Fortune 1000 companies and high growth startups across his career. In this episode Nuri breaks down exactly how DUO got its first users, what made them come back, and what decades of building startups has taught him about getting traction when you are starting from scratch.What you'll learn:How DUO got its first users on launch day with almost no marketing budgetThe organic referral strategy that spread DUO from San Francisco all the way to FloridaWhat nearly 30 years of entrepreneurship teaches about surviving the early daysWhat keeps Nuri going when the first client feels impossible to landWhat Nuri would tell someone who has been trying to get their first client for months with nothing to show for itWhere to find DUO:Text “Sign me up” to 645.206.3419Visit tryduo.net to get started Want to be featured on First Money Stories?Email us at [email protected] us onYouTube: youtube.com/@FirstMoneyStories

Olin Hyde is one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs in the room. A 4x Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year regional semifinalist, Nvidia Global AI Challenge winner, and former CEO of LeadCrunch, a global AI B2B marketing company that grew revenues by 7,248% in 3 years to rank #2 on the Inc 5000 for marketing companies. Now he's building Trilight Defence, a business offering the safest way for companies to learn how to survive state-sponsored cyber attacks.In this conversation Olin pulls back the curtain on exactly how he thinks about landing first clients and why the same approach works every single time.If you've been struggling to get your first paying client, this is the episode that will change how you think about the entire process. In this episode you'll learn:Why Olin says getting your first client is actually the easy partThe trust formula he uses to win over even the most skeptical clientsHow he validated demand by talking to clients before he ever built the productWhy he never pitches and how listening gets him clients faster than any sales deckWhat 9 startups taught him about getting early traction from zeroThe one thing that separates fast growth companies from everyone elseWhy he says if you can be happy working for someone else, don't start a business Links to Trilight Defence:Website: https://www.trilight.sarl/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trilight-defence-sarl

Marino Merlini started a skincare company in 2024 with $20,000, no industry experience, and no guarantee it would work. Within 7 days of launching he had his first sales. Within a year he went from $30,000 a month to $400,000 a month: after one decision that changed everything.In this episode Marino breaks down the real story. The manufacturing disaster that almost wiped out $30,000 overnight. The six months of grinding with almost no traction. The moment everything changed. And exactly what he would do differently starting over from zero today. This is what building something actually looks like.In this conversation you will learn:How he validated his product before going all inWhat he did to get his first sales within 7 days of launchingThe one decision that took him from $30K to $400K a monthWhy most people fail in their first year and how to avoid itHow he uses AI to run and grow the businessWhat he would do in the first 7 days starting over from zero todayFind Clean + Kind:Website: https://shopcleankind.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqIAUzlJwF37RwVo61e5Ay7Erai-s7CUFhVgTNoU7hDYD2bCAmGInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopcleankind/TikTok: https://shopcleankind.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqIAUzlJwF37RwVo61e5Ay7Erai-s7CUFhVgTNoU7hDYD2bCAmGFirst Money Stories is where real founders break down how they went from zero to their first dollar and beyond

Nishat Uddin built a community of over 10,000 followers on Instagram before she ever charged anyone a single dollar. No product. No website. No business plan. Just consistent content and genuine relationships.Then she turned that community into paying clients.In this episode, Nishat breaks down exactly how she went from a simple Instagram post with zero followers to founding South Asian Care, a healthcare directory where providers pay a monthly or annual subscription to be listed.In this conversation you'll learn:How she built 10,000 followers starting with a free Canva postWhy she built the audience before the product and why that workedWhat she actually said to get her first paying clientsHow many people she reached out to before someone said yesWhat she would do differently in the first 7 days starting over todayIf you're trying to get your first paying client and you don't know where to start, this episode shows you a real path that actually worked.