Startup marketing pain points founders post on Reddit
76 startup marketing pain points from 80 Reddit posts between Oct 21, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. The most common themes are Customers and marketing (97.4%), Tools and software and Other topics. Customers and marketing is 74 problems (97.4%), Tools and software is 1 problems (1.3%). The other 1 titles do not match those keyword groups. Each problem below links to the threads, and 6 of them already have a business idea with an MVP, pricing and competition. We pull from a growing list of subreddits every day, so this page updates daily. The list is deduped across the daily rankings from Oct 21, 2026 to Oct 27, 2026 and sorted by best ranking score.
- 76 problems
- 6 with a business idea
- Newest Oct 27, 2026
Customers and marketing (74)
- Need More Customers? Don't Ignore These Platforms Small Business · score 11.0 · asked 2 times r/smallbusiness · r/smallbusiness
- How to Get First B2C SAAS Customers? Small Business · score 8.0 · asked 2 times r/SaaS
- UPDATE: Got a complaint today because my employee ‘told off’ a customer for sitting without ordering. Need adv Small Business · score 6.8 · asked 2 times r/smallbusiness ShopPolicy Kit
- Launched a small web & studio with 0 clients. What would you do first? Small Business · score 6.0 · asked 2 times r/smallbusiness First 10 Clients
- All users come from SEO, shall i focus on google ads? I will not promote Small Business · score 10.1 · asked 1 time r/startups
- As a Customer, do you mind the type of music a salon is playing? Small Business · score 9.4 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- Indie hackers, how are you finding your first customers? Small Business · score 9.3 · asked 1 time r/microsaas
- Am I the only one who hates having to book a sales call just to see what a SaaS product actually does? Small Business · score 9.2 · asked 1 time r/SaaS Price Unlocked
- 2k mrr, no ads, just me. what actually got it there Small Business · score 9.0 · asked 1 time r/microsaas
- So i realized making a tool is easy but now im stuck in damn marketing Small Business · score 8.9 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- How are you guys using a marketing automation product demo? Small Business · score 8.8 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- We've spent 18 months building a B2B SaaS. How did you find your first customers? Small Business · score 8.8 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- Small business owners who've run Google Ads: how do you know if they're actually working? Small Business · score 8.7 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness Ads Truth Check
- Where To Advertise Legal Document Prep Services? Small Business · score 8.4 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- How do you handle free trials when customers need weeks to see results? Small Business · score 8.4 · asked 1 time r/microsaas
- Try this before you spend money on ads Small Business · score 7.8 · asked 1 time r/microsaas
- You've built the product, now comes the marketing Small Business · score 7.6 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- Full-Stack Developer from India 🇮🇳 — Websites, Mobile Apps, SaaS & Custom Software | Worldwide Clients Welcome Small Business · score 7.2 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- Launched my lifestyle app. Are Meta ads a good first step? Small Business · score 7.2 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- What are you using to make sales decks that actually help close deals? Small Business · score 6.8 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- Best practice for letting clients edit website content without giving them access to source code? Software · score 6.8 · asked 1 time r/webdev
- Should I bring donuts to a prospective client? Small Business · score 6.8 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- Has anyone tried investing in AI automations? I have been pitched so many systems, sales automation, accountin Small Business · score 6.7 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- I’m Struggling To Get My First Client Small Business · score 6.6 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- I just reached $160 MRR with my SaaS. Today I shipped a massive visual update to the homepage and SEO pages. I Small Business · score 6.5 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- First client e-commerce store : Roll my own cart/orders on Supabase, or use Medusa.js? Software · score 6.4 · asked 1 time r/webdev
- What's the most expensive feature you've built for just one SaaS customer? Small Business · score 6.4 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
- I built an AI-assisted system that helped me manage up to 16 client accounts at once. I will not promote Small Business · score 6.2 · asked 1 time r/startups
- I tested several different SEO guides to get consistent traffic, and now average almost 500 visitors a week on Small Business · score 6.2 · asked 1 time r/microsaas
- The customer who complained the most ended up being my best one Small Business · score 6.1 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- Owners with your number on Google: how many sales calls do you get a day, and how do you deal with them? Small Business · score 5.8 · asked 1 time
- As your small business grew, did managing the complexity become harder than growing sales? Small Business · score 5.7 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- Software Engineer Looking to Start Freelancing — Need Advice on Getting My First Client Small Business · score 5.7 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness
- RTWS - Marketing and PR 101 Small Business · score 5.7 · asked 1 time
- Client filed charge back after firing us midway through project, now in pre-arbitration - kindly advice Small Business · score 5.7 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness Dispute Ready
