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.

Morgan Ziegler

My husband had just deployed for the first time in our marriage, I had a one month old baby and honestly I was bored. Photography had always been an outlet for me, especially if I needed to relax and not be so stressed out. I was in California, thousands of miles away from family, stationed on a military base. I decided that I wanted to try to start doing photography again, so I joined a few military spouse groups on Facebook, and stumbled across a wife looking for a homecoming photographer. Read more>>

Allison Mott

I quit my job in pursuit of opening AM CPA (then known as Allison Mott CPA). I was beyond terrified and just stuck to my checklist of tasks that I needed to complete to open the business. Get insurance, buy computer/printer, get software, etc……but finding a client was not on the checklist. I was starting a business from scratch with zero clients. I felt kind of crazy for thinking I could make this happen. I was working in my spare bedroom and turning it into a full functioning office. Read more>>

Shikila Tucker-Curry

I will never forget my very first customers.. And I must say, customers, because two frieneds very the very first people to walk through the door on opening day and I’ll never forget it. I was not expecting anyone! Then the sweetest lady walked in right afger them and she was officailly my first purchase. The firneds were still busy shopping! They followed and became my second and third purchasers! Of course I had to snap photos throughout the day! It was an awesome feeling of accolplishment. Even if I didnt get anymore purchases that day, that I accomplished my goal. Read more>>

Tamara Semeniuta

My first paid job was styling a photoshoot for a fitness blogger. I styled a few outfits and was paid $100, which now seems way too low for that amount of work, but honestly, back then it made me tear up out of happiness. When I received that payment I felt like my styling was something real, like it could be my career, not just a hobby. Read more>>

Shantel Bailey

My first paying client was a family friend. She saw a post I put up of balloons that I did for my father’s birthday and reached out to me. She was willing to pay which was fantastic! I didn’t really know or understand pricing so I changed her a very low price. Surprisingly she paid me an extra $30 to the price I offered. She said she felt I should be charing more. I really appreciated that confidence boost! Read more>>

Maria Duarte

For anyone working on a startup or new business, landing your first paying customer is surreal. I recall calling the team into a meeting to announce that we had a client interested in hiring us. This was the moment when all your hard work finally paid off and you felt a great deal of satisfaction. By defining our Ideal Customer Profile on Linkedin and ensuring consistency on one social media platform, we connected with their executives, which paid off, as we focused on enterprise customers and connected with them through Linkedin. Read more>>

Veronika Gant

I am humbled and excited to share my story with you guys. I started earning money for photography when I lived in my home country, Slovakia. The opportunity came about in an exciting way. I worked for a radio station, and after my hours, I made money as a make-up artist. At that time, mobile devices were not a reliable option for taking great pictures. So, I bought a simple camera with a 50mm lens to photograph my make-up work. Read more>>

Taylor Ecker Borgerding

My very first paying client is very near and dear to my heart. Jasmine reached out to me about taking pictures of her precious family 5 years ago. We scheduled the session and I remembered being so incredibly nervous to take their family’s first Christmas pictures. Eden was a tiny baby and it was FREEZING. I charged them $45 and we shot for an hour out in the cold. I was so proud of those pictures and the fact that someone had thought I was talented enough to pay them for their art. Read more>>

Enocha Edenfield

I moved to Savannah, Georgia in 2010 to work as a morning producer at a local news station. In early 2020, I decided it was time to leave for new opportunities. That’s when the pandemic hit and that new job opportunity went away. Left with no real job and a lot of time on my hands, I decided to download TikTok to keep myself entertained. Read more>>

Jacinta Martin

I unexpectedly received my first client. Here is how. I traveled one day to my broker’s office, about 45 minutes to an hour from where I live. Once there, I opened my computer at the office to do some real estate work as a woman walked in and sat near me. She opened her laptop to begin working as well. I noticed she was looking around to see who she could ask for help. She eventually spoke with me to ask me questions, and I said I was new to my broker’s office but was willing to help her where I could. She said thank you, and we ended up getting what she needed to continue her work. Read more>>

Jacqueline Mercer

The story of my first client is the grassroots of my passion and motivation for this business. It all started when I came in for a routine visit for a personal self-care service. The personal care service I was receiving was operated by a local businesswoman. As I was receiving this service, she knew I was an accountant through the general discussions we had in the past. She proceeded to get my perspective on the challenges she was experiencing with putting bookkeeping in place and coming up with a good number to pay herself out of the business. Read more>>

Will Hepburn.

I started my business by offering free or discounted rates for photoshoots. I would work with those wanting to pursue submitting to modeling agencies and families. I also would do some wedding work and continue to do headshots and modeling sessions. Read more>>

Angel Thornton-Burns

I’ve been getting this question a lot from newer doulas so I wanted to share tips that have helped me. When you first start to think that you want to become a doula it is very important that you do your research on many organizations and ask questions. Do they align with your views? Do they offer mentorship after the training? Do they give you a guideline on how to run your business and how to seek clients? Read more>>

Ja’Male Morrow

During covid I was working a 9-5 as a retail store manager. Around that time I noticed a lot of people were getting laid off and I didn’t want that to potential happen to me. I went to dating sites like BLK and tender to display my haircuts. At that point I had no cliental so I was experimenting different was to market myself and get my cuts out. My first official booking was house-call I traveled 20 miles to. The individual found me on the BLK app and did the haircut for $5. Read more>>