Show HN: My Freelance Journey – From Zero to Building and Running My Own Agency (preetsuthar.me)

Today, I’m going to share the story of my freelancing journey—how I earned my first dollar online and eventually built my own web development and design agency.

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## Discovering Freelancing

It all started four years ago. Back then, I was just playing around with HTML and CSS, creating simple websites and showing off to my friends. I had no clue about freelancing. One day, while scrolling through YouTube, I stumbled upon a video explaining freelancing: how you could get paid for building websites for others.

That video was a game-changer. I realized there was a world where my skills could be valuable. I was determined, excited, and ready to dive in. I started out on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, spending an entire year messaging potential clients, sending emails, and pitching my services.

But after a year, the results were... _zero_. Zero clients. Zero money. I was frustrated and burned out. I gave up.

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## Hitting Rock Bottom

After abandoning freelancing, I spent the next six to seven months playing video games, doing nothing productive. I was stuck in a rut, convinced I was done.

Then one day, as I sat on my balcony watching the sunset, something clicked. It was like one of those protagonist moments in a movie. I realized I couldn’t stop here. Giving up wasn’t the answer. I had wasted time feeling sorry for myself instead of improving my skills and focusing on what truly mattered.

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## I'm protagonist

That day, I made a decision: I was going to turn my freelancing journey around. I got back to learning, but this time, I focused on modern frameworks like React.js and Next.js instead of just HTML and CSS.

I joined freelancing communities and Discord servers, posted about my services, and connected with as many people as possible. For almost a year, I hustled relentlessly, doing everything I could to get noticed.

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## Landing My First Client

One day, I received a message on Discord: _"Hey, I like your designs and your work. Can we talk?"_

That single message changed everything. After nearly three years of struggle and self-doubt, I landed my first client. I poured my heart into the project, delivering my absolute best. The deal closed for $70—not much, but it was a start.

A few days later, the same client returned with another project. This time, I charged $100. Slowly but surely, word of mouth began to spread. I started earning $150 per project, then $1,200 over the course of a year.

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## Building HextaStudio

Fast forward to today, I’m a solo entrepreneur running HextaStudio, my own web development agency. I’ve also created over 10 startup and SaaS projects. None of them have been monetized or widely recognized yet, but I’m not giving up.

I’m constantly refining my skills, shipping projects, and pushing forward because I know hard work never goes to waste.

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## Lesson

If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that success doesn’t come easy. It requires time, effort, and resilience. I’ve faced countless rejections, burnouts, and self-doubts, but each struggle has made me stronger.

To anyone out there struggling with freelancing or feeling stuck, remember this: *It’s not about how many times you fail—it’s about getting back up every time. Your hard work will always pay off. Just keep going.*