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Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

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Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

#1

Post by _ncxu »

I have no network, no ability to relocate, can't get a full time job right now, and urgently need to make some bucks real quick, even if it's less than I would otherwise qualify for.

But several articles and comments here suggested that upwork.com and similar freelance websites do some really shady things and that it's not good to use them for any kind of work, even temporary.

And having worked remotely for the past 5 years has really limited my ability to build a network. I don't have LinkedIn and even if I did, it's more meant for building a network than for finding a quick gig.

I've got plenty of frontend/backend/mobile/desktop skills, having made several websites and iOS apps, and 5 years experience working remotely, so I'm definitely confident that I'm qualified to do some freelancing and get a good pay, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get a job using these skills but without a network.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated. Thanks HN.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

#3

Post by penpapersw »

elektor wrote: post #2

https://www.reddit.com/r/slavelabour/ I've had a few coding tasks completed by Redditors on this subreddit.

This is pretty neat, thanks! Unfortunately all the [TASK] listings are like super tiny amounts of money. To clarify, I'm talking in the hundreds/low-thousands per project.

For example, $200 to make a website that I can probably whip up in a few hours and put on AWS for them. Or maybe $2000 for a more complicated website that takes 2 weeks. That kind of stuff is what I'm looking for.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

#4

Post by wtracy »

The problems with Upwork and Freelancer, while significant, are regularly blown out of proportion. I don't recommend them for more than finding short gigs when you're in a pinch, but they are useful for that. Do be prepared to lose a lot of jobs to bidders from the third world. Take advantage of anything that you can use to differentiate yourself.

Also, get a stack of business cards and start going to local business networking events. Look up the local Chamber of Commerce, search meetup.com, and see if your county has any small business development classes or lunches you can attend.

That's my short-term advice. I'm still trying to figure out what to do in the medium- and long-term myself.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

#6

Post by raarts »

penpapersw wrote: post #3
elektor wrote: post #2

https://www.reddit.com/r/slavelabour/ I've had a few coding tasks completed by Redditors on this subreddit.

This is pretty neat, thanks! Unfortunately all the [TASK] listings are like super tiny amounts of money. To clarify, I'm talking in the hundreds/low-thousands per project. For example, $200 to make a website that I can probably whip up in a few hours and put on AWS for them. Or maybe $2000 for a more complicated website that takes 2 weeks. That kind of stuff is what I'm looking for.

If you really need money quick, in your position, maybe some shady practices might be okay to start with.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

#7

Post by Overtonwindow »

I am in the same boat, albeit a completely different field, still it might help. Have you considered becoming a news and information resource for nonprofits, trade associations, and small businesses? I am a lobbyist and grassroots advocacy manager. I work from home, have no network, and limited ability to do so. I stumbled on to some schools that were interested in public policy, and laws. I rang one of them up and offered to monitor the law and legislation for them, and let them know when things came up that they might find interesting. Very low price, about a grand a month. That one school told someone else, and now I've got four schools. Just enough to pay the bills and eek by. I focused on keeping the price way down to entice people, make it up in volume.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

#8

Post by notfried »

Many years ago I did just that on Elance (now Upwork) and RentACoder (now Freelancer.com). I started with a couple of jobs in below the $100, then some below the $1,000, and then some in the low thousands. Striving for excellent ratings is key.

Re: Ask HN: How do you find clients when you have no network and can only do remote?

#10

Post by 0xptr »

wtracy wrote: post #4

The problems with Upwork and Freelancer, while significant, are regularly blown out of proportion. I don't recommend them for more than finding short gigs when you're in a pinch, but they are useful for that. Do be prepared to lose a lot of jobs to bidders from the third world. Take advantage of anything that you can use to differentiate yourself. Also, get a stack of business cards and start going to local business…

I second this.

We used to hire on Upwork regular for bigger projects and it usually was close to a gamble (for both parties). You get > 30 applicants easily if you pay decent wages and the cv's are usually quite non saying.

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