My First Data Analyst Client as a Freelancer.

How I got my first freelance data analyst project

The best day of my life. Can I say that?

Ofcourse why not.

The day on which I realized my worth, not completely but was enough to tell me that I have something in my brain which can be use to fill the pockets which most often where like — hey we hate money. We will not let even a single penny get in.

And I was like — haven't you seen my face yet? Don't you have any idea how a broke guy look like? That's exactly me.

I need to earn some money. A guy with empty pocket is worthless. I understand it sounds bitter to hear but in some parts of society, it make sense.

Even after having any skill or knowledge about any subject you're not able to earn a decent amount, signifies that the knowledge is just stored in an isolated container of your brain.

Now, you may wonder what is an isolated or container here ?

Relax guys they are just fancy words which has nothing to do with science or psychology at least here.

I'm just trying to say is… … … . .

If you know anything about something or something about anything, if you possess any skill, knowledge about making impact in real world scenarios then what are you waiting for.

Just share your capabilities, your competency in front of the world. There's where money is spread all over. Isn't?

The exchange is the only way anyone can make money, get appreciation or recognition for what he did. If you're just shaking your right hand with your left one that's not exchange, that's not networking at all. Third person's involvement is necessary so start promoting yourself , your skill set and your experience in front of community working in same niche.

Remember, the goal behind promoting your work here's not seeking validations but it's more about building presence. Telling other professionals that you do also exists in the same sphere, if they need any sort of help in this reagard they can definitely think about you as well. That's all.

My approach on Social Media

Obviously the process I shared above was the main reason behind how I got connected with my first ever client. But the fact was that I was not sharing the content on social media with the intention to attract as many as clients blindly. At this point, grabbing clients wasn't not my goal at all. My goal was pure, to build a genuine connection with like minded people.

And, I was also clear from my take, that LinkedIn was a social media app where professionals come to get in touch with same minds. By the way, it was LinkedIn from where I got this opportunity. People are not here to buy from me, they're already working in the industry where I'm trying to step-in may be as a freelancer or full-time in future.

So just sharing informational or educational post might not work all the time from earning perspective.

You've to think little bit beyond.

Like when we post, what do we or anyone else normally expect? Generally things revolve around likes, comments, emojis, and maybe some more followers if viewers found the post helpful.

But this is not what we are putting this much efforts for. Posting alone on social media isn't the right way, especially when you're aiming to grab a decent opportunity.

Conversation is the Key—

What I feel is meaningful conversations lead to genuine relations. And the best place where you can sow the seeds for this conversation is the comment section.

It is a great way to share your thoughts on the post, showing your expertise around the subject, and more importantly will lead to the recognition you deserve. And, eventually, a paid opportunity.

I know it is sounding very imaginary and probability-oriented, but that's how it all goes.

Talking about my case, it was pretty straightforward. I shared a data viz dashboard that I created just for the sake of practice on LinkedIn, and one guy just reached out to me who had some spreadsheets he needed to clean and analyze. Since it was my first opportunity without many negotiation tactics, I simply said yes to him and delivered the project.

Though there's nothing wrong with this method, you can get clients. But what I felt was the lack of stability and consistency in getting clients.

That's why I prefer to go with establishing relations using frequent conversations with other people who can themselves be my clients in the future or refer me to someone else and ensure a steady flow of projects.

I hope this finds you helpful in your journey. I also know that there's a lot more that we need to care about, like how you convince the client on the first one-on-one. Like, there's so much.

But I just wanted to share how I approach it all in my early phase.

Okay that's all for this post , best luck for your journey guys.!!!