Big clients aren’t always a big win

At first, it feels great. A big client, the kind you might call a “whale”, signs on. Revenue spikes, your roadmap gets direction, and there’s a sense of security. After all, what could go wrong with landing a massive account?

But let’s be honest: “whales” aren’t always the win they seem to be. Sometimes, they’re a trap.

We’ve seen it firsthand and talked about it again recently — mostly as a reminder to ourselves. When a single client becomes too important to your business, you're not scaling — you're becoming dependent. And dependency is the opposite of stability.

When one client controls too much of your revenue, they also start to control your priorities. They might dictate timelines, influence your product direction, and make demands that smaller clients would never dare. Suddenly, you're no longer building your own company — you're building theirs.

And if that whale ever swims away? You’re in deep water.

There’s more long-term health in a diverse client base, a balanced ecosystem with many smaller (but consistent) clients. It might not feel as glamorous, but it’s sustainable. You gain resilience. You avoid single points of failure. You keep your team and your product focused on a broader vision, not the whims of one massive account.

This isn’t to say big clients are bad. They can be incredible partners when the relationship is healthy and well-bounded. But the moment a whale starts to define your business, it’s worth taking a step back.

So if you’ve landed one — great. Celebrate the win. But also, build your raft.