So unlike some folks, I’m still very much reliant on $DAYJOB for the majority of my income

I’ve spent roughly the last decade and some change as a software engineer, and recently decided to start a solo consultancy. I’m focused on helping SMEs sort out the messy back-office parts of the business: spreadsheet glue, brittle internal workflows, poor reporting, awkward integrations, backend/platform problems, and AI workflows that need to do real work rather than just look good in a demo. I’m not really interested in becoming a generic agency. I’d rather work with businesses that already feel operational pain and need someone technical to help untangle it properly. For those of you who’ve made this jump: * how did you get your first real project? * what kind of outreach actually worked? * did your first few clients come from network, content, cold outreach, partnerships, subcontracting, or somewhere else? Also, if anyone knows SMEs or operators dealing with this sort of mess, I’d …