Freelance designers/engineers — how are you getting your first 3 clients right now?
Hey everyone,
I’ve been trying to break into freelance here in Berlin (AI product design + full-stack dev), and I’m realizing getting the first few clients is way harder than expected.
So instead of guessing, I wanted to ask people here who’ve actually done it:
- What channels worked for your first 3–5 clients?
- What *actually converted* (cold DMs, referrals, platforms, etc)?
- Anything that didn’t work at all?
For context, I can design + build AI-powered features end-to-end (LLM integrations, workflows, dashboards, etc), so I’m also exploring if agencies prefer white-label help vs hiring. I have burned almost all my money and can't even pay this month's rent and nothing seems to be working. I tried everything but nothing seems to be working.
Not looking to pitch here — just trying to learn what’s working right now.
Would really appreciate honest insights 🙏