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.

Mariam Oyinloye

The story about how Abimbola made it’s first dollar. On August 19, I did a vendor’s market called The Young Bosses In Buisness Season 2 Youth Market. We got our first client before the market even opened up. It was a mom of an another young buisness owner. It meant so much to me to get support, espically our first sale. Read more>>

Amy Gilvary Noël Cody Mumford

It all started with just one class. We spent one hour, once a week teaching a music enrichment class at a local preschool. At the end of the school year, parents asked where their children could continue working with us. Read more>>

Laura Di Franco

When I started the business, I worked with a psychic business coach. Yes, she’s a whole other story. I was in a group business coaching program with several other female entrepreneurs, and our coach was encouraging us to get into action with our BETA programs. Read more>>

FQ SMGMMB

First Dollar I Ever Made Off The Music, This Was Way Before All Platforms . I Was Only On SoundCloud. & My Close Home Girl Genevieve, Hits Me Up On Snapchat Randomly & Tell Me . Hey My Friend Really Likes Your Music, She Wants To Know If Your Able To Perform At Her House Party. & How Much Would You Charge ? I Gave Her The Price & The Was Willing To Pay. Made Me Appreciate Genevieve & The Opportunity To Be Able To Get Paid To Perform . It’s Was A WIN WIN ! Read more>>

Sophia Banks

Prior to Directing, I was a Costume Designer, stylist and fashion designer. I had friends who, over the years, would tell me they really wanted creatives to collaborate on campaigns who understood the fashion world and branding. I had always wanted to be a Director and actually, that is what I had originally set out to do but my path led me on a different career path. Read more>>

Susan J

Before my divorce, I’d been working from home part-time as a medical transcriptionist (a job I didn’t love), raising three kids, and handling all the other things that come with a family (hello, laundry, cooking, cleaning, chauffering, etc!). I had no idea how I was going to jump back into the job market full-time. It was a scary time for me. Read more>>

Anna Ivanova

My very first client who paid me for my work was my friend)) The next one found me on Instagram. The largest number of clients came from Instagram and Behance Read more>>

D’Andre LEWIS

After 8 years in fine dining, I bet on myself, launching a Catering/Private Chef venture. The site thumbtack gave me my first unexpected paycheck. It connected me to a Valentine’s Day gig. Nerves aside, I relied on my skills and charisma, crafting a memorable experience from course 1 to 3. Today, those clients-turned-friends remain loyal supporters, bringing me new opportunities. Read more>>

Sophia Mohammed

I had left my last full time role in March of 2022 and for a few months after was working odd jobs while I decided on my next career move. Work was scarce that summer, so when I was offered a gig passing appetizers at a celebrity’s home on a Tuesday evening I decided to take it. I think you have to be egoless when it comes to building a business. I knew I didn’t want to get caught up in another salaried manager role at a restaurant even though I had offers available to me since I knew it would be tough to work on my own business. Read more>>

Chassy Battle

While in Esthetician school I made sure every client thar came to the school for a service received the best results ever. I had one client that always requested me to do her facials. Once it was time for me to graduate she asked for my card. When I opened, she booked an appointment and was my very first client. Read more>>

Siyi Tang

The night I sold my first piece was crazy. It was an exhibition organized by my professor Craig Stevens for our Experimental Printmaking course. I hung my work on the wall for the first time by myself and waited anxiously for the opening reception to begin. This is a friendly community that is passionate about supporting young artists, and there were so many people there, many of whom said “congratulations” to me. Read more>>