There are so many varied experiences when it comes to starting a business. From what we’ve seen, there is no one, right answer. Some people found success by writing a business plan, spending months or years perfecting the idea and only then approaching their first client while others found their first client before they had even settled on a name for their business. Below, you’ll find the stories of how entrepreneurs from across industries and markets found their first clients.

Baotran Tran

At the time I was still working as a nurse, but wanted to start a little side hustle that could allow me to be creative while earning some extra cas After a week of binging TikToks about UGC, I scrapped together a free UGC portfolio website via Canva in about a week and saw that many other UGC creators were working with this one particular brand. When my portfolio was finally launched, I sent out a bunch of cold email pitches to many brands that I saw had worked with other UGC creators previously including the one I initially mentioned and actually got a positive reply within 24 hours! Read more>>

May Jeffers

It was truly an unforgettable thrill and experience. Our products hadn’t arrived yet; they were still in shipping. I only had product images on hand, which I shared on online platform and few people reached out to me through those platforms, saying they wanted to buy my products. Their interest excited me so much that I’m feeling that same excitement all over again as I share this with you now. My very first customer messaged me and then picked up her order on my first day at the Farmers Market, where we were set up on Saturday! She was such a sweet person and has continued to support us ever since. Similarly, I’ll never forget my second customer; she came to my home to buy several items and even left me a tip. I still keep that tip in my wallet as a good luck charm. We really appreciate everyone who supports us in this journey! We really can’t do without them. Read more>>

Yusef Aduan

I owe getting my first client to the support of my family and their belief in my potential. My brothers trusted me enough to cancel services with their current accountant at the time and take a chance on me, despite my limited experience and resources. Their confidence in my ability to figure things out and dedicate myself fully inspired me to go above and beyond. I committed countless hours to research and hard work to ensure I not only met their accounting needs but also provided higher-quality service that improved their business operations. That experience became the foundation for my career, teaching me the value of trust, determination, and delivering real results. Read more>>

Amy Gallagher

I went out on a limb and bought myself equipment to make tumblers, thinking it would be a fun little hobby to make customized tumblers for friends and family. One day, I made a tumbler with my friend’s bar’s logo on it (the Cork-N-Bottle), and he loved it. He ordered 35 tumblers with his logo to sell at his bar. When I was delivering the tumblers to him, a lady saw the customized tumblers and asked where he got them. She is the head of marketing for a large construction company in the area and wanted to order 25 tumblers with their logo for advertising purposes. I was blown away that such a big company wanted to order tumblers from me. I couldn’t believe it! What started as a hobby quickly turned into a flourishing business. Read more>>

Alina Zerpa

Whenever I doubted myself in the early stages of having a company, my Mom would say, “Tocar no es entrar,” which means “knocking on the door doesn’t mean you’ll get in”. AKA, knock anyway. As a hobby, I have had a food blog since 2018 (@fromatozmiami). Sports Grill had invited me to visit their Pembroke Pines location to give it extra love. I filmed all the content I needed to, and I enjoyed getting to know the staff. My mom leaned over and said, “You should ask if they need marketing!” I immediately said no because their marketing person invited me to eat, and I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. “Tocar no es entrar”, my mom said to me. And so, I asked the magic question. It turns out that their marketing person had to return to France due to visa issues. So, the spot was actually about to open up. I filed my LLC on August 26, 2020, and Sports Grill signed on as my first client on September 4, 2020. They’ve been with me ever since. Read more>>

Cristina Damis

Twenty years ago, a contractor asked me to list his house. I had recently parted ways with a company specializing in leasing, parked my real estate license with a one-man show brokerage and a tall, lanky fellow that I had met from another acquaintance at the time mentioned that he wanted a project to work on. What type of project I asked, and he replied that he wanted to move into a bigger space and specifically mentioned that he didn’t mind a fixer-upper. I said, I could assist him and after listing his house, we received an offer in five days. There was a lot of hustling to find him his dreamy house in disrepair but we managed. Fast forward until now, after re-starting my career in real estate (prior to which I focused on raising three babies) I met with the same client and since decades past we grew to become friends and now we are on an adventure in finding a farm ranging from 20 acres up to 200 acres. It’s been quite the adventure and we have been documenting it, he’s taking meticulous notes, and I have blossomed into quite the land specialist as a result. However, because of his past experience with me, he dares not put his house on the market until he finds his plot of land whilst he works on tidying up his current charming abode. I have a feeling this one will present us with an offer quickly, will it break our five day record? Stay tuned and find out, the house is being prepped as we speak and it couldn’t be quainter. Read more>>

Vivian-raquel Dayan

The journey to my first paying client is one of those magical moments where everything aligned. A community member shared that she was opening her Airbnb in upstate New York, offering discounted rates in exchange for positive reviews. That sparked an idea: why not host a manifestation healing retreat there? At the time, I didn’t even have a business name, let alone a solidified plan. But what I did have was a passion for manifestation and a budding group of supportive people around me. I sketched out an impromptu itinerary (think: healing circles, manifestation workshops, and lots of good vibes) and sent the idea to everyone I knew. What happened next was pure magic. Five incredible women signed up, and just like that, my first retreat was born. Not only was it my first step into creating transformational experiences, but it also became the moment I realized I could turn my passion into profit. In one month, I made $4,000 from coaching—something that felt completely surreal at the time. Read more>>