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.
Maureen Wickersheim
My first dollar! Ah, so fun to think about. To be honest, starting my business was unintentional but purposeful if that even makes sense! Haha Read more>>
Mabel Keller
My first client for an (in person) birth was December 30th 2022. A nurse had posted on a facebook Doula group that she had a patient all alone experiencing fetal demise. When I saw this nobody had yet had availability both because it was the new year and it would have to be probono. I felt extremely conflicted as to whether I should attend this birth. Read more>>
Sergio Ronchetti
I hate it when people say “you have to be lucky to be successful”. HATE it. Read more>>
Jackson Zeitlin
I am really proud of how I scored my first big commercial real estate client. I had been in residential real estate for about 4 years and then started to transition over to commercial brokerage. My first deals were all pretty small, office and retail leases of a few hundred square feet from referral business. This was a great way to get my toes wet, but I knew there was a better way to build my business. Read more>>
Seth Leitman
Back when I started in 2004 I contacted a company which was a low speed electric vehicle company. It was for $10,000 back then so it was a great feeling. Read more>>
Latricia Gaston
I got my first client by attending as many vendor events as I could find. My first event was at Rabbit Box and my friend Cheri G. introduced me to, Raquel D., the director at the time, and I was approved to be a vendor. This was my first event ever and I was so nervous and proud of myself. Read more>>
James Dunbar
A fellow artist told us about a free art walk show in Portland called “Last Thursday”. This show happens every last Thursday of the month on the artsy street of NE Alberta. Read more>>
Denise Thompson
I made my first dollar in my home, why is that? it’s because I started my business in the office of my home. I renovated the office I made it look just like a spa I mean everything was in perfect order and it was a friend of a friend and The service I provided for this client was a facial she loved it her skin was glowing and when she handed me that $30, that’s what I was charging at the time for an hour facial I was elated I couldn’t believe a long standing dream of mine to be in the beauty industry was actually happening.. Read more>>
TeQoa Griffith
As a Wedding / Portrait photographer my first wedding clients actually convinced me I did NOT want to do this for a living!! They were friends of my husbands and the wedding was in another state. I had to pack up all of my gear. And realized that if I did not have it I wouldn’t have it. Read more>>
Cleo Jade
I began posting my work on my Facebook and Instagram pages. The majority of clients up to that point were friends and family, and my prices were fairly low since I was still practicing. I was still considered a beginner in the beauty industry. I received a message on my Facebook page from a girl who I was unfamiliar with, and she was asking me for my price range. Read more>>
Emad Abdulrahman
It can seem like we landed our first client pretty quickly after formalizing Gallery Armada. However, it really didn’t happen that way. It was a culmination of years spent participating in the space any way we could; by occupying supportive “behind-the-scene” roles with minimal credit if any, a lot of pro-bono work, and of course learning how we could provide value in several areas of the domain. Read more>>
Minely Carmona
For most of my life I pretty much kept my interest in the occult and cartomancy to myself. Cartomancy was just a hobby, something used for fun. 2013 was the year I decided I wanted to read cards for others as well. I would read them here and there for friends and family. Making money for it was not even a thought in my mind at the time. In 2019 I made an ig page and starting offering tarot readings by donation just to practice before doing them in person. Read more>>
Michael Pires
I can never forget the excitement and joy that took over my body the day I opened the box of our first Kush Groove shipment. We worked hard over the course of a few months to come up with and manufacture 5 t shirt designs for both men and women. Naturally the 1st thing most folks do nowadays is share the excitement with the world via social media platforms, so I did just that and posted the unboxing of the merchandise on instagram. Read more>>
Cynthia Gamboa
Our first client was an up-and-coming real estate agent in the Naperville area who intended to create a big buzz around his new business. I was fortunate to be starting CamMi Photo Booth business right about the same time, and the partnership seemed to be a natural fit for both of our businesses. Read more>>
Julia Fenner
I started taking photos for fun in college when I met my now-husband, Chris. He was getting into filmmaking and videography and had a DSLR, which was the nicest thing I’ve ever shot with at the time! He let me mess around with it a lot and I had so much fun whenever I did! College is the perfect time to drive out to a field with some friends and take their portraits at sunset or set up a quirky shoot with your roommate in your tiny duplex. Read more>>
Trisha Gioia
Unique Home’s first online sale through Etsy is our Type 1 Diabetic Rosie the Riveter vinyl decal. The excitement of our first order was overwhelming! Then the review came in and we seriously jumped up and down again for quite a while. Haha. The feeling of making someone else feel safety and confidence from our unique items; there’s no better feeling! Read more>>
Taj Pledger
I started off doing my own photoshoots then went on to work with family. I’d get a lot of compliments on my photos & people would ask if I worked with clients. At the time, I was so nervous working with anyone other than family but one day I got the courage & just decided to post a photoshoot ad on Craigslist back in 2015 & within days I started receiving inquiries. Read more>>
Taylor Bonnell
As is the case with almost all brand new photographers starting out, I held a lot of free sessions for family and close friends to build my portfolio. My first real dollar made was from a friend of a friend looking for family photos. I was offering extremely reduced priced session since I was still learning to use my camera and toying with my editing style and I didn’t feel confident charging what others would simply because I didn’t have the skillset yet. Read more>>
Christina Thomas
My Art has been hanging around my house for years. I’ve always had sketches and creative projects just hanging around my house. Never did I think people would actually want to see my artwork. But to actually want to purchase something was mind blowing. Read more>>
Sierra Shanelle Blair
I have been designing clothes since I was a young girl. I would always have a notebook with me full of ideas and sketches because my mind literally has no off button. Before even launching my brand I had no idea how to go about anything. I figured things out very slowly and as I began to figure those things out I used one of my younger sisters as my go to person for listening to my ideas. Read more>>