Start with the list nobody wants to make
Write down forty people who know you and work somewhere. Not "people who might hire me" — just people. Then send each of them one short message that does three things: says what you now do, says who it's for, and asks if they know anyone who needs it. Not would you hire me. Asking for a referral is easy to answer; asking for work is not.
Expect a low hit rate and a couple of genuinely useful replies. That's the whole point.
While that runs, work the channels in how to find freelance work in parallel — usually one marketplace from freelancing platforms plus a small batch of direct emails.
Before anyone replies, have three things ready
Two work samples presented as short case studies (what each case study needs). A one-sentence description of what you do and for whom. And a floor rate you've already decided, because you will be asked on the call and improvising costs money — work it out with the pricing method.
Running the call
Do not open by describing yourself. Ask what they're trying to fix, what they've already tried, and what happens if it stays broken. Let them talk for most of it. You are diagnosing, not pitching, and clients notice the difference immediately.
Ask about budget directly and early: do you have a figure in mind for this? It feels rude the first time. It saves everyone a week.
Then say what you'd do and what it costs. If the number is inside your range, say it plainly and stop talking. Silence after a price is normal. Filling it with a discount is the single most expensive habit new freelancers have.
Closing
Follow up within a day with one email containing: what's included, what isn't, how many revisions, the price, the timeline, a 30–50% deposit and a payment term. Ask them to reply confirming. That reply is your agreement — you don't need contract software for a first project. Full proposal structure in what makes a proposal get read.
Start when the deposit lands. Not before. This one rule prevents most of the problems freelancers complain about later.
Then do the unglamorous part
Deliver on time, over-communicate mid-project, and at the end ask two questions: would you be happy to write a short testimonial, and do you know anyone else with this problem? Ask while they're pleased with you, not three months later.
That testimonial is the asset. It turns your second pitch into a different conversation entirely, and it's the start of the repeat-work engine described in turning one project into a retainer.