I did the same things. Loads of reading and asking to find that "golden path" or secret to make it click. "How do I consult?"
Well, find a job somewhere, preferably a large corporation. Lots of people run their own consulting gigs on the side. Talk to them.
I found out a few people, just around my cubicles, run a consultancy on the side with a few people hired.
I started working part time for their consultancies as we're always in the office together, then once my contract at the company finished, I knew abut 5-10 people that consulted so I got a few gigs with them. Boom, now you're a consultant.
Best way is in person. The easiest gigs I ever had was when I was nearly starving and needed money. I went out, went to every business I could find that could possibly use a website with a proper backend (so I can take more time and bill more, don't want to do just frontend work). I got about 20 gigs that day, only completed a few over the course of the next year.
Two ways: talk to people you work with, or really go out there and STOP Googling and reading. There is no magic path, just do it.
OR, find an existing consultancy and either try taking out employees to lunch and talking about it, or work for a consultancy for awhile and take notes on how everything operates. How clients are landed, billed, how talent is acquired, etc.
I like the example you gave about offering websites with a back end by going door to door because it's different than what most people say when this question is asked. You made a product to sell: Website for the business; then you went out and found the client. Most people talk about showing love to your current contacts and working through your existing network by referral which just isn't feasible for everyone. Plus, doing that route, you're not really picking your clients. You're just hoping good ones fall on your lap through your limited network.
It's easier going door to door. When I was marketing a small app, I went door to door to over 200 houses. I met lawyers, coders, bankers, and cool people that invited me out for coffee just because they're curious about my ventures.
It's also better if there is a back end. Usually means they will want some specific feature that you can charge to build and cash in on maintenance costs. A proper backend takes way more time than frontend too, and people like to be in control of their data ;)
Most of the time I'm just writing a custom WYSIWYG editor for custom written blog software. Reinventing the wheel every time.
One more thing.. don't be afraid to ask pressing questions. It's not your job to take care of their insecurities. If they feel uncomfortable answering a question, it's their job to say so. I ask things like "how much did you make last year from this gig?", "how did you get started initially?", "how much did you pull in your first few months?". It's all just nature of the business, money.
Well, find a job somewhere, preferably a large corporation. Lots of people run their own consulting gigs on the side. Talk to them.
I found out a few people, just around my cubicles, run a consultancy on the side with a few people hired.
I started working part time for their consultancies as we're always in the office together, then once my contract at the company finished, I knew abut 5-10 people that consulted so I got a few gigs with them. Boom, now you're a consultant.
Best way is in person. The easiest gigs I ever had was when I was nearly starving and needed money. I went out, went to every business I could find that could possibly use a website with a proper backend (so I can take more time and bill more, don't want to do just frontend work). I got about 20 gigs that day, only completed a few over the course of the next year.
Two ways: talk to people you work with, or really go out there and STOP Googling and reading. There is no magic path, just do it.
OR, find an existing consultancy and either try taking out employees to lunch and talking about it, or work for a consultancy for awhile and take notes on how everything operates. How clients are landed, billed, how talent is acquired, etc.