I work in digital tech policy but I think my advice is transferable. If I could give you one piece of advice, it's 'be active'. Getting clients is about netwo

I work in digital tech policy but I think my advice is transferable. If I could give you one piece of advice, it's 'be active'. Getting clients is about networking - meeting new people who can offer you good work on good terms. But this doesn't mean schmoozing at parties or sector events. You want people to find you through your work - that way your work is the salesperson. As a bonus, your clients will feel like their reaching out to you, rather than being sold something. Saying you're a great designer at a party in one thing, having them find you through your work is another thing altogether. They can see you can do what you say you can do. But how do you get people to find your through your work? This requires effort, time and a bit of hard work. But the investment is worth it. You need to do things - you need to be active. Then you people to find your stuff organically. So: * Now is the time to kick off that little side project you've been meaning to finish for the last 12 months; * Now is the time to complete that article you've been meaning to write for the last 6 weeks; * Or kick up that HN or StackExchange account again and start answering questions * Do something more innovative, i.e., write a book, etc. For the next couple of weeks you need to invest your time in doing stuff. Start that blog. Get your twitter up and running again. Try to commit 2 hours a day. Get up a little bit earlier than usually, and work a little later. Then submit your best stuff to relevant networks, like HN. Or push out a link to your friends and colleagues, asking for feedback. Hopefully it will start to pick up traction. But, most importantly, at the end of all this new stuff that you've developed/written say that "You're a freelance webdesigner/consultant/etc, and that you'd love to grab a coffee in X location with anyone that's interested. Email me now." This might take a bit of upfront effort but it's worth it. Getting your first few clients will be the most difficult, but it gets easier - because these clients will hopefully refer you on to other people, and your business will start picking up traction. So, in summary: 1. Clients (rightfully) fear giving money to new people 2. You need to show these people that you've got skills (and not just a business card) 3. The best way to put potential clients at ease is for them to find YOU through YOUR work. That way your work is the salesperson, and not you 4. Do interesting stuff, send it out, write a pitch at the end. Best of luck, and don't hesitate to hit me up.