

Ask HN: How to start making money as a freelance web/ui/ux designer? - rblion

I lost my design job because the startup went belly up. I&#x27;m not discouraged at all, I am still a talented designer able to sculpt ideas into simple and elegant pixels that can work for any organization, app, or artist. I just need some help to get the ball rolling, some good advice or tips if it isn&#x27;t too much to ask for. Maybe some good sites to be listed on or ways to make Craigslist work for me. I am 23 and want to be able to work and travel at the same time as soon as possible. I&#x27;m not getting any younger and the world is just too big for me to stay in one place forever.<p>Work:
- http:&#x2F;&#x2F;myriann.com&#x2F;
- http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.roomsailor.com&#x2F;
- http:&#x2F;&#x2F;phmhotelgroup.com&#x2F;<p>I have a lot more but this is the best of my recent stuff.<p>Thanks for any help :)
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tagabek
I'm going to repost my comment here from a previous thread.

I am an iOS Freelance Developer, and this path is what got me my first client.

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.

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.

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.

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. Congratulations on taking this huge step!

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)

~~~
bmelton
Upvoted, liked, and QFT. The only thing I can add to that is to reinforce that
there is _tremendous_ value in being the guy that everybody recommends. Not
just in business, but everybody should know what you do, and how good you are
at doing it.

You should basically be 'on' all the time, and making it a point to illustrate
the value you bring everywhere you can. It's a scalable business model, but if
you impress enough people every day, then at some point, you'll start getting
recommended by people you haven't even met, and who haven't even really gotten
any idea of how good you are.

The only objective beyond that is the one where you're constantly raising
rates because people are beating down your door.

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vcherubini
The single best way to make money as a freelancer or consultant is to grow
your own personal network. The brand you are selling is essentially you, so
you have to build a strong network to support that brand.

I own a small software company and literally 100% of our clients come from
within our network. One friend referred me to one client, and that client
referred me to their clients, and so on.

Spend time building your network and you'll be successful.

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rblion
Thanks guys. This helps a lot. I will update soon when I have my online
presence updated and expanded.

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davidsmith8900
\- Have you tried Elance.com, Freelance.com, Freelancer.com, GetACoder.com,
Guru.com & oDesk.com?

