I was in a similar situation thinking how to obtain freelance contracts. I now have plenty of work, and it boils down to my reputation and portfolio. If you ha

I was in a similar situation thinking how to obtain freelance contracts. I now have plenty of work, and it boils down to my reputation and portfolio. If you haven't got a portfolio, I'd build one. Even a simple application in your target domain. Ideally, make the application for someone else so that you can obtain a reference. I did this by severely cutting my rates and offering a cannot-be-refused scenario to HN, I'd build your iOS app for $200 [1]. Some people may say this isn't correct to start out by gimping yourself, but it worked for me. I got around 15 offers from that post, and took up two clients. The first I completed in a week or so, the next took me a bit longer, but the client then went on to become a staple and was paying standard rates (I charged £20 an hour). From these applications, it became much easier to sell myself to clients and demand a higher fee. Now I practically have clients when I actively want them (the freelancer HN post is a good resource here). My rate is still £20/hr, which is fairly low by some people's standards, but I'm comfortable with it as it allowed me to live a comfortable life whilst finishing my University degree. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6382405 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6382405