1. Pick one buyer and one setting
"Healthcare" is not a customer. Pick a job title in a setting, like an office manager at an independent physical therapy clinic, a practice owner of a small dental group, or a director of nursing at a skilled nursing facility. Small independent practices decide faster than hospitals, which can take 6 to 18 months to buy. Write one sentence: "I help [title] at [setting] stop [specific task]."
2. Find them where they already talk
Clinicians and practice staff are active in specific places. Try r/physicaltherapy, r/medicine, r/nursing, r/dentistry, and r/medicalbilling. Join Facebook groups like "Private Practice Physical Therapy" or "Dental Office Managers." Read for a week before posting. Note the exact complaints people repeat, like prior auth delays, no-shows, or charting after hours.
3. Build a list of 50 practices by hand
Use Google Maps to search "independent physical therapy clinic [your city]" or "pediatric dentist [your city]" and put 50 practices in a spreadsheet. Find the owner or office manager on the practice website or LinkedIn with a search like "practice manager" "physical therapy" [city]. Capture name, title, phone, and email. Local practices are easier because you can visit them in person.
4. Send a short, specific message
Lead with their problem, not your product. Example: "Hi Dana, I'm building a tool that cuts no-shows for small PT clinics by texting patients the way your front desk would. I'm not selling yet. Could I ask you 3 questions about how you handle cancellations today? 15 minutes, your schedule." Send 10 a day and follow up once after 4 days.
5. Walk in or call during quiet hours
Front desks at small practices are busy at opening, lunch, and closing. Call or stop by mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Ask for the office manager, keep it under two minutes, and leave a one-page sheet with your contact info. In-person visits often get meetings that cold email never would.
6. Lower the compliance barrier early
The first question you will hear is about HIPAA. If you touch patient data, be ready to sign a Business Associate Agreement and say clearly where the data is stored. If your first version can work without patient data, for example scheduling templates or staff workflows, start there. It removes the biggest reason to say no.
7. Run a paid pilot, not a free one
Offer a 30 or 60 day pilot at a small price, like $99 to $300 a month, with one clear success measure such as "reduce no-shows from 15 a week to under 10." Paying pilots tell you who really has the problem. Check in every week and fix what breaks the same day.
8. Turn each customer into the next one
Practice owners know other practice owners through state associations, study clubs, and continuing education courses. When a pilot works, ask: "Who is one other clinic owner who has this same problem?" Ask for an intro by text, not a vague promise. Hulby, an AI cofounder, can handle the daily list building, message drafting, and follow-ups for you.
Mistakes to skip
- Pitching large hospital systems first and waiting a year for procurement.
- Targeting "providers" broadly instead of one job title in one type of practice.
- Ignoring HIPAA questions until a buyer asks, then losing the deal.
- Giving away free pilots that nobody commits to using.
Want this done for your health tech startup, every day?
Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.
Find my first customersQuestions
Should I sell to hospitals or small practices first?
Small independent practices. The owner can say yes in one meeting. Hospitals involve IT, compliance, and procurement and take months.
Do I need HIPAA compliance before my first customer?
Only if you handle protected health information. If you do, be ready to sign a BAA and use HIPAA-eligible hosting. If you can start without patient data, do.
Should I sell to patients directly instead?
Only if patients pay out of pocket for your product. If a clinic, employer, or insurer pays, sell to them and treat patients as users.
How many conversations does it take to get 10 customers?
It varies a lot by product and buyer. Plan to talk to many more people than you expect, and track your own numbers from the first week so you know your real conversion rate.