unexpected elance side-effect

I was ready to completely give up on Elance. Every time I bid on a job, I was underbid by some company in India willing to do web design for $7 an hour. It was getting really frustrating. I finally picked up a small job amounting to very little work, but it was a start. Luckily for me, this one little job has since been referring other work to me like crazy! And best of all, the referrals don't have to go through the Elance system, so I don't have to worry about them taking their "cut" out of the money I make. Pretty cool and definitely unexpected.

So while this blessing has more to do with the generosity of that first customer, and my good impression on him, I guess I have to admit that it would never have happened if I hadn't signed up with Elance. In that respect, I suppose one could say that Elance works as a good springboard for finding long-term work and referrals.