Julien Reszka
I started freelancing this spring and I already have clients. I am still a student.
None of them came from a cold email or a job board. Every single one came through a recommendation. Someone knew me, trusted my work, and told someone else who needed help. That was the entire sales process.
The work itself is focused: I take old websites that were built before smartphones mattered and convert them to mobile responsive. Most small business sites from 2008 to 2012 were built for desktop only. They look broken on a phone. The owners know it. They just do not know how to fix it or who to trust.
A recommendation solves the trust problem immediately. I do not have to convince anyone I am competent. Someone they already trust has already done that.
I should be honest: when I took the first project I did not fully know how to do it. I had a vague idea. I knew roughly what responsive design meant and had seen enough examples to believe I could figure it out. I did not let that stop me. I learned what I needed as I went, project by project. The gaps closed faster than I expected because the work was real and the deadline was real.
What I have learned so far:
- The referral conversation happens faster than any sales call I could have made
- Clients who come through recommendations already have realistic expectations
- Doing good work on one project is the most reliable source of the next project
- Mobile responsiveness is a concrete, visible problem: it is easy to explain why it matters and easy to show when it is fixed
- I ask to be paid upfront. Freelancers routinely get stiffed after delivery. Payment before work starts eliminates that problem entirely.
I do not know yet how far recommendations will scale. But for now the pipeline is real and the work is straightforward.
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