Assuming you're already past the meetup stage, and you already know some developers, this is what worked for me: Identify and find a more experienced developer

Assuming you're already past the meetup stage, and you already know some developers, this is what worked for me: Identify and find a more experienced developer (it doesn't necessarily have to be a "senior developer", just somebody more experienced than you) who has far too many plates spinning and is getting bogged down in lower-level tasks, and offer to take care of that work as a contractor. Be great at unsexy things nobody else wants to do. Make sure these are the kinds of jobs where you can fill out your GitHub and get a few recommendations from the person or team you're contracting for. Use this experience to get more jobs. Wash, rinse, repeat.