I got started because i was getting email from people who wanted help. I had a page on the web advertising my practice in 1995. Back then there were not many therapists with pages of any sort online. I did not get any real-life clients from my website for the first few months, but I got email from all over the world. I decided to look into the ethical issues involved....and to request some payment from people who were satisfied with my help.
The first result was that I got less email. That was really okay. I did begin to get a few requests for consultations. it never averaged more than 3-4 per week on the busiest weeks, but it was unpredictable.