There are multiple threads on the forum that answer your question.
Anyway, here's a quick step-by-step guide:
- Hit up the ol' Google and type in there "[industry or job or whatever] + city name"
- Find companies with outdated / bad / websites that could really use a redesign, or even those without a site (the yellow pages are great for this)
- Cold email / cold call / try to find out who makes the decision for the company and get in touch with them
- Propose them to make them a new website, mention you are new and are willing to make them a site for low pay / free to build up your portfolio, and that since you're building up your portfolio you want to make sure it's very good, so that you can win more jobs in the future
- Do an exceptional job, make sure the client is satisfied. If they are, you can ask them for referral, or if you could help anyone they know with their website.
- If you get referred to someone by your client, you (probably) just struck gold.
- If you didn't, repeat the first steps. Ideally, you'd want people you work for to refer you to more clients, but this doesn't always happen.
If you are unsure about how to start, examples of google searches could be: "plumber / electrician / lawyer / insurer / mechanic / in my city". Imagine you need a quick job done...think what you'd search on Google, and do the research yourself, see what comes up.
Of course all of this implies you are good at what you want to do, and that you are able to show up and deliver good work.
If you need help with cold emails or cold calls, there are plenty of resources both on this forum and on the Internet.
Good luck in your endeavors.
Anyway, here's a quick step-by-step guide:
- Hit up the ol' Google and type in there "[industry or job or whatever] + city name"
- Find companies with outdated / bad / websites that could really use a redesign, or even those without a site (the yellow pages are great for this)
- Cold email / cold call / try to find out who makes the decision for the company and get in touch with them
- Propose them to make them a new website, mention you are new and are willing to make them a site for low pay / free to build up your portfolio, and that since you're building up your portfolio you want to make sure it's very good, so that you can win more jobs in the future
- Do an exceptional job, make sure the client is satisfied. If they are, you can ask them for referral, or if you could help anyone they know with their website.
- If you get referred to someone by your client, you (probably) just struck gold.
- If you didn't, repeat the first steps. Ideally, you'd want people you work for to refer you to more clients, but this doesn't always happen.
If you are unsure about how to start, examples of google searches could be: "plumber / electrician / lawyer / insurer / mechanic / in my city". Imagine you need a quick job done...think what you'd search on Google, and do the research yourself, see what comes up.
Of course all of this implies you are good at what you want to do, and that you are able to show up and deliver good work.
If you need help with cold emails or cold calls, there are plenty of resources both on this forum and on the Internet.
Good luck in your endeavors.