Lessons From My First Paid Client
As a student and running a small business, capturing my first paid client was both exciting and a bit unnerving. More than anything, I was overjoyed and giddy at the fact that the steps I had been taking were finally leading to a tangible form of success. It was both elating and nerve-wracking to finally get client recognition in the form of proper payment. Regardless, I was finally moving in the right direction financially. On my end, I ensured that I was well-prepared to meet the client’s expectations. It was through this experience that I realized that academic models are far removed from the business world, and putting in the work only scratches the surface of success. A lot of things stood out to me when I received the payment. The biggest was process efficiency to clear processes. I had to stay constantly in touch, and suprise suprise, my client was equally aloof. It was through this lack of direction that I realized processes and structures were of crucial importance. Writing things down enables one to keep track of information at a, at the same time. It also goes a long way in preserving information for future reference.
Procedures help assimilate expectations for every party involved. The same goes for agreements. Business in many cases goes through agreements, and vague agreements do far more harm than having nothing at all. As a student myself, I was already pressed for time with my constantly moving deadlines, regular exams, and the classes I had to attend. With the addition of a client, it became clear to me that I would require proper organization, and a lot of it. With the constant time crunch, the only way out was to prioritize the work I had on my plate. In some cases, I also learned the importance of saying “no” when presented more work than I could feasibly juggle. Everything I described above and more enables a person to keep their end of the bargain, at least when it comes to deadlines, a promise that was made. The same goes for trust and money.
Another important learning was appreciating client psychology. Every now and then, clients simply want to feel heard and that their input matters, to participate in the process, even when there is a clearly defined technical best practice. Since then, I have learned to give clients a reason to tell their stories, actively listen, and deliver timely feedback. That helped in trust building, and in smoothing the process for both parties, it was beneficial. Most significantly, that first paying client is what gave me the confidence booster. Prior to that, there was a cloud of doubt if my services would be marketable. Completing the project gave me a strong dose of pride, and fundamentally marked a turning point in my belief that I could pursue this. That approach to business has persisted in me to this day. In hindsight, the money was nice, but the education I received, and the experience I had with clients, and the confidence I was able to build was of much greater value in my case. To my fellow students, I’d simply say, make the most out of your first client, because they are in essence, a wise teacher, if you listen to them.