How to find companies interested in outsourcing AI/ML?

[trylks]

Context, feel free to skip it, it's mostly me talking to the duck, it is here only because it might be relevant for someone:

1. I see many job offers in LinkedIn that are part of the SCRIPTED lifestyle, but I find it more and more challenging to deal with it. In particular, everything that is not remote immediately repels me. I will save you the rant on this, summarizing as: "If someone pays you for anything other than a specific transaction, you are a slave."
2. I have already my own company and I would be happy to help with any artificial intelligence or machine learning (AI/ML) that companies may want to outsource. I am considering B2B because B2C would be less feasible in the short term. The usual places to find a job are not good places to find B2B customers. In fact they are terrible as it is the opposite of their ethos in a way.
3. Freelancing is similar to outsourcing, this would be acceptable, but I do not have a work permit for the US, which may be needed. However, I do not like from freelancing that it is often paid by time and not by project. Exchanging time for money is something I would prefer to avoid as much as possible, hence I would prefer a pay-per-project scheme, more usual in B2B outsourcing than in plain freelancing.
4. I have not built a "portfolio" because for the time being I have a each-day-less-tolerable job and B2C is a greater priority than B2B. I know common sense might advice "if you want to work on B2B, market yourself as a good B2B option". To be fair, I am fine with commoditization in B2B. I still think I would need to waste less time to pay my bills in a B2B approach than in a freelancing approach, and again freelancing in AI/ML is more time efficient than e.g. flipping burgers. Less time in paying bills means more time for the B2C approach and entrepreneurship.
5. There seems to be no "marketplace" similar to LinkedIn, AngelList, Monster, GlassDoor,... but for outsourcing, this may be either for a good reason or an opportunity. I will let you decide on that. There are some for freelancing, which are not great but I will explore in more detail if I get nothing better from your replies. Google only helps so much.
6. I have seen some companies doing a good job in this area, they do not have a public porfolio, instead I guess they go to conferences and similar hubs, or even directly to potential customers' offices, and find in person potential customers, for direct sales. Here Peter Thiel says I need sales, not marketing, which is funny, because a freelancer at $200/h would be above $10K already in the second week, which is one of the reasons why freelancing smells to SCRIPTED, and in fact closer to the sidewalk than the slowlane.

Questions

1. How to find companies interested in outsourcing AI/ML in the short term? (If possible at all)
2. Am I crazy or wrong?
   1. For example the previous question could be easily replied with: "won't find, ain't any".
   2. Other viable answer is: you can do it, but you shouldn't, e.g. it is a traitorous decision.
3. Do I need to do sales? If so, do you have book recommendations to learn this skill?
4. If the answer is going to go along the lines: "pay X to get leads", I would most probably not know what to do with the leads once I have them, there is at least one missing piece in that puzzle and I do not even know which one it is, yet.

 

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[Deleted8v369]

This is something I've thought about too. Particularly for using AI to replace middle management. I think the way to go would be APIs that companies pay for per call.

As far as finding a market, I'm in the same boat -I don't have a clue. You would have to target a niche market, and once you know who those people are you would have to find a way to contact them. -The 1-Page Marketing Plan, by Raza Imam talks about this, though I hope you'll find someone on here with actual experience.