The Real Reason You’re Avoiding Big Clients (And It’s Not ICP Fit)

Author

Peter Delle
May 22, 2025

Let’s skip the part where you tell me your ACV sweet spot is “$3K–$5K.”

Or that you’re “focused on indie creators and SMBs right now.”

You’re not doing that because it’s strategic.

You’re doing it because you’re terrified of being exposed.

Big clients don’t care how charming your onboarding flow is. They don’t care that your site is giving peak YC energy.

They want one thing: Can you actually deliver?

And that question, founder, makes you sweat.

Enterprise clients don’t “vibe.”

They audit. They redline. They ask to speak to people who don’t exist yet.

They ask for your SLA, and you respond by refreshing Notion like it’s going to magically write one for you.

They say “we need procurement involved” and your soul leaves your body.

They ask what happens if something breaks — and you don’t have a single process in place that doesn’t involve DM’ing someone in a panic.

And you call that misalignment?

No.

That’s fear wearing a strategy costume…

You’re not selling to SMBs because you “love building for underdogs.”

You’re selling to SMBs because they won’t ask for a SOC 2.

Because they’ll tolerate a broken Zapier flow. Because they’ll blame themselves when something doesn’t work. Because they don’t expect you to be real yet.

You get to stay in the cosplay of being a CEO, without being asked to become one.

The truth?

You’re not early-stage anymore. You’re just addicted to the safety of being underestimated.

And that’s a high you’re going to have to quit.

Because if you want to build something enduring — not just exciting — you’re going to have to do the boring, terrifying work of being real:

  • Systems, not vibes.

  • Documentation, not duct tape.

  • Ownership, not excuses.

Big clients aren’t the enemy.

They’re the stress test.

The proof that your business isn’t just a pretty wrapper around your personality — but something that can actually carry weight.

So the next time you say, “Enterprise isn’t our focus right now,”

Ask yourself:

Is that because the business isn’t ready?

Or because you’re not?

Best,
Peter Delle