Day In The Life Of A Data Consultant
How To Balance Marketing, Sales, Admin Work And Actually Consulting
A common challenge most independent data consultants face is juggling all the various tasks required to run a successful business.
You have to create content, market, run sales calls, send invoices, etc. It can all feel overwhelming.
And it is.
But it's far from impossible. As someone who has managed to run a consulting business and work full time, until I made the decision to switch, it is possible!
So in this article, I wanted to talk about some tips to manage all the various tasks as well as outline a few examples of schedules I have seen different consultants take on.
Outlines of Schedules
There isn’t any form of magical formula or schedule that will land you clients while letting you also complete your work.
So let’s review my schedule.
My Schedule - Breaking Down A Day In The Life
I do my best to try to keep my schedule, but it is more of a guideline. In general I try to focus heavily on marketing and sales activities in the morning whereas the afternoon is geared towards deep work.
In fact, I have a 3-hour block on my calendar in the afternoon to ensure no one can set up meetings later on.
I also enjoy having my Wednesday free if possible. There is something nice about having no meeting days (but this is usually more of a hope).
Now, I will say, I don’t always keep this exact schedule, but it's where about 80% of my weekdays end up.
Lean Into Focusing - Another Schedule
Another consultant I talked to took a slightly different approach. They have two half-days during their week focused on just landing clients. This could mean many things.
They might be posting on LinkedIn.
They might be reaching out to past clients.
They might be putting together a webinar.
But that's the focus of those 8 hours a week. That’s about how much I’d probably put towards gathering clients as well.
Of course, as Shachar said below, sometimes you’re spending all your time landing clients, especially in the beginning.
Truthfully, just putting together a schedule isn’t really enough. It can also act as a method of procrastination if you don’t execute.
So here are a few tips for independent data consultants to manage their time better.
Tips To Manage Your Time as a Data Consultant
I don’t follow a strict schedule myself. However, I do try to implement various strategies and techniques to ensure I get tasks done as an independent data consultant.
Otherwise, I get stuck in a weird time nexus where 8 hours pass and nothing happens.
Time Blocks
No one can do everything at once, but you’ll be surprised how much you can get down when you focus on just one thing at a time.
The example I always think of is when I worked at a start-up, I recall that the director of engineering would never let anyone work on more than one ticket at a time. It drove me crazy. But we pushed products out faster than pretty much anywhere else I have worked. There is something to being so focused on one thing that it gets done. You don’t have switching costs, you don’t have to go through your code again or re-read what you just wrote.
You stay in the flow state.
The goal is to eliminate distractions. Don’t let a small tweet or text distract you (unless it's urgent). But overall, the more you can stay in the zone the better. I think most people would be surprised how much they can get done when they aren’t distracted.
So pick clear goals for a time period, and attack those before taking on the next problem.
Set Up Clear Priorities
Along with time blocks come priorities. Because the time blocks might give you what type of work you’re going to focus on, the priorities tell you exactly what you need to do. Every day, you likely have 1-3 tasks you really need to complete. They are the tasks that would really move your business forward.
If you’re just starting, then these are tasks that involve landing clients.
Writing articles
Reaching out to possible clients
Networking events
Reaching out to vendors
Sending warm emails
Etc.
I really love the rule of 100 for this. Focus on one of these areas for 100 days, get really good at it, and if it works, you can double down or focus on the next one.
But once you’ve got several methods to land clients, you can now focus on ensuring you deliver well.
Eventually, you’ll start focusing on improving pricing and negotiating. But it’s all about prioritizing the key tasks.
By the way, here is what I believe you should prioritize when you start consulting:
Write out why you want to consult
Roughly draft what niche you want to focus on and what value you believe you can add
Figure out how you will land clients
Understand how to deliver high-value
Optimize your pricing
The point here is that pricing is one of the last things you should consider.
You Have the Time
Finding time will always be challenging. There are many tasks that must be done when you own a business.
So as you’re trying to figure out where to put your time, I do encourage you to pause, take a moment, and really consider what you’re trying to do.
Figure out your key goals that need to be reached in order for you to get to the next step.
Set up some time and a schedule to do it. Then start hammering away!
I know you can get it all done!
Thanks as always for reading!
Past Newsletters You Might Want To Read!
A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Own Consulting Firm
5 Books Every Consultant Should Read
Why Everyone Loses When You Charge By The Hour - Becoming A Better Consultant
Join My Technical Consultants Community
If you’re a data consultant or considering becoming one then you should join the Technical Freelancer Community! I recently opened up a few sections to non-paying members so you can learn more about how to land clients, different types of projects you can run, and more!
Starting Your Own Consulting Company Today
Looking to start your own data analytics consulting company? Not sure how to attract clients, partner with the best vendors, or choose projects you're passionate about?
I've been there. In my Technical Freelancer Academy, I share how I built a successful data analytics consulting business from the ground up. A business that made it possible for me to quit my data engineering job at Facebook.
See you there!
Finally got here. It's a great post as always.
I'll adming the length of the catch-up block surprised me. Although, I guess aside from planning, it includes paerwork and all other things nobody pays you for.