One of the most valuable skills in solopreneurship is knowing who to work with before you commit. The wrong client or contractor can create months of stress, constant churn, and endless prospecting to replace relationships that never should have started. In this episode of The Life-First Solopreneur, Carly Ries and Joe Rando share how to vet clients and contractors so you can build long-term, low-drama working relationships.
Start by doing your homework
Vetting begins long before the discovery call. When you clearly define your business, who you serve, what you do, and what products you offer, bad-fit clients rarely make it far. If your ideal client owns a restaurant and a dental practice comes knocking, that mismatch is a signal worth respecting rather than rationalizing.
Why personality matters as much as deliverables
For service-based businesses, the working relationship is the product. Carly shares how one consultant uses a personality test and a thoughtful questionnaire, not to judge the answers, but to observe how prospects respond and whether their style is compatible. Joe leans on the gut check built from decades of experience, along with tools like personality surveys and intake forms to assess fit before signing.
Red flags to watch for
A few warning signs come up again and again. Watch how a prospect talks about past providers, notice whether they seem panicky or urgent for results from day one, and pay attention to early freebie requests. Joe also shares a costly hiring mistake that taught him a lasting lesson, if someone is rude to the waiter, believe them.
The payoff
The better you get at vetting the right people upfront, the stronger your business becomes. You reduce churn, cut down on constant prospecting, and set yourself up for long-term engagements. It all starts with being diligent from the very beginning.
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
Carly Ries
