Well... as a general rule, I'd say "don't use sites like Freelancer.com, Upwork, etc. Seek out clients directly." And I'd definitely say that if you meant to make a full-time living as a freelancer. But since you're doing it on the side, you have limited time to do the kind of sales / marketing / promotion stuff you'd probably need to do in order to directly source clients.<p>On possibility might be to befriend as many other locals who do freelance work as you can, and try to work out an arrangement to take on subcontract work / handle overflow work / etc.<p>Anyway, if you haven't tried yet, you might find it worthwhile to ping as many former co-workers and other connections as you can (this is where LinkedIn is really handy) and let them know that you're available and looking for freelance work. Or if you can spare the time, visit as many networking events as you can (technical meetups, "business mixers" ran by things like the Chamber of Commerce, "lead swap" meetups, etc., etc., etc.) and network like mad.<p>You could also try a direct mail campaign targeting local businesses. Maybe put together a bundle of software + services using Open Source software and your skills, and target, say, I dunno, every car wash in your town, or every bar/restaurant, or every medical office. Whatever makes sense given your history / skills / experience / domain knowledge / etc.