I used to be a frequent bidder on getafreelancer but quickly noticed the pattern. Only the premium members or those with reputation get hired. And there's a bid

I used to be a frequent bidder on getafreelancer but quickly noticed the pattern. Only the premium members or those with reputation get hired. And there's a bidding war. And most of the times the project listing is cancelled during the end bidding date(!). Now since everyone's talking about elance and odesk, they must be crowded too. Now I need a few dollars to bootstrap my startup. So I started looking for mashup and web development contests. Ofcourse, you make money only if you win. But if you are dedicated you will win. The most important thing in contests is the idea and the way you present the idea as a working app. You can't depend on contests if are looking for a way to feed yourself. I am just depending on them for that extra cash I need to bootstrap my idea into company. http://programmableweb.com/contests http://programmableweb.com/contests lists mashup contests. http://99designs.com http://99designs.com list webdesign contests (if anyone knows more just pour them in) If you have chosen to do freelance work as your mainstream profession and looking for your first set of clients, then why don't build a portfolio first? Build an app that helps your kid brother in his geometry homework or build a webapp that does event management for locality... Just build anything to show-off your skills. And then show people your work, so when they look at your work, they 'must' feel that they have found a guy who can do it (you proved it with samples). I have a question too. Does anyone know any agencies that deal with outsourcing freelance work? What are these agencies called?