I launched to 0 signups. Here’s what 9 days of data showed

Before First Adopter I shipped eight products. One Chrome extension got about 400 downloads and roughly 2 people actually used it. The pattern was always the same: build for weeks, launch, a few signups, silence.

So on 3 November 2026 I started building the check I wish I'd had: a tool that finds people already asking for what you built. And I'm building it in public, with real numbers, including the bad ones.

The numbers after 9 days

• 4 people outside my own accounts ran a report.
• All 4 ran one report and never came back.
• 0 paying customers. $0 in revenue.

That stung. But it taught me the most useful thing so far: a one-time report isn't a habit. People got their list, maybe replied to a few posts, and had no reason to return.

What happened when I ran the tool on itself

The first time I pointed First Adopter at its own website, it found 25 leads. I was excited for about ten minutes. Then I read them. Many were product pages, sellers promoting their own tools, and articles giving advice. Not people asking.

So I built filters to remove ads, product pages, sellers and advice. The same search dropped to 7. Fewer, but real.

The latest run is even more honest about it: 130 posts checked, 50 removed as ads, product pages or listings, 76 removed because they weren't someone asking, and 4 real people left. Demand score: 38 out of 100, "early signs".

The lesson in that number: founders rarely post "I need a tool to find customers". They post "How do I get my first 3 paying customers?" They describe the problem, not the solution. That changed how the tool searches.

What I changed

• Daily lead emails are now on by default after your first report, so you get the people who asked yesterday without coming back to look.
• A free demand check on the homepage, no signup, so you can see real people asking before you create an account.
• Every report says what it filtered out, so a short list reads as quality, not as an empty report.
• Every day I reply to new launches on X with a free report for their product.

What I've learned so far

1. Honest small numbers beat impressive fake ones. A tool that shows 25 "leads" you can't use is worse than one that shows 4 you can.
2. Retention is the product. If people don't come back, nothing else matters yet.
3. Buyers describe pain, not products. Search for the problem in their words.

I'll keep sharing the numbers on X at @GhostCompile. If you're building something and can't find users, run a free check on your product and see who's already asking.