Cleanest path: a beta access gate — a single access code (or email allowlist) required at signup, so only people you invite can create a bakery. Everything else (storefront, orders, scheduling, recipes, reports, support) stays fully available.

Prep the beta build

• Wipe/seed fresh sample data so testers don't see your test records.
• Add a short in-app onboarding note + a prominent "Support" link (you already have /support and the inbox).
• Set the storefront "Published" toggle off by default so testers don't accidentally go live.
• Create a short Google Form for structured feedback (bugs, confusion, feature wishes) alongside in-app Support tickets.

Step 1 — Define your tester profile (~1 day)

• Who: active cottage/home bakers currently selling — not hobbyists who never sell.
• Where: ideally your state/region, so cottage-food-law content and pickup logistics match.
• Why they'd care: they struggle with pricing, order tracking, or scheduling — the exact pains DoughFlow solves.
• The offer: free lifetime access (your exempt plan) in exchange for ~4 weeks of feedback + a testimonial if they love it.

Step 2 — Build your outreach kit (~2 days)

• One-pager (1 page PDF/Google Doc): what DoughFlow does, 3 screenshots, the beta deal, what you ask in return. Link a Loom demo if you make one.
• Invite codes: generate 8–10 unique codes in your admin so you can track which channel each tester came from.
• Feedback form: Google Form with sections — Bugs, Confusing parts, "What's missing," "Would you pay for this?" + NPS.
• Onboarding script: a 20-min call outline (set up bakery → add 1 product → schedule 1 day → place a test order).

Step 3 — Channel-by-channel recruiting (~4 weeks)

Work these in parallel. Aim for ~15 conversations to land 5–8 committed testers.

A. Reddit (highest-signal for this audience)

• Where to post/engage (read each community's rules first — most ban pure promo, so lead with value or a genuine question):
  • r/cottagebakery — https://www.reddit.com/r/cottagebakery/ (your bullseye audience)
  • r/Baking — https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/ (huge; engage in threads, don't spam)
  • r/smallbusiness — https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/ (cottage-bakery posts do well here)
  • r/SaaS + r/startups — for the method of recruiting, not the bakers themselves:
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/comments/1nzde32/where_do_you_find_beta_testers/
    • https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/17pl5wa/how_do_you_get_beta_testers/
• How: spend 3–4 days answering questions and being a real member, then post a "looking for 5 bakers to test a free bakery-management + storefront tool" call using the template from https://www.quoleady.com/how-to-find-beta-testers/ (scroll to their Reddit template). Offer the lifetime-access deal.

B. Instagram DMs (your best baker-specific channel)

• Find them: search #cottagebakery, #homebakery, #customcakes[yourcity], #cottagefood, #farmersmarketbakery.
• How to DM without being spammy: like 2–3 posts, leave a genuine comment, then DM. Reference their actual work. Keep it 3–4 sentences: who you are, what you built, the free-lifetime-for-feedback offer, a link to the one-pager.
• Reference (how bakers market on IG — mirror their style so you don't look like an outsider):
  • "3 Tips for More Home Bakery Orders on Instagram" — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKhc3M_poWY
  • "Five Instagram Tips for Bakers" — https://www.lizziesbakery.com/blog/instagram-tips-for-bakers
  • "Optimize your bakery's Instagram presence" — https://www.bakemag.com/articles/15582-optimize-your-bakerys-instagram-presence

C. Facebook groups (cottage-food specific)

• Search Facebook for "Cottage Food [your state]", "Home Bakers [your city]", "Cottage Food Business". Example: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CottageFoodBusiness/
• Post the same "looking for 5 testers" call. These groups are where your buyers and sellers both live.

D. Farmers' markets (in-person, highest conversion)

• Walk 2–3 local markets over two weekends. Bring printed one-pagers.
• Lead with a genuine compliment on their product, then: "I built a tool that handles pricing, orders, and scheduling for home bakers — I'm looking for 5 bakers to test it free, for life, in exchange for feedback. Can I leave you this?"
• Offer to set them up on the spot (5 min on your phone) if they're interested.

E. Your existing network

• Any baker friends, or a local bakery you already buy from. Warm intro → fastest onboarding.

F. Beta-tester platforms (fill the gap if the above is slow)

• BetaTesting.com, Betalist, Product Hunt "upcoming" — these get you software testers fast, though not necessarily bakers. Use them only if you're short of your 5–8 target. Overview: https://canny.io/blog/finding-beta-testers-saas/

Step 4 — Run the beta (overlapping with recruiting, ~4 weeks)

• Give each tester a unique invite code + a 20-min onboarding call.
• Collect feedback via the Google Form + in-app Support tickets (route to /admin/support-inbox).
• Weekly 15-min check-ins per tester; track what breaks and what confuses in a simple spreadsheet.
• Reward completion: free Year 1 (the exempt plan you already have).

• Fix the top friction points from beta; finalize pricing.
• Set up payments so you can actually bill — Base44 Payments for subscriptions (available in your region).
• Write a one-page landing pitch + 3 testimonial quotes from beta bakers.
• Soft-launch: flip your landing page from "beta" to "live," open public signup.

The math: at ~$40/mo, 50 paying bakeries ≈ $24K/yr; 100 bakeries ≈ $48K. So 50–100 paying customers is your Year 1 target.

Channels, in order of ROI for this audience:

1. Content + SEO — short tutorials ("how to price a batch of muffins," "cottage food law by state" — you already have a Food Laws page) that rank and pull organic bakers.
2. Instagram/TikTok — behind-the-scenes of bakers using it, before/after storefronts.
3. Referral loop — give each bakery a unique storefront link; offer a free month for each referral that converts.
4. Local market presence — sponsor a farmers' market booth or a cottage-food association newsletter.
5. Paid — small Google Ads on "bakery pricing software," "cottage food order app" once you have conversion data.

Scaling to $200K/yr = ~420 paying bakeries — reachable by Year 2–3 once referral + SEO compound and you add team/employee features (already built) to sell into multi-baker shops.