Attracting the right kind of clients for you is a skill: these three moves will get you started.
There are a number of things that can affect you finding new clients; a good work ethic, cracking creative resume, for example. But how do you find the good ones? WordPress developer Lara Schenck has this advice for finding clients that value a designer's work:
01. Double your rate
In my experience, it comes down to budget. More money means more risk, so your clients (and you) will take the relationship more seriously. Save up a few months' living expenses and experiment with your pricing and process: appearing busy and expensive is attractive. Use any client-less time for blogging and public projects.
02. Talk to people
I've never gotten client work from a job board, and I've also never had a bad client. My best projects have come from referrals from real people. Talk about what you do and be stoked about it.
03. Invest in conferences
Pick a conference and set aside the cash. What you learn and the conversations you'll have will be invaluable, and in turn make you more valuable as a service provider.