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# Start with what you have, not what you want — Kelford Labs Daily
- URL: https://kelfordinc.com/start-with-what-you-have-not-what-you-want-kelford-labs-daily/
- Published: 2026-09-23T10:25:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-23T10:25:37.000Z
- Description: To get your ideal clients.
- Author: Joel Kelly
- Tags: attention, current, customers, Daily Labs, mistake, next step, credible, wish, focus

How do you get your *ideal* clients?

You start with what you *have*, not what you *want*.

See, the common mistake is thinking, ‘I want *that* type of client,’ and making a big strategic pivot to pursue them.

**When the much more practical, much more effective way to approach it is to start with the *best client you currently have*.**

And you ask yourself, “How do I get another *just like them*, except a *little closer* to my ideal?”

All the time, consultants stake out their [dream client and fantasize](https://kelfordinc.com/are-your-ideal-customers-actually-real-kelford-labs-weekly/) about what they might do or say to attract them.

And it almost never works, because there’s no reason for that dream client to have ever heard of them, let alone to find them credible.

**It’s too big a leap, too large a** [**credibility gap**](https://kelfordinc.com/bridging-the-credibility-gap-kelford-labs-daily/) **to bridge.**

But if you start from the other side, from [what you already have](https://kelfordinc.com/ideal-clients-are-nearer-than-you-think-kelford-labs-daily/), you can use your current best clients as a path, a bridge toward the next best.

One step at a time, as you pursue your ideal.

So who’s your *current best client*?

**They’re a client who:**

- Receives your *core* service offering
- Is *financially* profitable
- And is *emotionally* profitable

A *big client* that only receives a tertiary service doesn’t count. A fun client that doesn’t pay the bills doesn’t count. A profitable client you kind of hate working with doesn’t count.

**Identify a great client who loves what you do, pays a profitable price, and makes you *want* to keep working with them.**

And then create a strategy for getting one more client like them, but [a little bit closer](https://kelfordinc.com/next-best-not-ideal-kelford-labs-weekly/) to the ideal. Maybe they’re a bit bigger, a bit closer to your target industry, a bit farther away geographically.

Get their [attention](https://kelfordinc.com/what-we-pay-attention-to-kelford-labs-daily/), and then help them feel [comfortable](https://kelfordinc.com/content-makes-them-comfortable-kelford-labs-daily/) getting closer.

That’s how you get your ideal clients.

**Not by thinking about what you *want*, but by recognizing what you *have*.**

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