Escape your 9-5 and do something amazing: My Chapter

Hello Design Lovers! This week I come with some amazing news. I have been featured in an upcoming book titled “Escape your 9-5 and do Something Amazing”.

And as demanding as it is, we take great pride in it. So I believe in the power of exchanging experiences because seeing that someone before you has done may inspire you during the difficult times and help you to not give up.

When you do achieve that one big objective you set for yourself, however, there is nothing like it (at least in my opinion) and all the efforts suddenly become more than worth it.

Back to the book

The chapter I wrote, entitled How to find your first client, deals with the fact that “Without clients, you don’t have a business, you have a hobby”. Below is a brief excerpt from the chapter:

As someone who have struggled with this topic [finding your first client] in the past (but eventually succeeded), I feel compelled to share a bit of what I’ve learned during this crazy journey called entrepreneurship. And when I was asked to write about it, finding the first client easily came to mind as it is honestly the most important thing you need to figure out.

Whether you are looking for many one-off clients to pay small fees or just a big recurring one to give you a retainer or multiple projects, clients are everything.

Let’s face this scenario: you are in your bedroom, potentially in a shared flat, thinking about your uninspiring magnolia-painted walls (I am an interior designer so I easily pay attention to these things, you may think that you want a car if that suits you better). You wonder how to feel more empowered at work and how to take on more responsibilities. You want to find your voice, feel in charge, and influence external circumstances to your advantage. So that eventually you can create the life that you desire. Do you relate with this?

Well, that was me, just three years ago. Now I’ve got my own interior design company and a small international team of four people. At the time, finding clients seemed like the most difficult thing ever. I would devour books, articles, online courses, you name it. They would be about the most various topics from defining market needs to digital marketing and even money mindset. But they all had one thing in common: if you want to be an entrepreneur, you need clients to pay you. Clients are everything for a business, they are the soul that inspires you and the fuel that keeps you going.

…

So, in my experience there are two ways to approach the topic.

The first, applied by the so-called Expert Marketer, involves a clear market vision, a strong business strategy comprehension and planning skills. In order words, what I wanted to do but wasn’t able to.

The second approach consists of looking into your own network, nurturing it, or creating one if you don’t have it yet. And this, my friends, is how I found my first client.

Going on, I have detailed the two major processes mentioned here to find new clients. I also tried to add some perspective on how to manage the whole thing, or at least, how it went in my experience. I leave the rest for the actual book and I am sure you can find a lot more.

I hope you’ll find it insightful and helpful. If you are interested in knowing a bit more about the book or purchasing the book have a look Here.

Do you have more questions on the entrepreneur’s life? Share your thoughts tagging us on social media and I’ll reply!