Looking back at our first year, hitting 50 clients felt huge

In my experience, we started with just three local clients and a lot of hope. I remember thinking if we got to 20 by year's end, that would be a win. When we hit 50 exactly on December 15th, it was a real surprise. It mattered because it proved our referral system and niche service model actually worked, which felt like a solid foundation. That number gave us the confidence to hire our first full time project manager the next month. Has anyone else had a first-year milestone that changed how you planned your next steps?

3 comments

3 Comments

river_wright1mo ago

Honestly that first big number is cool, but for me it was our first bad client. Hitting a goal just makes you run faster, but dealing with a nightmare project totally reshaped how we pick who to work with.

angela_wilson7812d ago

Oh man, that's a good point actually. So what was the biggest red flag you missed with that nightmare client? Was it something they said during the first call or did they just seem fine until the work started? I'm curious because we all have that one sign we ignore and then regret later. I swear every bad job I've had started with me making excuses for something that bugged me early on. What's yours?

brown.susan1mo ago

Totally get that. Bad clients teach you more than good ones ever could. Had a similar thing happen early on. Makes you set hard rules about who you even talk to. Now we trust our gut way more during the first call. That pain changes everything.