- Is grooming shop software a viable side business if I'm also my own customer? Small Business · score 5.7 · asked 1 time
- We built products for 6 months and kept hitting the same wall: reaching customers. Here's what finally worked Small Business · score 5.6 · asked 1 time
- Developers building café/POS systems: how would you price this app, with or without a customer website? And an Small Business · score 5.5 · asked 1 time
- Should SaaS platforms support customers who want to pay with stablecoins? Small Business · score 5.5 · asked 1 time
- Vercel client can't communicate with server Software · score 5.5 · asked 1 time r/webdev
- Even the least hated sounds are enough to drive customers out Small Business · score 5.4 · asked 1 time
- Small business owners, how are you dealing with Meta ads lately? I need some honest advice Small Business · score 5.2 · asked 1 time
- What marketing strategies helped your small business grow? Small Business · score 5.2 · asked 1 time
- If you sell with cash on delivery, do you call to confirm orders, and do customers mind? Small Business · score 5.1 · asked 1 time
- How do you handle leads who go quiet after a good first call? Small Business · score 5.1 · asked 1 time
- Client wanted a discount because my business is new and office is small??? Small Business · score 5.1 · asked 1 time
- Are you calculating fully loaded CAC or just your advertising cost for your SaaS/AI? Small Business · score 4.8 · asked 1 time
- Service Business Owners — How did you figure out who your ideal customers are? Small Business · score 4.7 · asked 1 time
- Do your customers actually use the link in your Instagram bio? Small Business · score 4.7 · asked 1 time
- Is there any other ways to advertise outside of FB? Small Business · score 4.6 · asked 1 time
- How do you get customers to actually leave Google reviews? Small Business · score 4.5 · asked 1 time
- Kisumu entrepreneurs, please tell me how you find customers 🥹 Small Business · score 4.5 · asked 1 time
- What's an unexpected approach that turned your clients into repeat customers? Small Business · score 4.5 · asked 1 time
- Open a biz banking account before first customer? Small Business · score 4.4 · asked 1 time r/smallbusiness Day Zero Setup
- What is the average free to paying customer ratio for B2C saas you all run? Small Business · score 4.3 · asked 1 time
- Is it better to cut prices during a slowdown, or double down on customer experience? Small Business · score 4.3 · asked 1 time
- Should I tell prospective clients my price up front or get them on a call first? Small Business · score 4.1 · asked 1 time
- Need help with customer acquisition B2B Small Business · score 4.0 · asked 1 time
- For those running direct mail campaigns for marketing or lead generation, how are you handling testing before Small Business · score 4.0 · asked 1 time
- Why silent AI failures are killing agency workflows and how we audit them before clients notice Small Business · score 4.0 · asked 1 time
- Need help advertising and hiring Small Business · score 3.9 · asked 1 time
- If you were starting an activewear brand today, how would you spend your marketing budget? Small Business · score 3.9 · asked 1 time
- VOSB certified this year and selling to businesses, not government. Has anyone gotten real traction from corpo Small Business · score 3.9 · asked 1 time
- New Business, no name, no testimonials. Is showing up in person still the best way to get your first clients? Small Business · score 3.8 · asked 1 time
- Have you ever delivered everything in the contract and still had an unhappy customer? Small Business · score 3.7 · asked 1 time
- 18 y/o running a small leather card holder brand. How do we reach new customers without an ad budget? Small Business · score 3.6 · asked 1 time
- RTWS - The Media Angles That Got My Clients on TV Small Business · score 3.6 · asked 1 time
- Great at coaching, still learning the client-getting side. What worked for you? Small Business · score 3.5 · asked 1 time
- How do you keep up with SEO content while actually running your business? Small Business · score 3.5 · asked 1 time
- Shopify sellers: How do you decide which products are actually worth advertising? Small Business · score 3.5 · asked 1 time
- How Do I Convert Marketing Leads into Actual Customers? Small Business · score 3.3 · asked 1 time
- Has anyone hired a B2B lead searcher/prospector? Small Business · score 3.3 · asked 1 time
- Im starting out in email copywriting what would you do to land your first client? Small Business · score 3.2 · asked 1 time
- How to find if low sales are a website UX issue or an ad targeting issue? Small Business · score 3.0 · asked 1 time
Other topics (1)
- At what stage of completion do you usually launch your projects? Small Business · score 6.4 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
Tools and software (1)
- I built an app for Shopify. But how can I validate demand before launch? Small Business · score 7.6 · asked 1 time r/SaaS
FAQ
What are common startup marketing pain points?
In this set, the most common theme is Customers and marketing (97.4%). The next groups are Tools and software and Other topics.
How do founders get their first customers?
The threads that rank highest in this set are titled “<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1xfa91l/need_more_customers_dont_ignore_these_platforms/" rel="nofollow noopener ugc" target="_blank">Need More Customers? Don't Ignore These Platforms</a>”, “<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/1xfnnee/how_did_you_set_the_price_for_your_first_saas/" rel="nofollow noopener ugc" target="_blank">How to Get First B2C SAAS Customers?</a>” and “<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1xboyqm/update_got_a_complaint_today_because_my_employee/" rel="nofollow noopener ugc" target="_blank">UPDATE: Got a complaint today because my employee ‘told off’ a customer for sitting without ordering. Need adv</a>”.