u/Rare-Hovercraft-3987

Hy folks, something I keep bumping into: the people who seem to grow fastest in AI startups aren't cold-emailing strangers - they're partnering. Finding someone who already has the trust and the audience (a podcaster, a newsletter operator, an agency with a book of business) and going through them.

Makes total sense. But the bit I can't figure out is how you find the right partners systematically. Right now it feels completely manual - scrolling, guessing, hoping I bump into the right person in the right room, and honestly I'm not sure if I'm just hoping to get lucky.

So for those who've made such partnerships or collaborations work - how did you actually find the right people? Was it deliberate and repeatable, or more luck and being in the right place at the right time?

For those early in your AI freelancing/consulting journey like me - what's actually been the hardest part of getting your first handful of clients?

Not the work itself - the actually getting in front of people willing to pay part. Is it knowing who to approach? Actually reaching out? Standing out? Knowing what to even say?

I've sent a LOT of cold emails and LinkedIn messages over the past few months. I know response rates tend to be low for cold outreach, but honestly it's soul-destroying - and I'm starting to wonder if I'm doing the wrong thing entirely.

So for those a bit further along: what actually started working for you? And did it ever stop feeling this brutal - or did you find a completely different way in?

Hey folks, I have been in the AI consulting space for a few months and it's a slow grind.

Genuine question for others doing AI or consulting work solo - how are you actually getting clients right now?

I keep noticing two camps. One is the "post on LinkedIn consistently and let the right people come to you" inbound crowd. The other is the "send the cold DMs and emails" outbound crowd.

What I really want to know isn't just which one is working for you - it's which one you secretly hate doing. For me, I know I should be doing consistent cold outreach via email / linkedin etc but I find it draining and inconsistent, so right now I am leaning more on my own content ...and hope!

What's your actual reality? No wrong answers - just genuinely curious to hear what's working for you - and which bit do you secretly hate doing?