How I Got My First International Client Without a Website, Portfolio, or Agency
No website. No portfolio site. No pitching platform. My first international client came from one LinkedIn comment — and the structure behind what looked like luck.
What Most People Think Client Work Requires
A professional website. A portfolio with case studies. A presence on Upwork. A pricing page. An onboarding process. Most people spend six months building infrastructure and never make first contact with an actual client.
What Actually Got Me My First Client
I was in a LinkedIn comment thread under a post about content strategy. I left a 150-word substantive rebuttal with a counter-example from my own work. The person who wrote the original post replied: "This is a really interesting perspective — do you consult?" We had a call two days later. They became a $2,400/month retainer client for seven months.
The Structure Behind the Luck
The comment was not random. I had been commenting on industry LinkedIn posts every morning for 21 days — not likes, not "great post," but specific, experience-backed contributions to ongoing conversations in my space. The first contact moment was inevitable, not accidental. The 21 days of deliberate visibility made it so.
The Playbook
- Find 5 LinkedIn creators in your target industry with engaged comment sections
- Comment meaningfully on one post per creator per day — your real perspective backed by evidence
- Do this for 30 days without pitching anyone
- Let the conversations that emerge come to you
The best client relationships do not start with a pitch. They start with a conversation where you are already demonstrating the value they need.