started as logo designer on fiverr about 5 years ago for an extra income.
now I'm running a small branding agency(70%) with digital marketing component(30%).
in the beginning, 2 years ago, I started by offering 10% to anyone who would recommend me. first clients weren't the best clients though, but they taught me a lot.
i also gave it a shot to 7878's method which went well (the second time) and I started gaining inertia, gradually being recommended by more and more satisfied clients. nowadays we're doing paid ads for getting new business and started to work on our vlog. hopefully this would reduce the friction in acquiring new business.
any path you choose involves a lot of work, whether you market yourself, get work from freelancer platforms or a combination of both.
personally, I think the more chain-links you control in the process of idea-marketing-production-branding-selling-postselling, the more money you make. how do you think Apple was getting 73% of the profits by having only 8% marketshare in mobile in 2011?