

Ask HN:  Advice for Freelancing - techie20

Hey there HN, I'm new to posting but longtime reader.   I've constantly found awesome advice from quality people here.  I have decided to start doing some more freelance web design outside of my family/friends, but I am lost as to how to start.   Can you all give me a bit of advice of free/cheap ways to advertise myself to local small businesses and such?  Help me, Hacker News!  You're my only hope!    :)
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solost
My first suggestion is to make sure that you have some type of portfolio even
if it is small. In my experience a lot of web designers create their own brand
around their name and have a site with their portfolio. I'd then make sure you
have some decent business cards so that when you start attending local events
you have something to leave with prospective customers.

In most decent sized cities there seem to be numerous networking and small
business events that are usually free or have only a modest fee to attend. I
recommend checking the local chamber of commerce as well as using Google to
locate them. Sites like <http://www.networkingphoenix.com/> in Phoenix have a
lot of events where you can get out and meet small and large business owners.

If that isn’t your style there are numerous websites advertising the need for
talent to do one off projects. The issue with many of these sites is they want
a lot for a little. But if you need experience, want to build your portfolio
and or don’t mind working cheap then this might be a good route to start.

From there it is up to you. Also remember as you start getting clients, make
sure you give them the best possible service as over time they can become your
best source of business. Referral business often generates the best possible
customers.

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techie20
First off thank you for the excellent post, this is exactly why I chose to
post this here. Amazing advice compared to anywhere else. Second - In terms of
"portfolio" - I am a college student, so I haven't had much of a chance to get
a lot of work. Would you suggest making dummy/boilerplate websites with nice
designs to start off my portfolio? Or is it generally better to save your
portfolio for strictly work you've been paid for, etc?

Thank you for great advice so far, looking forward to more!

~~~
solost
I think the answer is that you should post any work that you have done and
want to share with potential customers.

If you are going to post work for hire, make it clear it was work for hire and
done to a clients specifications. If you are going to post projects from class
work, just make clear the purpoes of the project.

I also think it is a good idea to post projects you did for yourself to
display your level of talent and creativity, espcially when you haven't done a
lot of work for hire. Just always be honest about how and why you did the
projects.

Check out this site for portfolio ideas: <http://alexmeraz.com/>

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ohashi
Get out and meet people, call people, networking. Depends on what type of
stuff you are building and who your typical client is, where you are, etc.

Just get out there and try and meet people who might be interested in your
services, figure out what works for you, are you great at meeting at social
events? could you walk into a business and talk the owner into re-doing their
website? can you cold call and close sales? try, learn, improve, test, fail,
fail, fail, succeed :)

