What Every Entrepreneur Must Understand About Their First 10 CustomersFind out how to turn your early adopters into lifelong brand evangelists.

Let's face it, your business's first 10 customers are the most influential ones you'll ever serve. Failure, at least in those early customers' eyes, can unravel your life-changing product or buttoned-up business plan. Conversely, success can turn those 10 into lifelong evangelists for your brand. Here are three ways entrepreneurs turned their experiences into innovation, growth -- and profits -- as a result.

Sell Fast

It took John Rushworth three months to create BottlesTonight, a San Francisco-based mobile marketplace for booking bottle service and concierge reservations, and just one night to sell it. In January 2014, once the product was ready, he knocked on nightclub doors. Rushworth found that when he was able to get in front of managers, he could emphasize how his service would help the clubs improve efficiencies as well as control pricing and inventory. Employing this method, he scored two of BottlesTonight's largest customers.