There’s a moment in every solopreneur’s journey when you wake up and realize something powerful: you don’t have to work with everyone. You’re not here to serve the masses. You’re not here to win the race to the bottom. You’re here to do great work—for the right people.

As a professional speaker and as a brand ambassador, I’m grateful that all of my customers over the past several years have been great to work with. However, if I had a customer who wanted to hire me and I felt they would be very difficult to work with, I’d have to decide, are they the right customer for me. At times we charge a very low rate, to get the customer, and then we’re angry at ourselves. The work we’re doing is SO MUCH for such little pay, it’s frustrating. That’s not the customer’s fault, that’s your fault.

Seth Godin wrote in a recent blog post:

“A picky customer is oppositional. Whatever you offer, they want something (slightly) different.
A particular customer is easy to delight. They tell you what they want, and that’s what they want.
We get to choose who we’re here for.”

That idea changes everything.

Picky vs. Particular: Who Are You Building For?

There’s a big difference between someone who’s hard to please and someone who knows exactly what they want.

The picky customer is always one step out of reach. You show them option A, they want B. You give them B, and they’re suddenly dreaming of C. This isn’t refinement; it’s resistance. Working with picky customers drains your energy and clogs your creative flow.

The particular customer, on the other hand, is clear. They know what they need, they communicate it, and if you can meet that need, they’re thrilled. There’s trust in that exchange. They’re not here to nitpick—they’re here for results. And that’s the kind of customer you can build a business around.

What Kind of Business Are You Really Running?

If you’re constantly attracting bargain hunters who ask for discounts or nickel-and-dime your proposals, it’s not just about “them.” It’s about what you’re putting into the world.

Your customer shapes the business you build. Premium clients expect a polished process, high-touch service, and expertise—and they’re willing to pay for it. Budget-focused clients want fast, cheap, and good—and they usually get two out of three.

Both types of customers exist for a reason, but trying to serve both often leads to frustration. You can’t offer white-glove service and compete with Fiverr prices. That’s a race to burnout.

Your Brand Promise Sets the Tone

Think about your website, your emails, your proposals, your social media. What kind of customer are they speaking to?

Your pricing, your tone, even the fonts you use—they all signal something. A $4,000 logo design attracts a different buyer than a $40 one. If you say you deliver clarity and calm, but your onboarding process is chaotic, there’s a disconnect. If you promise speed, but you take weeks to respond, there’s friction.

People don’t just hire you for what you do—they hire you for how it feels to work with you.

Premium vs. Lowest Price: A Fork in the Road

When you stand at the crossroads of business strategy, one of the first decisions is whether you’ll serve premium customers or compete on price.

Premium customers expect excellence and are willing to pay for it. They value expertise, attention, and results. The relationship isn’t transactional—it’s transformational. They don’t ask, “How much does this cost?” but rather, “How much value will this create?”

Price-focused customers, by contrast, are shopping for a deal. Their primary consideration is getting the service at the lowest possible cost. The relationship is fundamentally transactional.

Neither is inherently wrong. But they lead to drastically different businesses.

Your Team Feels It Too

Even if you’re a solo operator, you’re probably working with contractors, virtual assistants, or collaborators. The kind of customer you choose to serve affects their experience, too.

Working with aligned clients means smoother handoffs, fewer fires, and happier teams. Working with mismatched clients? That leads to frustration, overcommunication, and sometimes, resentment.

And let’s be honest—no one does their best work when they’re constantly explaining themselves to a customer who doesn’t trust the process.

Protect Your Energy with a Pre-Qualification Process

Here’s one practical tip that can change everything: use a pre-qualification form or intake survey before you say yes to a client.

Ask questions that get to the heart of their mindset:

• What’s your timeline?
• What’s your budget range?
• Have you worked with a service provider like this before?
• What does success look like to you?

This isn’t gatekeeping—it’s alignment. It’s making sure you’re building relationships that feel good on both sides.

You can also use this to identify red flags: vague answers, unrealistic expectations, or signs that they’ve burned through three service providers before you. It’s okay to say no. In fact, saying no is how you make space for the right yes.

You’re Not for Everyone (And That’s a Good Thing)

The sooner you accept that you’re not for everyone, the faster you can build a business that actually feels good to run. You’ll spend less time bending and more time creating. Less apologizing, more leading. Less explaining, more delivering.

You get to choose:

• Premium or lowest price?
• Detailed or difficult?
• Collaborative or controlling?

The answers to those questions shape everything—your pricing, your brand, your systems, your sanity.

So take a moment and ask yourself: Who do I really want to serve?
And once you know, go all in on them.
Because when you choose your customer, you choose your future.

Evolving Your Customer Base

If you’ve been in business for some time, you might realize that your current customer base doesn’t reflect who you want to serve. That’s okay. Customer selection isn’t a one-time decision; it’s an ongoing process of refinement.

Start by identifying your best current customers—those who value your work, respect your processes, and pay your invoices without pushback. What do they have in common? How can you find more clients like them?

Then begin gradually shifting your marketing, your pricing, and your services to attract more of those ideal clients while naturally filtering out the rest.