I’ve been trying everything to get my first clients for my startup… nothing is working

Hey everyone,

I’m building a startup around student mental health. The idea is to partner with colleges and give students access to psychologists, sessions, and proper support systems.

On paper, it sounds needed. In reality, I’m stuck.

I’ve been trying a lot of things over the past few months:

• Built the MVP myself (booking, consultations, basic platform)
• Cold emailed and called colleges
• Tried reaching admins on LinkedIn (barely any replies)
• Ran ads targeting students to create demand and trust
• Collected survey responses showing students actually want this
• Got a small team to help with outreach and calling leads

But nothing is converting.

Main problems I’m facing:

• I can’t get in front of the actual decision-makers in colleges
• Even when I do, they don’t take it seriously without existing clients
• Students show interest, but they aren’t the ones paying
• Sales conversations don’t even reach a proper pitch stage
• Feels like I’m stuck in this loop of “almost there” but never closing

I’m still trying, still pushing outreach daily, still tweaking messaging… but honestly, it’s frustrating. It feels like effort isn’t translating into progress.

If anyone here has experience selling to institutions or has been in a similar spot:

• What actually worked for you?
• How did you get your first few clients when you had zero credibility?
• Am I missing something obvious?

I don’t need motivation. Just real advice.

Thanks.