As someone who's built WordPress websites for business owners for about 5 years now, I'd say start small, then scale from there.
The important thing is to focus on delivering a unique service. The problem with this industry is that designers and developers always focus on what they can do for the client as opposed to what the client REALLY wants.
So, when you approach businesses or organisations about your services, find out what they would like their website to do for them. I'm a lead generation strategist/consultant, and whenever a WordPress projects came up, I won't wear my "design cap" but would wear my "marketing cap" instead. I would ask this question - "what can I do to help my client generate leads and sales through their website?"
If you can make your clients websites work hard for them, then you will get a lot of referrals (I'm saying this from experience; 90% of the website projects I've done came through referrals).
Let me share with you how I moved from $500 websites to $2,000 and above. I decided to apply what is called "Education Based Marketing" - this means giving your clients a web strategy session, and helping them understand what you are doing or going to do for them. When you make the whole process all about them, and operate with integrity, then you are going to set yourself apart from others. And please, don't compete on price... most website designers always do this just to win a client. Let your work speak for you, If they think your fees are too high, then they are not your ideal clients.
There's more to share, but I'll pause here, in order to avoid overwhelming you. Feel free to reach out if you need further help. All the best!
