6 months in as a freelance dev. still can't reach a consistent monthly salary. What am I missing?

Hey everyone,

I've been freelancing for about 6 months now as a full-stack PHP/Laravel developer. I'm 20, based in France, and I work through platforms like Codeur.com as well as LinkedIn outreach.

The frustrating part: the missions I do land go well clients are happy, the work is solid. But I'm still not hitting a consistent monthly income. Some months are okay, others are dry, and I still can't call it a reliable salary.

For context:

\- I specialize in Laravel, PHP, custom web apps, PWA

\- I mainly prospect through Codeur.com (a French freelance platform) and LinkedIn

\- I write personalized proposals, not copy-paste templates

\- I'm working on building my LinkedIn presence (posting devlogs, sharing projects)

My main pain points:

1. Finding a steady pipeline — I get missions but there are too many gaps between them

2. Converting prospects— I'm technically strong but less comfortable on the sales/client side

3. Positioning— I'm not sure if being a generalist Laravel dev is hurting me vs. having a niche

For those who've been through this early-stage grind: what actually moved the needle for you? Did you niche down? Focus on retainer contracts? Change how you prospect?

Any honest advice welcome — I'd rather hear the hard truth than comforting lies.

Thanks