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.

Leah Carter

Although it wasn’t my first paid client – this is a story about my first surprise proposal client that was pivotal in my photography career to booking more. I didn’t have much of a client base or social media presence at this point my career so I was often looking for opportunities on Facebook, Craigslist, in-person, etc. I was browsing Craigslist, a pretty unconventional prospecting method, and found a post looking for a photographer for a surprise proposal for out-of-state tourists at a location I was very familiar with. Read more>>

Arielle Joseph

I got my first client while working for a clothing store. I was attending fashion design school at the time and I started wearing the stuff I made to work and anywhere I went. A customer came in and absolutely loved the high-waist ruffle tiered skirt I was wearing and I told her I made it. We exchanged contact information; within a week I created the same skirt for her and just like that she was my first sale. Read more>>

Annika Roser

I got my first client from Living Social. I had just moved to Boston and opened my studio. I didn’t know anyone in the city and kept thinking about how I would make clients aware of my business. I had a small budget (or really a nonexistent budget) and couldn’t spend a lot on advertising. I didn’t have any friends or family that could share my business with their network, so it was a really big challenge for me. Also, I started my business a long time ago when FB and IG weren’t what they are today. So I decided on Living Social. It was really exciting getting to see how many people booked the offer I put out. Read more>>

Julia Bustamante

I started out by finding a non-profit organization that I was interested in donating my graphic design skills to and from there I met many business owners and entrepreneurs who saw my work and instantly wanted to work with me. This is a great and positive way to make business connections. I’ve invested a lot in non-profit work and it’s brought me so much business. When you give from your heart, it’s amazing the blessings that come your way. I connected with a lot of speakers, coaches and business owners from the start and they have referred me out and that’s how I built my client base. Read more>>

Natasha Blakely

I ran my own business for 10 years but I was a part of a franchise and they really held my hand through the entire process of how to get clients. When I decided to close down my franchise and build my own business model I had to start from scratch. With a whole new target market, I really felt overwhelmed and I was not sure where or how to start. But I did a lot of research, picked the brain of a few successful business owners, and I joined some online groups that were relevant to my field, and I think that was super helpful for me. Read more>>

Natosha Zanders

I was an attendee at a women’s conference in Charlotte, NC, this was the first time I had the courage to wear one of my custom-made designs. It was a suede hunter green slightly oversized vest. A woman I had previously met on the first day of the conference approached and asked where I purchased my vest? When I told her I made it, she asked if I would sell it to her? I initially thought she was kidding but I took it off and sure enough, she paid for it, took pictures of her wearing it and the rest is history. She has been one of my most supportive clients and has inspired many of my creations to date. Read more>>

Eileenys Hernandez

I pretty much posted an ad on Facebook, and the inquiries just started growing. When I started out in 2018, there wasn’t really a market for peacock chair rentals. In Tampa, you’d only see one or two peacock chairs every now and then at an event rental facility. The needs just weren’t really there. That’s when it hit me! What if I came up with a beautiful selection of peacock chairs so that clients can have not just one, but a variety of options to choose from. It was pretty much smooth sailing from there. Read more>>

Samariah Ferguson

With consistency and promotion of my own I attracted many people to my website & social media from both businesses.. Providing great customer service they always referred people. I promoted my businesses everyday morning to night! Read more>>

Jamila Brown

I got my first client through my mom. She recommend me to one if her friends who had daughters and was wanting to learn how to tumble. I was so nervous about the lesson. Questions were flying through my head such as, will I do good? Will they learn? Will they enjoy it? etc? After the lesson, I asked the girls what they thought and they LOVED it! Afterwards, I charged the parent via swipe and it was the BEST feeling ever! Upon that, she booked lessons weekly and the girls learned and it was great! Read more>>

Ashley Randall

It was in the era of Pre Pandemic, I had finally had a space in my house for all of my art. I had it all set up so it was easy to access. Which allowed me to spend more time creating because I didn’t have to pack it up each time. I was experiencing some stress with some things going on in my life and art is one of my outlets. I just needed to sit down and throw something onto a canvas. Read more>>

Amanda Kacperowski

I got my first client by announcing my new venture on my personal Facebook page to friends and family. I created a regular social media post discussing my new brand, my goals, and what we can do for our clients, and someone from my past reached out telling me that I was exactly what they were looking for to help elevate their brand. Read more>>

Tiffani Hutton

The way that I got my first client was definitely a little unconventional. I was working at one of the top virtual assistant agencies, which I won’t name, but essentially there was a woman who realized there was a need for virtual assistants and she went to Silicon Valley with a backpack and a dream. Five years and millions of dollars later, I was working there. Due to money being mismanaged, the company shut down overnight without informing any of us. Actually, on Monday, we tried signing into our email accounts and got a message back that he “email didn’t exist”. Read more>>

Artavia Pray

The way I got my first client? I complimented their shirt. I was actually at work that day and saw a lady walking up to me needing some help finding some bread, I showed her where the product was and said I like your shirt! Who made it for you? She smiled and said thank you I ordered it off line, I said ok how much you pay for it? She said 30 dollars I told her I make shirts and gave her my business card next thing you know I had my first order from a stranger later on that week Read more>>

Danielle Wicks

One day I was walking in HEB (our local grocery store) and I had tons of different cheeses, meats, nuts, fruits,etc.. in my cart. As I was looking through the cheese section, a guy comes up to me and says!! “What are you going to do with all that cheese and fruit?” I said well since you must know, lol I’m making a few charcuterie boards for a few family members since its Mothers Day, its going to be the perfect gift. He said oh my goodness. That is an awesome idea. Something different from the ordinary. How much do you sale them for? I said ummmmm I’ve never sold one a day in my life. Read more>>

DeShawn Weekly

I received my first client back in 1994 I was a college student attending a university in Oklahoma and several of my close friends and myself decided that we wanted to write a proclamation about my loved one that had passed away. And because of that it led to several other proclamations in my past and in my future Read more>>

Grace Hamilton-Mayfield

I started my business in 1981 as a senior in college. I was performing at a community Martin Luther King event and a woman-owned business owner saw me and was so moved by my performance that she approached me following the performance. She gave me her card and told me to come and see her on Monday morning because she wanted to help me get started in business because our community needed arts and culture and she wanted to offer dance classes at her daycare center. Read more>>

Abimbola Farinde

The process of starting a new business or operation is not always an easy one. In order to obtain my first client, I decided to invest some funds in promotion and advertising on a well-known client recruitment platform. This proved to be successful and I am thankful that this resource was available to me for use. Read more>>

Othashia Harris

Yes, within 6 months after I graduated from cosmetology school, I started working at Macy’s as a beauty advisor at the Galleria Mall. One of my regular customers would always compliment me on my makeup and she recommended me to one of her closest friends that was needing makeup services for her bridal party. As a new mua Amina was one of my first makeup clients that I officially serviced. Read more>>