Ever thought twice about whether you will be able to deliver on what your client is expecting of you? I know I have, many times! This is the point when entrepreneurship becomes real. I think experiencing fear at this point is a lot better than blindly taking on work without thinking through what is required in real terms, to actually deliver on the client’s requests. Biting off more than you can chew with limited resources is a guaranteed way to disappoint initial reference customers, who will then unfortunately, become ambassadors about how you were not able to deliver.

However, unfortunately there are no perfect deals that will match the resources you have when starting off a new business. If you happen to get them, consider yourself to be part of a fortunate minority. For the rest of us, we will either get deals that drain our resources, while not contributing adequately to our bottom line, or we may be able to land a large account that puts our reputation on the line. You often find yourself torn in sticky spots, and this is perfectly normal for an early stage business. The key in both situations is negotiating up or down depending on the client requirements and your capabilities. Don’t hesitate to offer changes to the requisition depending on what you can actually deliver within your constraints.

Don’t let larger account managers intimidate you, and never underestimate the amount of work that smaller accounts can provide you with. Most importantly, have confidence in your ability and your product or service. If you don’t, the clients will sense it the first time they meet you, and that will result in not winning any business at all. When you step up to be an entrepreneur, you do in fact break away from the rest of the pack, daring to be different. To be different you need to have confidence in yourself and what you bring to the table. If you have that …. making the right decision will be a whole lot easier.