You're right those sites really cut into your bottom dollar. Unfortunately, getting clients is a lot of work which is why those sites exist in the first place. When I was working for a consulting company they used to cold call clients. Asking if they needed something built or seeing who did. When I used to freelance myself, I went to local meetups to try and meet people who might have freelance work. At the end of the day, it's all about word of mouth.
You're right those sites really cut into your bottom dollar. Unfortunately, getting clients is a lot of work which is why those sites exist in the first place. When I was working for a consulting company they used to cold call clients. Asking if they needed something built or seeing who did. When I used to freelance myself, I went to local meetups to try and meet people who might have freelance work. At the end of the day, it's all about word of mouth.
Thanks for your insight.