Mastering the First 100 Users: Essential Metrics to Track and Common Pitfalls to Ignore

So, you’ve shipped your MVP. Maybe it’s duct-taped together. Maybe it’s beautiful. Either way, the next real test begins: getting your first 100 users. This is the messy, raw, deeply uncomfortable phase that separates builders from founders.

Your first 100 users aren’t just numbers on a dashboard. They’re your co-designers. Your first feedback loop. Your frontline signal of whether what you’ve built is actually solving a problem. But the question is: what exactly should you be tracking at this stage? And what metrics are just noise?

Let’s dive in.

First, Understand the Game You're Playing

This isn’t a scale game. It’s a signal game.

At this stage, you’re not optimizing for growth. You’re optimizing for insight. Every user who signs up (or bounces) is telling you something. But if you’re looking at the wrong metrics, you’ll miss the message.

So ask yourself:

• Are people coming back?

• Are they getting value without your handholding?

• Are they telling others about it?

If the answer to all three is yes, you’re on to something.

Metrics That Actually Matter with your first 100 users

1. Activation Rate

Activation is the moment your user gets value from your product.

Not just signs up. Not just logs in. But gets actual value.

For example, in a wellness app, activation could mean:

• Completing their first meditation

• Booking a session with a practitioner

• Logging their first habit

Whatever it is, define it, measure it, and obsess over it.

"If they don’t get value, they won’t come back. Simple."

2. Engagement (DAU/WAU/MAU)

Don't let acronyms scare you.

• DAU = Daily Active Users

• WAU = Weekly Active Users

• MAU = Monthly Active Users

Track these based on the nature of your product. A journaling app might be weekly. A messaging tool, daily.

Also: how often are they returning without a push notification or email reminder?

3. Retention Cohorts

Are users sticking around?

Look at Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30 retention. Are users coming back naturally? If not, you don’t have a product problem—you have a value delivery problem.

Try this:

• Export your cohort data

• Plot it on a simple Excel graph

• Look for flat lines after initial drop

That flatness? That’s magic. That’s your early sign of product-market fit.

4. Qualitative Feedback

Not everything worth tracking is a number.

Get on calls. Send surveys. Ask open-ended questions like:

• "What did you expect this product to do?"

• "What’s the most frustrating thing about using it?"

• "How would you feel if you couldn’t use this anymore?"

Pro tip: don’t outsource this. As a founder, these calls will teach you more than any analytics dashboard.

5. Referral Behavior

Are people sharing it? Are they sending your link to friends? Are they talking about it online?

Even one unsolicited tweet, one email forward, or one WhatsApp message counts. This is proof that your product is solving a problem worth talking about.

Metrics You Can Ignore (For Now)

1. Vanity Metrics

Big numbers. Low value.

• Total downloads

• Page views

• Instagram likes

These make you feel good. But they don’t tell you if the product is working. Ignore them. Or at least, don’t optimize for them.

2. Social Media Followers

Yes, brand building is important. But in the early days, don’t confuse an audience with traction.

You’re not running a media company. You’re validating a product.

Would you rather have 500 followers and 5 paying users, or 50 followers and 20?

Exactly.

3. Raw Traffic Numbers

"We got 10,000 visits!" Cool. Did anyone sign up? Did they come back? Did they even understand what you’re offering?

Traffic without context is useless. Focus on conversion, not just discovery.

CAC and LTV: A Note of Caution

Yes, Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Lifetime Value (LTV) are important. But early on, they can mislead.

You haven’t optimized your funnel yet. Your CAC will likely be high. Your LTV is hypothetical.

Instead, look at payback period:

• How long until the revenue from a user covers the cost to acquire them?

• Can you bring that to 30-60 days?

That’s more actionable in the early days.

Optimize Through Learning Loops

1. A/B Testing for Early Clarity

Test landing pages, CTAs, email subject lines.

But keep the scope tight. You're not Amazon. You're learning.

2. Iterate Fast, But Don’t Panic

Not every user dropout means failure. Look for patterns, not individual freak-outs.

Use this mental model:

• 1 complaint = observation

• 3 complaints = friction

• 10 complaints = problem

3. Build Publicly, Learn Loudly

Share learnings. Build in public. Show behind-the-scenes.

You’ll build credibility, attract early believers, and maybe even your next hire.

Build a Community, Not Just a User Base

People stay for value. But they return for belonging.

Start a Telegram group, a private Discord, a weekly Zoom AMA. Create space where your early users can talk to each other, not just to you.

This isn't just retention. It's relationship-building.

Closing Thoughts: The Power of 100

The first 100 users will feel small. Messy. Sometimes demoralizing. But if you're watching the right signals and ignoring the noise, you’ll build a foundation few startups get right.

So next time you log in to your dashboard, ask:

• Are users activating?

• Are they coming back?

• Are they talking to me?

• Are they telling their friends?

If yes, keep going. If no, dig in.

Because these first 100 users are not your MVP’s success metric—they’re your company’s origin story.

If you like this approach and want to talk more about what you are building, write to me: karthiksake@growthnursery.com