

Ask HN: Getting That First Client? - isaacb

So I am interested in getting into freelancing, but I&#x27;m not quite sure how to get started.<p>I think that I have a lot to offer -- I have strong full stack development skills with a focus on rich front-ends, either with pure JS, jQuery, or Angular; I know my way around MongoDB and PostgreSQL; and I can go from raw ideas to finished products on my own and in a team. I am very good at organizational thinking and planning and have a sense for design throughout the development process.<p>The trick is, I have very few connections. So how can I (and people like me) break into freelancing? Is trolling twitter for jobs the answer? Maybe getting started on a site like freelancer.com (I hope that isn&#x27;t the best option)? Or just building static sites for local farmer&#x27;s market vendors?<p>I&#x27;m in NYC, so I think if I really put myself out there I would have plenty of options available to me, but I&#x27;m at a loss for how to go about it. Does HN have any advice?
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gexla
First thing, you need to completely change the way you are thinking about
freelancing. In fact, never call yourself a freelancer. Freelancer seems to be
a strange way to describe a business. Do you care if someone is a freelance
lawyer? Freelance plumber? Probably no, you are looking for a business, a
professional, not a freelancer. That's not to say that a freelancer isn't a
professional, but there are much ways to present your image.

Next, none of those skills you mentioned matter.

Ultimately, the only skill which matters is the ability to sell. You do that
by selling a story or experience (or whatever you want to call it) to the
client. Once you land the client, then the story needs to continue to be as
thrilling as it was when it drew the client to you in the first place.

Some people will tell you that it's all about providing value, that's true.
It's a big part of it, but that in itself doesn't tell a good story. It's just
like how the same joke can be gut busting funny or a total bomb depending on
who is telling it. It's the same joke, but it comes alive with the story
telling.

Someone who is good with selling, who can manage the client and can manage
developers well could land projects all day long and have other people build
them. This person wouldn't even need to know how to code.

The skills you mentioned are the sorts of things an employer is looking for,
not the guy bankrolling the whole chain (the person who is paying to own the
code.) However, this is an industry which tends to run on the small size.
There are no Ford Motors of client application development work hiring
thousands of developers and mopping up the competition. This isn't mass
manufacturing. There are a lot of small shops out there looking for
independent developers. You might be best off providing development services
for these shops while you are learning the ropes. You can then move on to
offering your services directly to the end client from there.

There is a big difference there. Both in how you sell your services and the
models by which you can charge for your time. You can make more by being the
person dividing the pie rather than being in line to receive a piece. But you
have to start somewhere.

As others said. Network, network, network. Jump on Twitter and other social
networks. Get your code on Github and share. The more people who know your
name the more opportunities you get. The more surface area you lay out for
luck to attach to, the more luck you will catch.

I could go on forever here. Look through Hacker news. This subject has been
done so many times.

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tagabek
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)

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helen842000
I think it has to start with a really great portfolio. Perhaps even start
blogging.

Pick a developmental niche and own it.

Do you want to develop MVP's for non-technical founders - can you cope with
the indecision at the idea stage in exchange for quick turn around projects?
If so, offer your services here, in the /r/sideproject & /r/entrepreneur
subreddits.

Maybe you'd rather refactor existing technology to be faster, stronger &
beautiful. Lots more planning & management but for bigger rewards & a better
portfolio. Find sites that have flaws, technical issues & make a compelling
case for hiring you by emailing them.

Perhaps you want to become known for beautiful sites for handmade crafters,
farmers market vendors etc. Make some stunning advertising, flyers, postcards
etc. Stay local, go to events and build your name. Pick a couple of vendors
with beautiful products and offer to do their site to build your portfolio.
Team up with a great photographer & make those sample sites shine. You will
easily become known for what you do.

After you have your portfolio set - start raising those rates.

Remember, the types of jobs you accept, lead to other jobs of a similar type.
By accepting jobs in niches you dislike, you're making it harder for yourself
to enjoy your work and get to where you want to be.

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adyus
Getting your first job from connections is indeed much easier. But as the
other commenters mentioned, the ability to sell is crucial for a small
business owner like yourself (someone else suggested not calling yourself the
f-word :).

Here's my suggestion. Pick a local small business that you like, but that
could use a better website or web app (something simple, like an appointment
scheduler, etc.). More specifically, pick a business that you feel would grow
tremendously if only they were more visible online. Pitch a new website for
cheap, or even in exchange for goods or services. If they turn you down, don't
take it personally, just brush it off and find another potential client.

Now for the good part: measure everything about the current state of their
business, from visitors to revenue to ROI on advertising, etc. Build their
website, then measure how much your solution improved their numbers.

Make a portfolio with this business as your case study and brag about those
numbers. Rinse, repeat.

Don't forget the part about not taking it personally and brushing it off if
you get turned down. Good luck.

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netman21
I have started a bunch of companies, mostly in services. The very best way to
get into freelancing is to get work from your current employer. This assumes
they like your work, they are not mad at you for leaving, etc. But often they
are happy to pay you less (in total) to maintain things you have created for
them. It works for you because you get your start in freelancing, often at a
higher hourly wage.

Just don't be fooled by that higher hourly wage. I left my first job out of
school (we are talking 1983 here) to double my hourly rate from $12 to $24 as
a contractor for CDC (old mainframe computer company). But the lag in cash
flow was a killer. As a freelancer you have to invoice for your time and wait
weeks to get paid.

I cannot emphasize enough the need to sell. To get your first freelance job
try calling a bunch of people. Heck, call me! I am looking for help on several
sites. LAMP stack plus WordPress stuff. I would LOVE to have a reliable,
responsive, developer working on my stuff.

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anigbrowl
Make something - need not be a full blown app, just something useful. Show HN
your useful thing and make it accessible on Github or some similar platform.
Mention you're looking for work.

Mind you I like the idea of helping farmer's market vendors. Why not build
something to help them connect with customers? I can think of several app
possibilities - my wif'es into this and has been bouncing relevant app ideas
off me as she explores codeacademy.

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iancarroll
You could try [http://elance.com](http://elance.com) or
[http://freelancer.com](http://freelancer.com), but that's not going to work
out long term if you need an income off of it.

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centdev
Contact me, email in profile.

