The teams I know that were able to attract early customers had a sales pitch (a clear benefit, demonstrable difference from alternatives, and a reason to believ

The teams I know that were able to attract early customers had a sales pitch (a clear benefit, demonstrable difference from alternatives, and a reason to believe) and were "open for business" (had a company and a way to accept payment). It's hard to tell where you are in the cycle but those would be two places to start.