my first client

my first client was my pastor. he gave me a chance when all i had was ambition, curiosity, and a lot of unfinished projects sitting in my folders. he needed a website for his personal brand, and that became emekakaluspeaks.com.

i still remember the day he called me about it. i was nervous, but also excited. it felt like the start of something real. he trusted me with his online presence, his personal platform, and that kind of trust, especially from someone who’s seen you grow up, hits differently. i put everything i had into it.

the first brief

the goal was simple on paper, build a clean personal website that reflected his message and work. but for me, it was more than that. it was my first time working with a real client, my first taste of responsibility, and my first project that had a real audience.

building the site

i handled everything from layout design to deployment. there were nights i stayed up fixing bugs that made no sense. i remember refreshing the site over and over, hoping every pixel aligned perfectly. it wasn’t just about finishing the job, i wanted it to be something i could be proud of.

the final product was simple but powerful. it captured his voice and purpose, and seeing it live for the first time gave me a level of joy i can’t quite explain.

what i learned

• communication matters more than design. understanding what the client actually wants changes everything.
• good work takes patience. rushing kills creativity.
• people remember how you made them feel, not just what you built for them.

the reward

when i finished, he sent me 250,000 naira. that was the first time i got paid that much for something i built with code. it felt surreal. i didn’t even care about the money as much as what it represented, validation that i could actually do this and make a living from it.

looking back

i’m forever grateful to him for believing in my skill and trusting me with something so important. that project shaped how i think about work, clients, and growth. it taught me that every big journey starts with someone taking a chance on you. for me, that person was my pastor. and i’ll always remember that.