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.

Jessica Sheehy

It was in a Facebook group, with female entrepreneurs, and they had posted that they were looking for a social media manager to manage all of their platforms for a very small budget. Read more>>

Autre Fish

Snagging that first client was a really interesting journey. We hadn’t really worked with crews. We’d never hired a DP, grips, gaffers, etc. We didn’t even know how to begin reaching out to people. Read more>>

Jeorge Paolo Jorge

My journey into content creation began with sharing tech stuff I personally purchased and used, hoping to bring value to others through showcasing the products themselves, plus it also paved a way to somehow exercise my creative abilities as well. Read more>>

Boris Williams

Securing my first independent client was a significant milestone for my career. It happened through a blend of networking and word-of-mouth recommendations at an international education conference. Read more>>

Ronda Berns

In May 2019, I left my full-time job as the Vice President of Tourism for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce to start my own sales consulting and coaching business. Read more>>

Catalina Murcia

This is a funny story as we were not quite open. I. Went to make pamphlets at Staples and apparently I dropped one there. The next day as I was at home, a woman knocked on my door asking me if this was School. Read more>>

Cherry Chandra

My very first paid client found me through Instagram. I had just returned from an amazing backpacking trip across Southeast Asia, where I created murals in various places in exchange for free stays and food, so I hadn’t actually earned any money yet. Read more>>

Nicole Monahan

I guess this depends on what a “first client” is. I have been an entrepreneur at heart my whole life. As a small child, I helped out in my mother’s book store and saw small business in action. Read more>>

Alyssa Switzer

When I left an elite training company to pursue my own path, I was both terrified and determined. I knew if I didn’t jump off the cliff now I may never. Read more>>

Katie Ormsby

One of my first big clients as a freelancer was designing beer cans for Dillinger Brewing Co in Tucson, Arizona. It was 2018 and I had been working as a full-time graphic designer for 5 years. Read more>>

Jennifer Wilson-Bibbs

Absolutely! I was volunteering as a photographer for Indiana Fashion Week, which was my first big gig. I arrived at the Hilbert Circle Theatre feeling pretty nervous. Read more>>