Know people.<p>99% of the freelance&#x2F;consultants I know that are doing ok are doing ok through personal relationships they&#x27;ve cultivated either through their career or through freelancing for a good long while or both.  You talk to enough people and you will hear the same story over and over.<p>How do you get to know people?  Get out there and work.  Do projects and do them well.  Contribute to the community, either online or better still, in person.  Have a record of the cool stuff you did so that people can <i>see it</i>.<p>Expect it to take a long time.  Don&#x27;t jump into freelancing without some of that stuff built already if you&#x27;re not prepared for a long slog trying to get the pump primed.<p>The good news is, honestly, good developers are hard as hell to find, and consultants and freelancers who <i>ship</i> are even more so.  Lot of dudes out there cashing checks and not delivering.  Breaking out of the pack isn&#x27;t that hard to do.  Or shouldn&#x27;t be, if you&#x27;re good and can push yourself over the hump.