New in freelancing, In need of help.

[hustler02100]

Hey BHW family

I didn't grow up with a laptop and a WiFi connection dreaming about freelancing. I started out on a retail floor, then found myself on a phone — calling complete strangers in Australia, pitching solar panels and health insurance, qualifying leads and transferring them live to brokers. No script safety net. Just me, my voice, and a dial tone.
That experience taught me something — I can talk to people. I can handle rejection. And I don't give up easy.
But here's where I'm stuck.
I know I have the skills. Cold calling, appointment setting, lead generation, live transfers — I've done it all. I speak English, Persian, and Hindi fluently. I'm hungry, I'm consistent, and I'm willing to put in the work.
What I don't have yet is the roadmap.
How do you go from "I have skills" to "I have clients"? How do you land that first remote gig when everyone wants experience but nobody wants to give you the shot?
That's why I'm here.
If you've walked this road before — if you started from zero and figured it out — I'd love to hear your story. Any advice, any direction, even a harsh truth is welcome.
I'm not here to waste anyone's time. I'm here to learn, grow, and eventually give back to this community the same way.
Let's connect.

 

[xmastox]

You've already got the hardest part—real sales skills; now focus on building a simple offer, reaching out to businesses directly, and treating client acquisition like a numbers game until your first win lands.

 

[hustler02100]

You've already got the hardest part—real sales skills; now focus on building a simple offer, reaching out to businesses directly, and treating client acquisition like a numbers game until your first win lands.

Thanks man,

Honestly I'm lost don't know what to do now , clients don't trust I don't reviews idk man tbh.

 

[Stavro]

pitching solar panels and health insurance, qualifying leads and transferring them live to brokers.

There's your roadmap. You weren't selling yourself, you were selling solutions.

Lead generation is a valuable skill, but you need to back it up with something more than 'I can totally do this, trust me bro'.

Give your potential clients meaningful data from your prior experience. How many calls, over what period? How many qualified leads? How many live transfers? What industries? The more concrete details you share, the easier it is for them to justify giving you a chance.

If that still isn't enough, create a case study. Build something yourself and publish the results, or run a small paid trial so potential clients can see your work firsthand.

 

[saferidge]

I see others are positioning themselves as the go-to person in a specific niche. They build connections, they consistently help people, and over time that’s what makes them the first person that comes to mind when someone needs that service.

 

[cybersexuals]

almost there! once you land 1-2 clients and get results, it becomes much easier to scale from there

 

[hustler02100]

There's your roadmap. You weren't selling yourself, you were selling solutions.

Lead generation is a valuable skill, but you need to back it up with something more than 'I can totally do this, trust me bro'.

Give your potential clients meaningful data from your prior experience. How many calls, over what period? How many qualified leads? How many live transfers? What industries? The more concrete details you share, the easier it is for them to justify giving you a chance.

If that still isn't enough, create a case study. Build something yourself and publish the results, or run a small paid trial so potential clients can see your work firsthand.

Thanks man for the efforts and your time too.

I think the main problem is that I don't have a portfolio and I don't know what should I do as my main focus is in cold calling...

 

[TKV AGENCY]

Getting started is often the hardest part; you can begin by reaching out with an invitation and a message. To attract your initial customers, you might consider offering your services for free to secure your first reviews; once you have positive feedback, you will be able to generate more business.

 

[Stavro]

Thanks man for the efforts and your time too.

I think the main problem is that I don't have a portfolio and I don't know what should I do as my main focus is in cold calling...

You don't need a traditional portfolio, just describe your prior work in numbers.

If you don't have access to that anymore, offer a small paid trial. Alternatively, you could volunteer to do outreach for a non-profit and use those results as a case study.

 

[hustler02100]

You don't need a traditional portfolio, just describe your prior work in numbers.

If you don't have access to that anymore, offer a small paid trial. Alternatively, you could volunteer to do outreach for a non-profit and use those results as a case study.

Dang brother you cleared my thoughts morethan anything in this last few days.

I would love to ask you more in depth about it but u might feel like I'm asking too much so there I'll do my research about the NGO and see if I can do anything in my power.

Again thanks and much love brother.