For someone who is new to this, how can I meet providers when the providers require references of two other providers? How do I get the references if people won't see me unless I have the references to begin with?

Thanks for your suggestions.

one of the verification sites. Date-Check and Preferred411 both work very nicely.

Good Luck

It's a puzzle, like one of those IQ tests.  

It helps guarantee that there are no hobbyists with IQ's under 150 out here.  

Now how about this one: you have two boats, one that holds two people, one that holds three people...

This question is asked and answered several times per week on the Newbies board.  Luckily for you, Boston has several reputable agencies where you can get your feet wet in the hobby without using independents as references.  Not all cities can claim that.