"You can always go back freelancing" - well, no..

Hey,
After doing indie stuff with moderate success, I need to go back to freelancing.
What I found out scares me to death, because I thought I can always "go back to freelance" - and that was a dream.
I found that getting customers is currently IMPOSSIBLE without followers with all the AI noise. (..and without LinkedIn, please)
Upwork and such are garbage, the other platforms - if you make it in - you are just a nobody in a large marketplace, and there you are - need to do marketing again even for the most basic projects - which is why you left the SaaS indie world anyway.

I am a full stack engineer(real SW/HW engineer) with years of experience in backend (Python, Google Cloud, all sorts of AI and algo) + all front-end tech, UI/UX, etc. But it means nothing, without followers I am nobody.

How do you even get customers ? are you doing Ads? do you build a profile on Upwork and such - which takes long time ?

Some people have too many projects to handle, others have not a single one.

I will be happy to hear any advice, or get connected, I feel wasted.

Thanks.