2 years of experience in web development, condensed into this model.
4 Things You Need to Get Your First Client:
- Cold Email Software (you can start emailing manually)
- Freelancers (or do it yourself at the start)
- Email List (database)
- Communication Skills (Be honest)
I find clients by cold-emailing, then I delegate the work to a freelancer.
My routine looks like this:...
1. HOW I FIND MY CLIENTS
COLD EMAILS
I focus on one niche, create a website design, and then send as many emails as possible to get responses(see the email example below). I send about 1,000 emails a day using Instantly AI software. This tool is a game changer because it filters out positive and negative replies, making it easier to manage.
OR
You can send at least 10 emails manually — that’s 300 emails a month. Believe it or not, you will find someone who will be interested in seeing your free design. Just target companies that don’t have a website and personalize the offer for them.
Another good strategy is to look for companies with poor websites and offer to renew them.
2. HOW I MANAGE MY CLIENTS
I use freelancers as my employees—I’ve tested them, and they work as well as any in-house staff.
Here’s the process: You take the project and give it to someone else, without being afraid that they will mess it up or steal your project. Start by finding someone who looks legit. Tell them you will have projects and need someone who can help you manage the volume, and agree with the freelancer on a fixed price per website. You won’t find the right one on the first try, but if you take this task seriously, you can find a reliable one within a day, for sure.
OR
You can make websites on your own at the beginning. It will take you literally a few days to master one of the builders out there: WordPress, Figma, Webflow, or other builders.
There are dozens of templates that you can use to build a website—you can create one in a few hours. Kitpapa(dot)com has a lot of good stuff, or try to find other template providers.
3. HOW I CREATE MY EMAIL LIST
When I started, I used Outscraper to scrape GMB emails. In the beginning, this worked perfectly. I received around 10 leads a day from people interested in seeing the initial draft.
As you gain more experience, you can buy a database for your target niche. But be cautious—many of these databases are full of junk data, and using them can harm your email health with high bounce rates.
Here’s an example of a cold email I sent:
Hello {{companyName}},
This is {{sendingAccountFirstName}}, manager at XYZ company.
I came across your {{website}}, but I wasn’t sure if your business is still open.
I loved your photos and reviews, but I feel the website could attract even more visitors and generate more reviews.
That’s why I’ve spontaneously created a new design for you—completely free of charge. Maybe you’ll find it interesting? The first draft is already finished, and I’d love to show it to you. If it’s not for you, no worries; I’ll just delete it.
Let me know briefly!
Best regards,
{{sendingAccountFirstName}}
There’s a 3-email sequence I use to follow up. The key here is offering something for free, so they’re less likely to delete your email. You are a beginner, so don't try to offer value that doesn’t exist—you simply don’t have enough experience to offer something truly valuable yet. That’s why you should offer a FREE INITIAL DRAFT in the beginning.
If they show interest, try to schedule a meeting to show them the draft. Find a template in their niche, screenshot it, and tell them you designed it in Photoshop.
IF
They want to see the initial draft without obligation; include the screenshot directly in the email instead of sending it as a PDF.
Here’s how they are going to see it:
(EXAMPLE)
View attachment 387396
That gives you an instant advantage over others.
Pro tip: You can even screenshot a competitor’s website and swap their logo with the client's, or just delete the logo altogether. I’ve done this dozens of times.
4. HOW I’M CLOSING CLIENTS
Try to close clients for 700€—a good price to begin
.
JUST BE YOURSELF. Don’t try to sell, or you'll just seem fake. You’re not experienced enough to sell to business owners yet.. Instead, be honest. Say that you are starting your journey, and that’s why you’ve picked this approach.
Additionally, tell them that you can run ADS for free to provide more value, so they’ll want to stick with you. You can either learn to run ads yourself or find someone to handle them for you. It’s not that difficult; freelancers are power. All services that they offer you can resell. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
SHARE YOUR BUSINESS MODEL SO I CAN LEARN FROM YOU 
MY STORY
I never thought I’d be writing this, but here I am, eager to share my story with you—not to sell anything, but to maybe inspire someone who feels lost or stuck, like I did.
I was born in Lithuania as a Polish guy, fluent in Russian. The funny thing is, I don’t even know any of these languages at 60%. Yes, you read that right! I’m that odd guy who speaks four languages but never feels truly comfortable in any of them. I guess that’s how I ended up feeling like a citizen of the world, never fully belonging anywhere.
Life didn’t exactly deal me the best hand. My "starter pack" felt more like chocolate with fish.
I started cold-calling random companies in Lithuania, despite my thick accent. Lithuania only has about 100,000 businesses, and I felt like I was burning through leads fast. I called company after company, trying to sell a website for 700€, which seemed like a crazy amount at the time.
For a whole year, I stayed broke, relentlessly making calls and dealing with rejection. But through sheer persistence, I finally landed a few projects—and that’s when everything changed.
From the beginning, I knew I wasn’t the hands-on type. I was lazy and didn’t want to do the actual work myself. So, I turned to a Lithuanian forum where freelancers hang out. I messaged as many freelancers as I could and finally found someone who could build websites for 150-200€. We struck a deal, and suddenly I had a business.
I liked to imagine myself as the boss, with this freelancer as my employee. That’s how I’ve operated ever since. I find clients, close deals, and then delegate the work to trusted freelancers. I’ve had many projects where I paid freelancers 100-300€, but the client would pay me 1000-3000€. That's become my business model, and it’s still how I make a living today as a 22-year-old.
Recently, I've realized that I know only a small part of business. That's why I share this story..
So I can get some knowledge from you.
