Getting your first client is an exhilarating experience, but it’s also an experience that far too many aspiring entrepreneurs never experience. Sometimes, the difference between an idea dying in the idea stage or going on to change the world is getting that first customer – the first tiny win that creates the momentum to make an idea real. So, we connected with some of the smartest folks we could and asked them to tell us the stories of how they got their initial clients. 

Emma and Rebecca Targett

In our first few months of business, things moved a little slowly—which, in hindsight, was exactly what we needed. While we both came in with strong backgrounds in wedding and event planning, stepping into our own business felt entirely different. The stakes were higher, the responsibility deeper, and every decision carried a new kind of weight. Read More>>

Jennifer Harris-Burgess

I worked at a daycare called The Nursery Foundation before getting my own business. My tax preparer for 5 years would ask me ‘So when are you going to start your own daycare?’, and I would tell her ‘I will’. Read More>>

Ian Taylor Schlitz

I run a 3D animation studio, primarily using the software Mine-Imator. Prior to starting my studio, I made Minecraft animations for fun on YouTube. I started animating in 2017, and was picked up as a freelance animator in 2020 by a studio that made Minecraft server trailers. Read More>>

Brian K. Wright

Having been a college English Composition instructor who had written his first book, I knew that helping others to write their books was a natural career move for me. Before I had any clients, I just started declaring to everyone I met that this is something that I do. My first client wasn’t a paying client, though. Read More>>

Jess Remmey

I remember getting our very first client that was not anyone we knew. It felt surreal, like ‘what? someone actually wants to book this thing?’ They had booked our horse trailer bar for a September event. It was early August and our old 1975 trailer was far from complete. Read More>>

Radhika Tadinada

My first client actually came through a Facebook ad—and almost by accident. They told me later they had clicked on it without much thought, but when we followed up, they figured, “why not?” and booked a free in-home consultation. Read More>>

Master Clarice Chan

I spent 17 years in the travel industry before making a life-changing decision in 2000 to step into the holistic field. Deep down, I felt a calling to create a life that was more aligned with my well-being and purpose. The beginning was far from easy. Building a client base from scratch took time, patience, and resilience. Read More>>

Eleanor Blair

After getting a BFA from Cooper Union in NYC in 1969, I found myself living in a small southern town, looking for a way to support myself. I had a job, briefly, as a bartender. I had a job, briefly, delivering newspapers. I had a job, briefly, as a draftsman at an engineering firm. Read More>>

Stewart Lundy

My first real client didn’t come from a referral, it came from me paying attention. I was in a space where accessibility wasn’t being talked about in any real way. People were moving through systems that looked fine on the surface, but if you actually lived in it, you could feel the gaps immediately. So I spoke up. Read More>>

Skye Griggs

Getting my first client was actually easier than I expected. At the time, Facebook was an incredibly useful tool for connecting with people, so I posted my flyers and shared that we were accepting new clients. Within just two weeks from that one post, I landed my very first client. Read More>>

Robert Santiago

I am in the medical field. My first client was one of the patients I would draw blood from. He was a local comedian and wanted to do a photoshoot to promote himself and his comedy shows. Read More>>

Olivia Martignacco

My first sale was at a Valentine’s Day market for small businesses, and I remember feeling both excited and nervous on the way there. My husband and I kept asking ourselves all the usual questions “will people actually buy? Will they love the fragrances as much as we do? Read More>>

Vanessa Rice

Everyone starts somewhere… and this is how my journey began. My very first client came from my time working in the student clinic during massage school. Weekend clinics, curtain-separated spaces, and a whole lot of nerves—but I showed up ready to learn and give my best. Read More>>