Should freelancers build audiences or portfolios first?

[Btaliat]

This is one of the controversial issue in freelancing. There are some people that believe that it is better to have your audience ready before you even build your portfolio. Most times, they believe that it is even better to build portfolio based on the demand of the audience. However, there are some people that choose the other way round. They believe that it is always better to have the portfolios and be looking for the right audience