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.

Frankline Kadima

I got my first client through social media. Our first client made a booking through instagram. Read more>>

Jess Blackwell

When I first started photographing homes, it was for my mother’s real estate firm in my hometown. I didn’t have to find my own work, it was just given to me whenever a new listing came in. This was wonderful for the 5 years that I shot real estate, and allowed me to get a ton of practice on a wide variety of projects. Read more>>

Anthony And Sal Passalacqua And Fabozzi

The journey to our first client is really the foundation of everything we’ve built today. It started with a single player—before Shootin’ School even had a name. My father’s close friend had a daughter who wanted training, but I refused to train her unless I had a plan and a facility. I already knew I wanted to change the game of basketball on Staten Island, and I wasn’t going to start without a clear vision. That mindset set the tone for what Shootin’ School would become—a structured, intentional program that prioritized real player development. Read more>>

Jacob Zirkle

I had been doing youtube for a little while getting small views on videos, but I was mainly doing it as a private catalog of my work. Some videos started to do well and it was right around the time I was about the graduate from film school. I decided to make a demo reel because I was looking for employment for studios to start my career, but then 3 days later the hollywood writer’s strikes hit and so all of the studios I had interviewed for stopped hiring. As a last ditch effort I decided to share the demo reel on my youtube channel which had around 25k subs at the time. Read more>>

Eucario Calderon

We landed our first real client back in 2018, shooting graduation sessions at Sacramento State. At the time, I was finishing my undergrad there and had just started offering grad sessions for around $100 to my classmates and peers. My first few clients were friends from college, and that moment of getting paid to do something I loved was unforgettable. Read more>>

Laura Lee

Stepping away from the corporate grind to start my own venture felt like a pipe dream. As a Korean-American woman, I was often one of the few in the room, wrestling with self-doubt that whispered I didn’t belong and an upbringing that nudged me to stay quiet and blend in. Read more>>

Devin Noir

Oh wow, this really takes me back. When I first started tattooing, I gained most of my clients through dating apps, primarily Tinder (which I’m now banned from because you’re not allowed to conduct business through the app). I had it in my bio that I was using the app to develop my career and skills as a tattoo artist. Read more>>

Miles Holland II

My first gig was an Easter event at a brewery for children and families. I was still new to working with my audio equipment and had never done a gig with strictly clean music. I was nervous, but once the music started playing and people warmed up to the music all my worries went away. I did so well the Brewery brought me on a resident DJ after that. Read more>>

Seth Gordon

I was actually getting myself back into skateboarding after quitting my day job. There was one kid in particular, Dylan, who would follow me around like a lost puppy at the skate park. To the point of almost being in the way when I was trying to dial in tricks or practice lines for contests. I saw his mom who I had talked with a few times before and asked if there was a day or time I could meet with him to hang out at the park and help him out since I was currently working on my own skill set and just needed to focus then. We agreed to a date and met the following week. After our time together she offered to pay me for my time. Read more>>

Tyler Tong

My first real coaching client was a referral through the marketing company that did my website. They said they’d past along my information and they sounded excited so I should expect something soon. I was stoked and energy was high. Well, weeks went by and I heard nothing. I honestly forgot about it until I randomly got meeting scheduled through my website to talk about coaching. The rush came back and we setup a discovery call and they were ecstatic to have someone in their corner. I sent over pricing and the package, thinking it was a done deal. Read more>>

KRIS CHANG

I’d always loved giving advice on home decor. Friends would call me when they moved to a new place, asking for help picking furniture or finding the perfect finishing touches. One day, a friend connected me with someone going through a challenging time. She had just ended a romantic relationship and wanted to transform her apartment as part of a fresh start. She’d been seeking wellness advice, even consulting feng shui experts, but had no idea how to execute her vision or create a space that truly felt like her own. Read more>>

Ryan & Amber

Okay so our first client wasn’t actually our first client. Let me explain.

No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Ryan accidentally became an influencer on TikTok by making a video that inexplicably and spontaneously went viral, shooting his audience into the hundreds of thousands, literally overnight. When he built a portfolio website, he shared it with his audience, and a few people slid into his DM’s (Is that still a phrase, or has it been phased out by the Skibidi Sigma Rizz Brigade?) to commission some projects. Read more>>