Riding The First Client Rollercoaster
Experienced freelancers — Do you remember that first client feeling?
During a connection call with another medical writer recently, they asked me,
“Who was your first client, and how did it feel to get your first big break?”
SUCH. A. GOOD. QUESTION.
(And one that fuelled hours of nostalgia self-appreciation immediately after)
The climb
After this particular call, I jumped straight into reflection.
I realized I hadn’t thought about my first client (was her name Kelly? Jan? Janice maybe?) in years — even though, at one point, she was literally the most important and interesting person in my life.
When you are a baby freelancer starting out, you often find yourself wondering and waiting for someone to take a chance on you.
After building your portfolio and practicing your pitching skills, there comes a point when you start to wonder to yourself,
“Am I ever actually going to land a client?”
It’s a discouraging time, especially if it lasts longer than you anticipated.
Which is why I was so taken aback when I didn’t have a clear memory of the person who had given me my first break.
Waiting at the top
As I let my brain mull over this question, I was suddenly hit with powerful memories of the feelings I experienced after landing that first freelance client:
Excitement and euphoria — Wait… someone wants to actually pay ME for medical writing? I’ll finally have a real client and can get a real customer testimonial. This is amazing, and I AM AMAZING!
[5 seconds later]
Imposter syndrome creep — Oh god, wait, now I actually have to do work for a client. What if they hate it? What if they give me a terrible review, and it’s the only one I have? That means I would 100% suck. How would I be able to bounce back from that?
[0.2 seconds later]
Existential panic — Oh no oh no oh nonononononono what have I done? How have I conned this very kind woman into believing that I could do this project? I don’t know what I am doing and have no experience, this is a huge mistake. BAIL BAIL BAIL.
Thing is — it’s too late to bail (and I doubt you actually want to, anyways). Just like sitting at the top of the rollercoaster, you are tipping on the precipice of a new adventure and experience, and you have no choice but to let go and enjoy the ride.
Enjoying the ride (and doing the damn thing)
Plot twist: I did the project (and crushed it, despite feeling like an imposter the entire time) and got my first of many 5-star reviews.
Reflecting back, this once big, scary moment is such a warm and fuzzy memory for me now — because I can truly look back and see how far I have come since I started my freelancing journey.
Do you remember how you felt after landing your first writing client?
Whether you have been writing for decades or literally just landed your first client yesterday, I want to hear from you. Leave me a comment about your first client experience.
How did it shape and change the way you felt about your writing career?
P.S. My first client’s name is Jenny, btw. I went diving through my old Upwork job contracts to uncover that lost artifact of my early freelancing past. She is the first person who paid me for medical writing — and to me, she is truly a legend and an icon ✨