{
  "id": 1672537,
  "title": "What to do if your biggest client is a risk to your solo business",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/what-to-do-if-your-biggest-client-is-a-risk-to-your-solo-business",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T08:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91590689/biggest-client-risk-solo-business"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Every year, assess the revenue contributed by each client. Some years, income may heavily depend on one or two clients. If their relationship were to end, your earnings could be significantly different. Solopreneurs face concentration risk, similar to companies, but lack the resources to mitigate it. One way to track this risk is by determining the percentage of revenue derived from a single client. Companies are required to disclose this, but solo businesses with fewer clients may not. If a client leaves, you could lose up to 25% of your income. This risk manifests in your business practices, such as keeping rates steady to retain clients, absorbing extra work from clients, and rearranging your schedule to accommodate their needs. Losing a client also impacts your status as an employee or independent contractor, with potential tax and benefits implications. To mitigate concentration risk, solopreneurs should diversify their client base. While working with fewer clients can be beneficial, it's essential to plan for the impact of losing a client. Maintain an active pipeline of potential clients and have contingency plans in place. Diversify your revenue streams, such as taking on smaller projects alongside larger retainer contracts. Having a financial cushion can provide a safety net during lean months, allowing you to weather the loss of a major client without financial strain. Regularly evaluate your client dependency and develop strategies to mitigate concentration risk, ensuring your business remains resilient.",
  "summary": "Every year, I look at how much money I earn from each client. Some years, my earnings are very skewed toward one client (or two). If something had happened to that working relationship, my year could have looked much different. Before I became a solopreneur, I worked in banking and then at a tech company. We had a phrase for reliance on a few clients: concentration risk. Companies that have this…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}