Quit my day job after 12 years of editing on the side. How do I build a full-time remote freelance editing career?

I'm looking for advice from editors who freelance remotely or have made a similar transition in the past.

For the past 12 years, I've been editing alongside a regular full-time job. Most of my experience is in short narrative films, documentaries, and some corporate/NGO projects. Nearly all of my work came through personal referrals, so I've never had to market myself, build a client pipeline, or actively look for freelance work.

While my portfolio isn't enormous, I'm proud of the work I've done. Some of the films I edited won awards at film festivals and were later released on regional streaming platforms. I also completed the Inside the Edit course to improve my storytelling and editing workflow.

Recently, I left my non-editing job to pursue editing and filmmaking full time. My long-term goal is to write, direct, and edit my own films, but my immediate priority is building a sustainable freelance editing business.

I'm keeping my initial income goal realistic. My short-term goal is to consistently earn around ₹50-70k ($500-$700) per month for first few months through remote editing while continuing to develop my own film projects. Like everyone else, I still need to pay the bills.

I'm not looking for work here. I’m looking for a strategy. Although I have a portfolio and completed projects, I've never had to find clients myself, so in many ways I'm starting from scratch.

I'm based in India, but I'm open to working with clients anywhere.

I'd really appreciate advice from people who are already doing this successfully.

Some questions I have:

1. If you were starting from my position today, what would your first 90 days look like?
2. Which platforms or client acquisition methods are working best in 2026? (Upwork, LinkedIn, direct outreach, agencies, production companies, etc.)
3. Should I position myself as a documentary and narrative editor, or would it be better to market myself more broadly until I have a steady client base?
4. How important is a strong showreel compared to sharing complete projects or selected scenes?
5. If you had to rebuild your freelance business from scratch today, where would you look for your first clients?
6. What mistakes do experienced editors commonly make when transitioning from referral-based work to actively finding clients?

I'm not looking for shortcuts. I'm trying to build a sustainable freelance editing business, but I also need to generate income fairly quickly. I'd especially appreciate practical advice from editors who are currently making a living through remote freelance work.

Be brutal but honest. Thanks in advance.