How niche should I go for my first 100 users?

Hello!

I'm in the early stages of launching my first product, Toad, and I've hit a classic strategic fork in the road. I'd love to get your thoughts.

The Product:

Toad is a purposefully simple grid organizer. The whole idea is to provide relief from the messy, bloated software we're all used to. The tagline is: "For when your brain has too many tabs open."

The Growth Strategy:

My plan is to use a "Template as a Product" model. Instead of marketing a generic tool, I'm creating pre-built grids that solve specific problems (e.g., "Revision Planner," "Client Tracker").

The Dilemma: Which Niche First?

I have two clear paths for my first 100 users, and I'm torn between them.

Path 1: The Obvious Niche (Students)

• The Pro: Students are a perfect "beachhead" market. They have predictable, recurring problems (course planning, revision, job applications) that my templates can solve instantly. The potential for word-of-mouth growth on campus is huge, and they're the future professionals who might take Toad with them into their careers.

• The Con: It's August, and most students aren't studying. It's hard to get validation for a tool they won't truly need to use until September.

Path 2: The Network Niche (Professionals)

• The Pro: I see real value for professionals in project management who are tired of complex tools. Crucially, a lot of my personal and professional contacts are in this space. I could likely get my first 20-30 beta users just by sending a few well-crafted messages to people I already know.

• The Con: "Professionals" is a much broader and less homogenous group than "students." It might be harder to build a single, compelling marketing message for them.

So, my question to you is: for your first 100 users, do you go for the "perfect" but harder-to-reach market, or do you leverage your existing network, even if it's a less focused group?

Has anyone else faced a similar choice? I'd be incredibly grateful for any advice or experiences you can share.

The Offer:

As a thank you for your help, any fellow Indie Hackers who are willing to try Toad and give me some honest feedback will get a free lifetime Personal account.

You can check out the beta landing page here: https://www.meettoad.co.uk/

Cheers,

Tom