well ive started with a few mock-ups of websites to give examples on my blog..but i am hoping to find small businesses that need a website from scratch so i can build it/maintain it for a price per month.

i have been looking on craigslist/kijiji for jobs but alot of them dont reply back..

what should i do?

i build flash websites.

my blog is at http://icanhaz.com/urbn

Go get testimonials from people you've built sites for, and put those online, in the mail, in email and everywhere else people will listen. You can talk about how great you are all day without much luck, but when someone else starts talking about how great you are - people will start listening.

1. Testimonials

2. If you're just starting out, do some spec work...you can't expect to get rich overnight on a single job. Do a few of these and then refer to #1

Good luck!
Steve

I believe that if you specialize in a specific market niche you would discover it's a lot easier to get jobs.

At the moment, you're specializing in FLASH as the medium for the websites you create. Now you have to choose a market niche who's not being served and who doesn't have a website, yet.

This could be a dentist, chiropractor, insurance broker, dry cleaner or any other market niche. Once you do one ask for referrals for others in their industry who are not competitors.

Join their association. Write a few articles on Internet Marketing. Submit them to their associations and become the "go to guy/gal" for the industry. You'll discover jobs will start coming your way on a pretty steady basis.

I wouldn't recommend that you ever do any pro bono or spec work. That is never good for the web designer. The only referrals you'll get are from those who want a free website, too.

Another way to go is to have someone interview you about what you do and how you do it. Get it recorded and offer a free copy of your "seminar" to your market niche. This way they get to know you in a non-threatening way and will contact you when they're ready.

There are more proactive ways but this should get you started.

It looks like you do some great work. Would like to see more of it.

Good luck...

first of all you need to develop your imagination. do more practice for designing...

Every web designer I know have their own portfolio up, ready and accessible to every client asking for some sample works. You will surely need that in the future.

Try rentacoder.com and elance.com. You can probably get jobs there but these are also pretty competitive marketplaces.

What I am doing is finding non-profit businesses and doing their websites to build my portfolio. I'm offering a free website to them because since they are non-profit and I respect what they are doing. You said that you were going to charge them to maintain their website per month. DON'T DO IT! Save yourself a headache, everyone that I've talked to has said charge them by the hour, 1 hour minimum. This way they can't call you 3x a day and expect free service just for changing a few words or paragraphs. Imagine yourself with 10 businesses calling you as much as they want with no limitations! Hope this helped.

1. Programming
2. Graphics and Design
3. Writing and Content Development

these factors are very important

Peoples here are really great, I have learn a lot.
I have my own ideas to post here, just focus on one thing and make it perfect. Then people will find you and want you to finish their work.