Curious to know how HNers who run their own design, development, marketing, consulting (etc) business find or get clients.<p>Referrals seems to be the big one, but would be great to learn about some of the strategies people use to land a larger client or project.
I work in digital tech policy but I think my advice is transferable.<p>If I could give you one piece of advice, it's 'be active'.<p>Getting clients is about networking - meeting new people who can offer you good work on good terms. But this doesn't mean schmoozing at parties or sector events. You want people to find you through your work - that way your work is the salesperson. As a bonus, your clients will feel like their reaching out to you, rather than being sold something.<p>Saying you're a great designer at a party in one thing, having them find you through your work is another thing altogether. They can see you can do what you say you can do.<p>But how do you get people to find your through your work? This requires effort, time and a bit of hard work. But the investment is worth it.<p>You need to do things - you need to be active. Then you people to find your stuff organically.<p>So:<p>* Now is the time to kick off that little side project you've been meaning to finish for the last 12 months;<p>* Now is the time to complete that article you've been meaning to write for the last 6 weeks;<p>* Or kick up that HN or StackExchange account again and start answering questions<p>* Do something more innovative, i.e., write a book, etc.<p>For the next couple of weeks you need to invest your time in doing stuff. Start that blog. Get your twitter up and running again. Try to commit 2 hours a day. Get up a little bit earlier than usually, and work a little later.<p>Then submit your best stuff to relevant networks, like HN. Or push out a link to your friends and colleagues, asking for feedback. Hopefully it will start to pick up traction.<p>But, most importantly, at the end of all this new stuff that you've developed/written say that "You're a freelance webdesigner/consultant/etc, and that you'd love to grab a coffee in X location with anyone that's interested. Email me now."<p>This might take a bit of upfront effort but it's worth it. Getting your first few clients will be the most difficult, but it gets easier - because these clients will hopefully refer you on to other people, and your business will start picking up traction.<p>So, in summary:<p>1. Clients (rightfully) fear giving money to new people<p>2. You need to show these people that you've got skills (and not just a business card)<p>3. The best way to put potential clients at ease is for them to find YOU through YOUR work. That way your work is the salesperson, and not you<p>4. Do interesting stuff, send it out, write a pitch at the end.<p>Best of luck, and don't hesitate to hit me up.
A good start is the "seeking freelancer" monthly thread here on HN (latest one: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6995014" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6995014</a>), thought they seem to be drying out. Also look at more decent job matching sites like gun.io, onsite.io, authenticjobs, etc. Startup and business meetups are hit-and-miss, but they're fun and might net you good relationships, even if they don't turn into a money exchange.<p>Patrick McKenzie (patio11) has more advice on this than you'll ever need. You can start here: <a href="http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/09/17/ramit-sethi-and-patrick-mckenzie-on-getting-your-first-consulting-client/" rel="nofollow">http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/09/17/ramit-sethi-and-patrick-...</a>, or just go through his comment history (<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=patio11" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=patio11</a>).
I'm going to repost my comment here from a previous thread.<p>One of my jobs is an iOS Freelance Developer, and this path is what got me my first client.<p>It seems like you are very aware of what you are capable of. It's great to be realistic, but also realize that you are now in the professional market like everyone else. Like the other posts say here, NETWORK.<p>Go to local meetups and present yourself as a real professional. Create business cards (BONUS: Make yours stand out from the rest). You will receive many business cards by going to these meetups. You can probably gauge what would make yours flashier.<p>Here's an example of my business card that has been one of the most effective marketing strategies I've ever used: <a href="http://i.imgur.com/4LeH2vf.png" rel="nofollow">http://i.imgur.com/4LeH2vf.png</a><p>Update your LinkedIn, Twitter, HackerNews, Blog, etc immediately with solid and presentable information. If you're unsure of how to do this professionally, check out other professionals' pages and emulate success.<p>Now, BUILD THAT PORTFOLIO. Even one side project is generally enough to show someone that you can do the work. Do you want to show off your skills, but you're not sure what to build? Take a popular site and build a small client for it. This is one of the most exciting experiences you will ever go through. We hear about people building businesses all of the time, and it seems amazing. There is so much more passion - in my experience - when you are building yourself.<p>Please feel free to contact me if you have any basic questions about the whole freelancing process. I'm happy to help in any way! (Email in profile)
Browse through websites and try to identify issues with design/marketing/or whatever you do, then get in touch with the owners and try to help them solve the issues. You'll know instantly (judging by the response) whether there is potential for you to work together. Nothing endears you to the potential clients more than free advice.<p>This method has got a low success rate, so you'll need to go through a number of websites before you hit a positive response. And it's important to make sure you've got a "presence" (like ekpyrotic and tagabek said)<p>It may make things easier if you target websites that are based in your area (or within a driving distance).
The all time greatest way to get referrals quickly for IT is to do some work for an accountant. Do a great job, be as professional as you can be. Work for free if you have to but don't work for less than your rate. Then ask for referrals. Accountants know the right people and have the right relationship with them to put in the good word that counts.<p>The nature of IT is such that the trust level needed to get business is too high for most marketing techniques. But referrals work (if you are high quality).<p>I could give a lot more if you need it. Anyone who needs some help can call me.
Go where your target market is. In some cases, it means sites like Quora, local meetups, and conferences. In others, it means cold-calling random people.