Let me ask you something. Are your clients balking at your prices? Are they penny-pinching you, expecting you to answer at 3am, showing up grumpy and unappreciative no matter how hard you work for them?

If that's you right now, I want you to hear this: it's not bad luck. It's not just "how business is." It's a choice you've been making without realizing it.

I was listening to Seth Godin recently — if you know his books, This Is Marketing, The Dip, Purple Cow, you know he's basically the guru of marketing for small business owners and freelancers. And he said something that stopped me in my tracks: choose your customers, choose your future.

I've been in business for 26 years, and even for me, this was a wake-up call. So today I want to walk you through what it means and how to actually apply it.

You Don't Serve Everyone — Even If You Think You Do

Here's the exercise Seth's idea got me thinking about. Imagine every single customer in the world walked into your business today. Every type of person at Walmart, at Target, at a restaurant. Do you actually want all of them?

You don't. We've all seen the nightmare customers. We've all seen a Karen before "Karen" was even a word for it (my first job was a Walmart greeter, y'all — I've seen it all).

But here's the thing: most of you didn't get into business to deal with those people. You got into this because you love what you do, you want to make a difference, and you want to get paid fairly for good work. That means you need customers who gladly pay you — not ones you have to convince, chase, or apologize to.

Your Pricing and Positioning Are Already Choosing For You

Whether you realize it or not, you are already choosing your customers right now — through your pricing, your positioning, and the signals you put out into the world. The question is whether you're choosing on purpose.

Think about a landscape designer who says yes to any yard, any budget, anyone. She'll get penny-pinchers. She'll get clients who want a $200 job when she needs $2,000 to make it worth her time. Now imagine she gets specific: "I design for homeowners on more than half an acre, in this particular area." Suddenly she's not fighting to convince anyone of her worth. She's attracting people who already want exactly what she offers.

Or think about a jewelry maker selling "handmade jewelry for anyone" — she's competing with $12 earrings on Etsy. But a jewelry maker who says "I make heirloom pieces for moms marking milestones — birth, adoption, loss" isn't selling jewelry anymore. She's selling meaning. That's a different customer entirely, and a different future.

Even a company as big as IKEA made this choice. Their furniture has a distinct look, made for smaller spaces, at a specific price point. It's not for everyone — and that's exactly the point. That choice is what lets them sell in volume, build their brand, and know exactly who they're for.

What You Choose, You Get

Here's the part I really want you to sit with: when you choose your customer, you choose your future.

If you decide to serve high-end residential clients as a landscape designer, your future looks like bigger budgets, more intricate designs, and clients who value your expertise. If you decide to go commercial, your future looks like crews, deadlines, and bigger equipment needs. Both are valid. Both can be profitable. But they are different futures — and they're yours to choose.

On the flip side, if you keep marketing to people who simply can't afford what you offer, you're not building a business — you're beating a dead horse. You'll stay busy, stay frustrated, and stay broke, wondering why nothing's working.

Same goes for pricing. If you price low, you will attract penny-pinchers. That's not a personal insult — it's just how it works. If you price for value, you attract clients who don't blink at your rates because they already understand what they're paying for.

The Clients Worth Choosing

Think about your dream client. Maybe it's someone like my interior designer friend Laura, who told me she just loves the clients she's been getting lately — she practically becomes part of their family during a remodel. That's not an accident. That's the result of choosing well.

Ask yourself: who is the client I've loved working with the most? What did they value? How did they treat me? Now — how can I market to more people exactly like that?

That's the real work here. Not just taking whoever shows up, but deciding who you're for, and speaking directly to them.

Your Turn

You have more control over your business's future than you think — and it starts with who you choose to let in. So here's your action step this week: think of one past client or customer who was an absolute dream to work with, and write down three things that made them that way. Then ask yourself how your pricing, your marketing, and your messaging could speak more directly to people just like them.

Choose your customers. Choose your future.

I'd love to hear from you — come find me on Instagram at @startwithkimberlybrock.