This is what I did. Started with one small contract job on Upwork at a modest hourly rate. Then I raised my rate a bit for the 2nd contract, raised it a bit mor

This is what I did. Started with one small contract job on Upwork at a modest hourly rate. Then I raised my rate a bit for the 2nd contract, raised it a bit more for the 3rd contract, and so forth. In the process of doing these contract jobs, I got to know people, they introduced me to other people, and soon I had all the work I needed at a rate I was happy with.