How I Started Freelancing as a Web Developer – My Real Journey

Breaking into freelancing as a web developer is not a walk in the park — but it’s also not impossible. I started with zero clients, zero reputation, and zero confidence.

Today, I've worked on real projects, helped people, and made actual money online — all while doing what I love: building stuff with code.

Here’s everything I wish I knew when I started: tools to learn, how to get clients, the mindset, and how to stand out online 🌐

🚀 Skills First – What to Learn?

If you're just starting, don’t try to learn everything. Focus on:

• HTML, CSS, JavaScript (the basics)
• Then add React and Next.js

Why Next.js? Because it lets you build real apps with server-side rendering, API routes, and performance in mind — all in one framework.

I used Next.js to build a components marketplace, a dashboard system, and my own portfolio site. It works great and scales fast.

🧰 Projects That Actually Matter

Don’t just build todo apps. Build things that:

• Look professional
• Show problem-solving
• Have interactivity or forms
• Work on mobile

Example project ideas:

• Restaurant landing page with animations
• Portfolio with contact form + GitHub integration
• A tool like Box Shadows generator (yes, I made one!)

Host them, share them, talk about them.

🖼 Portfolio = Your Online Business Card

Get a simple domain, build a clean React/Next.js site, and deploy on Vercel.

Your portfolio should:

• Be clean and simple
• Show your best projects (3-5 max)
• Include a “Contact Me” form
• Link your socials

I get messages from my portfolio all the time. It’s your passive client catcher.

✍️ Blog, Tweet, Post = Attract Attention

Writing helps your visibility and your knowledge.

• Start writing dev blogs — anything you learned
• Share posts on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Talk about your projects and learnings

You don’t have to be a guru. Be helpful, be yourself. Clients want real people.

💻 GitHub = Your Work Journal

Push your code to GitHub. It:

• Shows your dedication
• Acts as proof-of-work
• Builds trust with technical clients

A green contribution graph is a flex 💪

📣 Social Media Works If You Work It

Be present where developers and clients are:

• Twitter (for tech & developer engagement)
• LinkedIn (for professional networking)

Share wins, losses, progress, funny bugs — people relate to authenticity.

📬 Getting Clients (The Real Deal)

The hardest part is the first client. Here’s what helped me:

• Portfolio site + social proof
• Personal branding via content
• Cold emails that are actually human
• Sending proposals on Upwork that talk about the client, not just my tech stack

Platforms I used:

1. Upwork
2. My own website
3. Codementor
4. Twitter DMs (yes really)

🧠 Mindset > All

This is the secret sauce:

• Be consistent, even when no one is watching
• Be patient (first project might take weeks)
• Be confident (even if you're faking it at first)

One client leads to another. Keep building, keep showing up.

🔁 TL;DR Summary

• Learn core skills → HTML, CSS, JS, React, Next.js
• Build real, useful projects
• Create a solid portfolio
• Write and post consistently online
• Pitch clients like a real human
• Stay patient and persistent

Freelancing isn’t easy, but it’s possible. Start messy, get better, and celebrate every small win. Your future self will thank you 🫡

👉 GitHub – Check out my work

👉 LinkedIn – Let's connect

Now go get that first client and start stacking wins 💼