If you do all the other recommended things, you'll start hanging out with people who spend money to solve real business problems. The projects will come to you then.
Would you say this is true even if you're not living in a tech hub like SF?
Yes. You'll meet different kinds of business owners, but they will have real problems.
I see - would you also agree that you will meet other people (such as other programmers/designers/etc) over time? I haven't met more than five at my current job.