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met an amazing YC founder yesterday. @davj. founder of fondo. YC W18. doing well above $10M ARR. helping startups with bookkeeping, taxes, and tax credits. got me thinking about how i’d find customers for a business like his. because almost every startup needs what he sells. so where do you start? i’d look for founders interacting with stories about problems they want to avoid. > a founder sharing how they missed a tax deadline. > another explaining how messy books delayed their fundraise. > someone breaking down an expensive mistake they made with startup taxes. then look at who’s interacting. > the founders commenting. > the founders asking questions. > the founders reacting. and those conversations happen under more than founder stories. > an accountant posting about an upcoming tax deadline. > a lawyer explaining what founders need to file after incorporating. > a competitor sharing a customer story or answering a bookkeeping question. i’d look at their engagement too. because someone engaging with a competitor’s content could be researching solutions, comparing providers, or already using one. worth checking. worth starting a conversation. then i’d run the same play on content from fondo’s founder and team. > post stories founders recognize. > the deadline someone nearly missed. > the bookkeeping mistake that took days to untangle. > the question that keeps coming up on customer calls. then identify the founders who interact. the content helps you find people and the outreach starts a broader conversation about their business. my message would be: “hey [name], how are you handling accounting at [company] today? any questions we could help with?” or, when there’s a relevant customer connection: “hey [name], we work with [customer A] and [customer B]. you might know them. anything on the accounting side we could help your team with?” use actual customers they’re likely to recognize. - same stage. - same industry. - same founder community. give them a reason to trust you and an easy way to reply. if they say “we’re happy with our accountant,” move on. if they say “actually, we’re trying to figure out our tax filings,” there’s a conversation worth having. if they’re already using a competitor, ask how it’s going. - maybe they’re happy. - maybe they’ve been waiting weeks for an answer. let them tell you. here’s the playbook: step 1: find founder stories about tax and bookkeeping problems. step 2: find lawyers and accountants posting about relevant deadlines and obligations. step 3: look at who engages with competing providers and their teams. step 4: use @GojiBerryAI to surface those people and qualify them against your customer profile. step 5: reach out with a useful offer to help. bring in recognizable customers when relevant. step 6: publish similar content through your own founder and team, then follow up with qualified people who interact. if almost everyone in your market needs what you sell, useful content gives them a reason to show up. > your content. > an expert’s content. > a competitor’s content. find the right people in those conversations. ask how you can help. go close some deals!