How to Manifest Clients in Your Web Design Business

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Is it possible to manifest clients into your web design business?

Does sending out the right vibes make clients magically show up?

I’ve seen a ton on manifesting happening in online businesses lately, so I thought I’d look into it more.

But first, let’s lay it on the table: I’m not at all woo-woo.

I’m probably the complete opposite of woo-woo. I’ve got my feet firmly on the ground and my head about 5’5 above them–way below the clouds.

I don’t believe in tarot, crystals, or of manifesting in a traditional sense.

If you do, that’s great. I just don’t. It’s not my thing.

But I’m a huge believer in how what you put out into the world comes back to you–in a non-woo-woo way.

I’ll explain.

When you go looking for something you’re likely to find it

Have you ever bought a new car? It doesn’t have to be brand new, but let’s say you’re shopping for a new-to-you car. You do your research and you’re leaning heavily towards a Toyota Rav4.

And suddenly, they’re everywhere. You can’t throw a rock without cracking a windshield.

You stop next to one at a light. You see them in the parking lot. The local Toyota dealer is showing them on commercials or talking about them on the radio.

It’s obviously a sign!

Except, more didn’t magically appear on the road or in parking lots and your local Toyota dealer would be talking about them whether or not YOU were interested. Nothing you did or manifested changed reality in any way except to you.

What happened was that you started looking for something and are now noticing it’s all around you.

Fortunately, looking for clients works the same way. You’re not really going to manifest clients, but you’re going to become more aware of them.

When you look for clients, you’re likely to find them

I mean, duh, right?

But think about how you’re approaching your client search.

Do you know what you want?

Back to the car analogy–if you’re just looking to buy a new car and don’t know what kind, you’re not going to see any magical signs leading you to purchase that Rav4. You’re just going to see lots of cars and not know which one is best for you.

Likewise, if you’re just looking for clients, but you don’t know who they are, you’re not going to see any magical signs pointing you to booking a certain kind of client. You’re just going to see lots of people and not know if you want to work with them or not.

But if you know what car you want or who you want to work with, you’re going to start seeing them everywhere. You’re going to meet someone and think, “Oh my gosh, you’re the perfect fit for my services!” and then you’ll probably steer them towards working with you. You won’t do that if you don’t know who you want to work with because you won’t know if they’re the right fit for you.

When you don’t know what you want, you can’t ask for it. You can’t create content that connects with your clients. You can’t lead people to hire you. Getting clients will be extremely difficult.

Was your last client a lemon?

Alright, so let’s say your current car is a Honda Civic–which is generally a great car, but for this example, you have a lemon. You spend all your time trying to fix it, maintain it, and deal with its issues. You don’t want another Honda Civic; that one ruined your experience. You see them around and think, “Ugh! I hate that car!” and you subconsciously (or maybe consciously) avoid them. You see them in ads and scroll away, you hear someone suggest one and scoff. You do NOT want that car.

What if your last client (or five) was a lemon too? Did you spend all your time trying to get the project back on track, manage your client, and deal with his issues? How is that affecting how you put yourself out there? You know you need clients to make money, but if you’re only working with ones you don’t like (or just suffered through a particularly bad one) you’re holding back from getting a new client because you don’t want the headache again.

When this is the case, you’re unlikely to put yourself out there like you need to, you’re unlikely to invite people to hire you, and you’re going to subconsciously be pushing your potential clients away. You’re afraid of landing another lemon.

Are you afraid of failure?

Purchasing a car, new or used, is a BIG chunk of money. So it’s an important decision. That’s why I used it in this article, even though I don’t care about cars at all. It’s something most of us can relate to, because at some point in our lives, we had to go through it.

And if you buy the wrong car? That can lead to a lot of regret, and feeling like a failure because it was a huge chunk of money, wasted. It’s easier to not commit to a new car, than it is to make a decision and purchase one.

The same goes for your business. Maybe you’re newer and aren’t confident in your skills. Maybe you’ve gotten in over your head before. You’re terrified of making mistakes and messing up a client’s project, or even worse, your business failing and having to admit to everyone you know that you just can’t cut it as a business owner. It’s easier to not commit to your business and never get it fully off the ground, than it is to be successful and then make a mistake that costs you clients or tanks your business.

When you’re afraid of failing in your business, you’re going to push clients away. Just like when you’re burned out from working with lemons, you’re not going to show up in the way that you NEED to in order to get clients. You’re subconsciously avoiding them, because you don’t want to make a mistake and fail.

tl;dr How to manifest clients

Alright, so again, I don’t believe that thinking happy thoughts is going to manifest clients in a way that magically makes them appear. You can’t manifest clients out of thin air. But I do believe that having the right mindset is going to help you see potential clients everywhere, and put yourself out there in a way that draws clients in, instead of pushes them away.

First, get some clarity on WHO your clients are. You need to know who you want to work with in order to start seeing the potential around you. When you do this you’ll be able to create content that speaks to them, connect with them on a deeper level, and draw them to you through those connections.

Second, let go of those lemons. Don’t think that every client is going to be a bad one. Tell yourself that the next one is going to be great. And if you’re following step number one, she probably will be. Take a deep breath and let those lemons go!

Finally, push past your fear. Stop holding yourself back because you’re afraid of failure. If you keep holding yourself back, you WILL fail. So step up, and commit to your business. Realize that mistakes happen, but they’re not the end of the world. You’ll get through them. Take the first step, and then keep going.

If you follow these steps, you’ll manifest clients in the sense that you’ll recognize clients when you see them, and you’ll present yourself in a way that attracts new clients instead of pushing them away.

Originally published 5/1/2019. Updated 7/25/23.