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.

Karina Pavlides

I got my first camera in 2016. It was more of a push from my husband because although I really wanted one I felt like we needed the money for other things. He insisted on it and I fell in love. I started learning how to use the manual mode right away. During this timeframe I did all of my research from learning how to use the camera to using subjects (mainly my children so I can practice and get better). I wanted to be a family photographer but quickly changed when I felt the disconnection from families. Instead I moved onto being a boudoir photographer because I really wanted to help women see themselves for who they were. Since my first ever model that I photographed which was in 2017 to the first paying client I photographed in 2019 there was a lot of work to do behind the scenes. I set up my business license, got an accountant, worked my social media platforms, Read more>>

Octavia Elizabeth

I’ll never forget the day I got my first real client, not a friend, not a family member, not even a friend of a friend. It happened purely through word of mouth. Someone had seen my work, loved it, and passed my name along. When their message came through, my heart skipped a beat. This wasn’t just a casual “Can you help me?” It was a genuine business inquiry from someone who believed in my skills without personally knowing me. Read more>>

Nickie Cole

I’ll never forget the first time a complete stranger booked me. I felt like a fraud!

Up until that point, all of my clients had been friends, family, or people who’d heard about me through the grapevine. I was still growing my portfolio, still figuring out the “business” part of being a photographer—and honestly, I was still doubting myself a little. Read more>>

Ian Villegas

The name and brand was actually non existent back when we were selling to family members, friends and even on Etsy. So besides our family and friends…Etsy customers were our first actual clients! Read more>>

Bukola Oni

I’ll never forget the mix of fear and excitement when I landed my first paying client. At the time, I was fresh out of my 9-5 taking all these virtual assistant courses and honestly? I had no clue what I was doing. I mean, I had the basic admin background, but terms like Trello, Canva, Asana and Clockify might as well have been another language. Read more>>