Once upon a time, when I was building my career in the client service department of an advertising agency, I could not afford to choose my clients. So sometimes I had to endure the disgusting attitude of the managers of international network clients and do Wow-projects for their brands not thanks to them, but in spite of them. This went on until I became the CEO of the agency, and then the co-owner of an advertising holding. We started to experiment with a new business and eventually discovered a fascinating segment of Ukrainian clients, then unknown to anyone. They fully trusted our expertise, resulting in a productive creative alliance. As a consequence of the crazy (in a good sense) advertising the clients’ sales skyrocketed, and we were deservedly bathed in awards, money and respect.
However, it took another dozen years of experience with clients, now in the investment industry, before I finally realized how critical it was to choose which clients to work with and which not to. The mind cleverly scares us and seduces us as to why it’s urgent to take on client Z. And if you haven’t decided for yourself in advance who your ideal client X is, then your entire portfolio will end up consisting of Z1, Z2, Z3, etc. Their requests will force you to hone some skills and not others, and hire specific staff to their tastes. Over time, things will only get worse — you can’t quit a working business, but you won’t have the desire or energy to drag it along either. The most unpleasant thing is that there is a risk of completely disorienting yourself, forgetting your superpower and going astray from the true Path.
Knowing all this, you become very selective in your choice of fellow travelers — clients, employees, investors and, of course, partners. If the choice is made correctly, you will create tremendous value for client X1’s business, resulting in their gratitude, a generous reward and a compelling case for future clients X2, X3, etc. Each new project will sharpen the scalpel of your expertise and facet your natural gift. The right people will be drawn to you, becoming part of your team and an ecosystem where value to clients is created even more easily and quickly. It’s an upward spiral.
Can you confidently describe who your ideal client is?
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
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