Ask HN: How did you land your first projects as a solo engineer/consultant?

Article

• HN thread asking how solo consultants acquired their first clients
• Covers cold outreach, network referrals, open source, and community presence strategies
• Mix of recent and decade-old experiences

Discussion

• Overwhelming consensus: first clients come from warm network, not cold outreach
• Effective tactic: give value upfront with free mini-consultations or unprompted analysis
• General consultancy market crowded; niche specialization and writing/blogging help differentiate

Discuss on HN