You don’t need to wear a suit and a fake smile to look professional or to attract clients.

Almost a year ago, someone messaged me on Instagram, telling me I needed to look ‘professional’ to grow my business. He saw my website and my photos there and recommended that I wear something like a suit instead of a T-shirt.

I told him I like the way it is—casual, friendly, authentic, no fakeness at all.

Nowadays, if you wear a suit with a fake smile, you’ll definitely look like a pyramid scheme guy or a scammer.

Most of my potential clients know me as a digital nomad; they know that I work while traveling. They know my lifestyle, they read my articles, they see my Instagram photos, they see my YouTube videos, they read my about page, and they realize I’m 100% real.

You don’t need a professional-looking photo with professional clothing to build trust and attract clients. Casual clothing with an honest or strong personal brand is enough.

Authenticity over formality.

You don’t need to wear a fake smile. Instead, you can share your most authentic self. Share your ups and downs. If you’re really happy and smiling, share that. If you’re crying, you can share your crying face photos or videos too.

On January 26, 2023, I was at my lowest and I wrote an article on Medium called — I’m messed up and I need a job. I received 176 comments on that article, and I also got a client. I designed multiple websites for that client, and I’m still connected with the client on Instagram.

Well, I’m not Mark Zuckerberg and I don’t wanna compare myself with him at all, but here I wanna talk about him.

Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t smile often. People on the internet often call him a robot or a lizard. (By the way, I saw a video where he talked about his wife, Priscilla Chan, and it was filled with all kinds of genuine emotions, no one can call him a robot after watching that video)

Mark Zuckerberg wears the same T-shirt every day; his businesses (Meta, Facebook) are growing.

Steve Jobs (former CEO of Apple) is known as a minimalist style icon.

Eric Zhu, the co-founder of Aviato, built the company in the bathroom of his high school and raised $2.3 million at the age of 17

Eric Zhu, the co-founder of Aviato, built the company in the bathroom of his high school and raised $2.3 million at the age of 17.

Dhruv Rathee wears the same T-shirt every day; his YouTube channel is growing like a wildfire.

The casual work culture.

Almost every young entrepreneur and freelancer nowadays loves working from their bedroom, wearing casual clothes. They’re building their agencies and startups. Their businesses are growing, making thousands of dollars from clients all over the world.

There is an entire book called Pyjama Profit, written by Indian entrepreneurs Varun Mayya and Abhinav Chhikara.

Nowadays, you can build a business from your bedroom, so wear what you wear at home. You don’t wear a suit in your bedroom, right?

You can attend meetings wearing whatever you want below (if you really want, lol) and a T-shirt above, and close a million-dollar deal from your bedroom, too.

The complexity of unnecessary professionalism.

English is not our first language; we’re more comfortable speaking in Hindi with friends. I don’t understand why, when both people understand Hindi, some choose to speak English during business discussions.

Why? I know they want to look professional. But why?

You can get the work done casually, too, with easy language and simple clothing. Most importantly, when your colleagues are your friends, there’s no need for unnecessary professionalism—it just makes simple things more complex.

As I collaborate a lot with my friends, some of them always want to discuss things in a meeting, even to explain something simple, when they could just send a quick WhatsApp message. Or if it’s hard to explain in text, they could send an audio message and share the information immediately.

But no, they need to set up a proper video meeting at a time that suits them, just to go over a few bullet points. I mean, what the f*ck?

The best ways to show your professionalism.

If you want to show your professionalism, do it like this:

  1. Be on time: If you schedule a meeting for 10 AM, be there at exactly 10 AM. Value everyone’s time.
  2. Give your best effort: Always deliver high-quality work that shows your skills, expertise, and dedication.
  3. Engage with clients: Communicate in a friendly, polite, and engaging way with clients to build strong long term relationships. Listen to others during conversations to understand their perspectives and needs.
  4. Stay responsive: Never ghost anyone in your network, be it a potential client, an old client, or a work friend. Respond to messages and emails on time.
  5. Set clear expectations: Communicate deadlines and deliverables clearly to avoid misunderstandings.

There are more ways to show professionalism without wearing a fake smile or a suit, such as writing error-free, engaging emails, replying to messages as soon as possible, and showing your authentic self on social media.

Feel free to share your ideas in the comments below!

Avoid unnecessary meetings.

I’m a guy who doesn’t like unnecessary meetings at all.

I love to attend important meetings, especially those with clients, to understand their projects and get to know them better.

The main thing is communication.

When you can deliver information via WhatsApp or a voice call, why do you need to schedule a meeting? Why can’t you share the information as soon as possible using the easiest method available?

The worst part, 

Most of us forget important details if we decide to share them later, and sometimes that information feels outdated and no longer exciting to share. That’s how I stopped collaborating on and executing some ideas with some people.

I believe in instant information exchange, as we have the technology to share important messages immediately.

I don’t like it when someone makes simple things complex for no reason. We’re not corporate guys; we’re freelancers, writers, and young entrepreneurs. We don’t have bosses or investors to impress, so why the unnecessary professionalism between friends?

Don’t behave like a robot.

You’re a human, right?

Enjoy the process and smile from your heart. Work casually, and don’t behave like a robot.

Say no to unnecessary meetings.

Say no to unnecessary professionalism.

Say yes to casual work and be authentic. Simplify your life and make it easier for your collaborators too.

Work smart,
Earn passively,
Do what you love.

Thanks for reading this article. 💚

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you @InuEtc on Instagram.

Keep hustling!