One thing I learned is that the first client usually comes from consistency rather than luck, I made the mistake of focusing only on large freelance platforms and sending generic applications, what finally worked was improving my portfolio, writing personalized proposals, and spending time learning about freelancing Philippines resources that explained client outreach, pricing, and expectations in a more practical way, after a few weeks of making those changes, I started getting replies and eventually landed a small project that led to repeat work, the first client is definitely the hardest, but each one after that becomes much easier when you have experience and feedback to show.