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.

Viara Mileva

Okay, my first client wasn’t even a wedding client. It was way before I even considered I could do photography as a career. I was teaching psychology as an adjunct professor, and wondering what on Earth I’d do with my life if my professor gig didn’t pan out long term. Around that time, I had an old friend message me that she was having a baby, and could I please photograph her baby being born at the hospital? Oh, and she was willing to pay me. Wow… This was the first time I really considered that I might have something here. Read more>>

Jesse Felsot

Yeah glad you asked as I have not been able to speak on this too much. I was attending a family dinner at the Beverly Hills Hilton. I was 22 at the time and really eager to get my first video going for my music video company I started Treasure Ent. On stage above the dining area, a group of 4 guys were singing some real good R&B music, think Jodeci style music and their name was ‘The Real Seduction’ formerly on Atlantic Records. As they were wrapping up and getting off stage, I went over to them and introduced myself to each member of the group. I gave out my business card, got their info and started calling them everyday until I could finally get a meeting with them. When I was starting out I really called people a lot, this was before texting man, so it was no other choice but to pick up the phone and get it going that way. This group was part of the back up dancers from M.C. Read more>>

Alena Banks

At the start of photography, I would post photoshoot ideas on social media and then a friend of mine reached out to me and said she would be interested to create one of the ideas with me. She became my first client. The scenery was by a river on a summer day and it all turned out really great for my first project. Read more>>

Jade Parks-dixon

It’s crazy to think it’s been eight years since I had my first client. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was months away from my 30th birthday. I was a single mom of the most amazing five-year-old little girl. I was also approaching my eighth year of employment with Los Angeles County, where I had worked for an outpatient healthcare clinic. My mother was a nurse, and ironically, she passed away in 2002 from complications from diabetes. This disease plowed through my family, claiming the lives of my great-grandmother, grandmother, aunts, and uncles. It was our generational curse. I told myself that I hated healthcare facilities and that I would never work in one. Yet here I was, entering year eight. I knew I was called to do something different, something greater. I was afraid though. Afraid of rejection, failure, judgment, success, wealth. I cared so much about what people thought of me. I’m a creative and I’m very sensitive about the things I create. Read more>>

Katherine Hernandez

I made chocolate covered strawberries one evening. with no intention to sell. it was around valentines day and I wanted to make some for myself because the ones from the store were not all that. surprisingly they looked good it being my first time and knowing nothing about it. I snaped a picture for Facebook and uploaded it. I received a message if I was selling and I said no. a few days later I made more but this time with sprinkles, took another picture, uploaded it on Facebook and received another message if i was selling, this time I said sure. 3 years later I am going strong with Kats Dipped Treats. Read more>>

Shino Saito

My very first client reached out to me through my blog. When my child was around two years old, we discovered that they had allergies to eggs and dairy products, which made it difficult to eat out or buy ready-made food. So, I started focusing more on cooking at home, but since I was new to it, I often felt stressed from balancing daily meal preparation with child-rearing. As I researched ways to easily make healthy meals that the whole family could enjoy, I gradually got better at it. I figured there must be other people going through the same thing, so I wanted to document and share my recipes and knowledge. That’s how I started my blog in April 2010. Read more>>

Liisa Lee

Tell us the story of how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend/family/friend-of-a-friend/etc? The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue. Paint the picture for us so we understand how it happened and feel the same excitement you felt on that day. My first clients, as well as my first jobs in the past have always happened by accident, or serendipity in unusual, fun circumstances, and yet always by being authentic and connecting or making friends with the business owner, executive, or agent or brand I wanted to work with. Read more>>

Taras Lanevich

I was working for a moving company as a helper first between 2019-2021, when I left the moving job in may 2021, my coworker mentioned the website that I could get clients from and he shared that he made good money just from two jobs. I was happy to jump on the opportunity right away and started booking customers by myself. With first client I saw the money that I made and told myself I have to continue doing this myself Read more>>

Morrisa Peoples

Our first client was the result of proactive relationship-building. We dropped off a complimentary charcuterie board to introduce Board & Bliss and showcase what we could offer. At the time, we didn’t expect an immediate response, but a few weeks later, they reached out. They were hosting a realtor event for future residents viewing properties and asked if we could make charcuterie cups. This experience taught us that investing in thoughtful, no-strings-attached gestures can create valuable future opportunities. Read more>>