How did I get my first freelance job?

I asked, asked and asked.

Whom did I ask?

Many were curious about how I got mine. As easy as it sounded, it wasn't.

I took close to a year before I got the first job. I did many things to get one, but it took a lot of tries that I almost gave up.

What didn't work?

• Freelancing sites like Fiverr and Favser. Didn't work.
• Emails. I emailed a lot of companies/businesses online. It didn't work. I sent out tons. None replied.
• Advertising. RM4 - RM10 per click totally ripped my wallet. Wasted. Sakit hati to even think about it.
• Writing blog articles. I can't say this didn't work entirely, but not in the short term. For articles to show up in search engines, it takes time. I can't wait that long.

What worked then?

• I made a website to represent myself. It's my digital business card.
• I started my e-commerce site. That was my portfolio.
• I entered the Malaysia Website Awards and won an award. So that gave me the "credentials" I desperately needed.

With these 3, I asked, again. Any opportunity there was, I asked and shared about what I did. Finally, I bumped into the right person a year later. My colleague's husband.

I showed him my deck of cards. Royal flush. I won.

And that is how I got my first client.

How about you?