Ask HN: How did you land your first projects as a solo engineer/consultant?
Solo software consultants describe landing their first projects mainly through existing networks, referrals from former colleagues or employers, and visible proof of work such as open source contributions, blogging, or being helpful in niche communities. Many emphasize that generic “I do everything” pitches and cold outreach are largely ineffective in a crowded, global market, arguing instead for clear specialization (often in a vertical or tool ecosystem), a personable public profile, and treating consulting as a full business with marketing, sales, and reputation-building. Several also note the risks: work is cyclical, competition and AI are squeezing generalists, and without a pipeline beyond a first client, independence can quickly turn into unstable income.
How People Landed Their First Consulting Gigs
- Overwhelmingly via existing relationships:
- Former coworkers, bosses, and employers bringing them in as “trusted hands.”
- Friends referring them to small businesses or startups.
- Prior equity/”advisory” roles naturally converting into paid work.
- Community presence:
- Being genuinely helpful on Slack/Discord/forums led to inbound work.
- Writing open source that people adopted, then needed help with.
- Blog posts, articles, and conference talks acting as “credibility beacons.”
- Chance encounters:
- Meeting people at conferences, bars, or in niche communities (e.g., OS/2 users, scientists, photographers).
Cold Outreach, SEO, and Platforms
- Cold email is seen as low-yield due to massive spam volume, especially from low-cost offshore agencies.
- Some report success by:
- Highly targeted outreach with real, tailored value (mini-diagnoses, Loom videos, concrete suggestions).
- SEO + LinkedIn content bringing in a trickle of leads.
- Upwork-style platforms working after building reviews; otherwise, it’s a race to the bottom on rates.
- Lead-gen/consultant-matching agencies can be useful early on, at the cost of a commission.
Specialization vs Generalist Debate
- Strong push to differentiate:
- Become an expert in one technical area, tool, or business vertical (e.g., ERP, executive search, OS/2, Salesforce-like ecosystems).
- Show a clear face, story, and portfolio; generic “AI consulting” or “backend dev” is seen as undifferentiated.
- Counterpoints:
- Deep specialization narrows the potential client pool.
- Some claim clients are increasingly unwilling to pay “expert rates,” citing layoffs and perceived AI substitutes.
- Others strongly dispute this, arguing experts remain in demand and generalists are more replaceable by LLMs.
- T-shaped profiles (deep in one area, broad elsewhere, including business knowledge) are praised.
Business Realities of Solo Consulting
- You must handle marketing, sales, contracts, billing, and dry spells; some enjoy this, others find it exhausting.
- Recommendations:
- Avoid working for free beyond tightly scoped “free consultations.”
- Use small, paid milestones to align incentives and reduce risk.
- Treat early clients as seed for referrals and case studies, not one-offs.
- Several commenters ultimately chose employment or consulting firms for stability and to avoid constant self-promotion.