One of the most important things an aspiring entrepreneur can do is validate their idea by finding a client. For first time entrepreneurs, this can often feel intimidating and so we’re hoping that by sharing stories of how others before them have found their first client we can make it feel less daunting. Below, you’ll find the stories of some incredibly bright entrepreneurs and business owners sharing how they secured their first client.

Zandra Gutay

I remember when I first started my Facebook page it barely had any of my work or portfolio on it at the time. One day, I received a message from what would become one of my very first clients. They asked if I was available to photograph their simple wedding at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. I was so nervous inside, but I kept telling myself, “Stay focused, stay creative, and stay professional.” I’m grateful I did because those photos turned out beautifully. Read more>>

Neal Forster

I had completed a pet portrait of my son’s chocolate Labrador and was at a coffee morning showing the painting on my tablet to a friend when a friend of the friend saw it over her shoulder and asked me to commission a portrait of her own dog. It was a fantastic feeling to have someone outside my family to appreciate my art work and to want to pay me for painting their pet. After that first commission the same lady was so pleased with the result she commissioned portraits of her grown up son’s dog and then subsequently her grown up daughter’s dog. Read more>>

Andres Galvez

The journey to landing my first professional client was an unexpected one. While I had been taking photos for over a decade, it wasn’t until 2019 that I officially began operating under my own name and seriously pursuing photography as a business. I started with friends and family, slowly building a portfolio and gaining momentum, until the pandemic brought everything to a sudden halt. Read more>>