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OpenTeams Fireside Chat with "Seattle Data Guy" on Consulting
What does it really take to run a successful data consulting business solo? “Seattle Data Guy” reveals the unfiltered truth—from first clients to burnout and beyond.
Q&A with Benjamin Rogojan
Today, OpenTeams brought together members of its Open Source Architect (OSA) Community for an exclusive fireside chat with Benjamin Rogojan, widely known as the “Seattle Data Guy”. The live virtual event offered a candid conversation on the realities of running a one-person data consulting business—covering everything from burnout and brand building to pricing, client acquisition, and legal logistics.
Rogojan, whose content reaches over 300,000 followers across platforms like Substack, Medium, and LinkedIn, shared personal insights into the journey from side gigs to full-time consulting. He also gave practical advice for new and aspiring solopreneurs working in the data space.
Q: Over the course of your career, when did you decide to start your own consulting business? What was the turning point?
It happened accidentally. A colleague from a previous job asked if I could help with some side work. About six months later, they needed assistance migrating a server, which turned into a larger project. From there, I officially started my consulting company. Early success made me think, “Maybe I could do this again.” However, I quickly learned that finding new clients was challenging and required developing new skills. Eventually, I had to choose between my side hustle and pursuing a promotion at Facebook. I decided to focus intentionally on building my own business.
Q: What are the challenges and responsibilities of running your own consulting business?
My first client came easily because it was a friend. However, my second client was much harder to acquire. In my second year, I only made $6k—not nearly enough to quit my job. To attract clients, I read extensively and produced a lot of content, including blogs unrelated to tech. Slowly, this content drew interest and new consulting opportunities.
Q: What skills are essential for success in consulting?
You must clearly define and market specific skills. Develop strong soft skills and build a clear strategy for client acquisition. Networking, direct outreach (DMs), and content marketing are crucial. Clients care about solving their problems, not necessarily your specific technical skills. Understanding their pain points, running effective sales calls, and managing client budgets are key to long-term success. The ability to craft a narrative around your services, adapting it as new problems emerge, is also essential.
Q: How do you stay informed about the latest technologies?
I regularly read content from others in the industry to keep a pulse on trends. Substack is helpful because people openly share practical insights about building data infrastructure. I also read industry papers and stay mindful of diverse perspectives. Keeping up involves active learning and adapting as needed based on client demands.
Q: Are there specific communities or creators you follow?
I recommend Daniel Beach of Data Engineering Central, Olga’s analytics-focused Substack, and Yuki’s Data Toolbox. These creators consistently offer valuable insights into open source tools and data analytics.
Q: How do you handle periods of downturn in your consulting business?
Economic downturns affect everyone differently, and it never feels good to earn less than usual. I established subscription-based services to create steady revenue streams. Early on, technical writing was a helpful way to sustain myself, as there was significant demand but limited supply. Tools like Databricks, although complex, provide steady work due to their complexity and demand for specialized assistance.
Q: Conversely, how do you manage burnout or too much work? Have you scaled your team?
Scaling depends on your goals: independent consulting or growing an agency. Agency growth requires co-founders, effective sales strategies, and strong vendor relationships. For smaller lifestyle businesses, tapping into a network of trusted subcontractors is beneficial. Clear communication and establishing detailed guidelines for deliverables and workflows significantly improve collaboration and quality control.
Q: When did you decide to invest more time in building your personal brand through newsletters and video content?
I started focusing on personal branding very early. Sharing insights publicly attracts potential clients, even though initially it feels risky to reveal your methods. However, clients ultimately pay for execution, not just ideas. Producing quality content helped me refine my thoughts and improve my communication skills over time.
Q: Which marketing channels have worked best for client acquisition?
Every channel takes time. While cold DMs can occasionally work, they depend heavily on timing and prior familiarity. Consistent content creation helps maintain visibility and keeps you top-of-mind. Networking through relationship-building events, such as dinners or happy hours, is effective. Maintaining regular, genuine connections is critical.
Q: Is it better to specialize (e.g., Databricks/Snowflake) or be a generalist?
Both paths can be successful. Specializing initially can help you establish authority, and surprisingly, being known as a specialist often leads clients to perceive you as skilled in other areas. Specialization in large, popular tools like Databricks or Snowflake can offer substantial opportunities, yet generalists also have a broad potential market.
Q: Is specializing in helping small businesses establish data capabilities a sustainable approach?
Focusing on infrastructure for small businesses can certainly work. However, small businesses often feel downturns first, which can make that segment volatile. Enterprises typically have more budget flexibility during economic downturns, though small businesses always need ongoing assistance.
Q: Do you have advice for women who face credibility challenges when starting freelancing or a one-person startup?
Unfortunately, biases exist, and sometimes you must prove your credibility more aggressively. Knowing your skills deeply and communicating them confidently helps overcome these biases. Building credibility through consistent, visible expertise and quality content is crucial.
Q: How should someone new to consulting begin creating content?
Start by genuinely engaging with your target audience. Listen to their problems, experiences, and day-to-day challenges. Identify common pain points and produce content addressing those issues. For example, I noticed senior analysts struggling with certain standards, so I wrote content specifically aimed at helping them.
Q: Do you have recommendations for the legal aspects of solopreneurship?
You’ll need an LLC and a good accountant, particularly after reaching around $25k in revenue. For larger contracts, have standardized templates. Business and liability insurance (typically $1M coverage) becomes essential with bigger clients, but smaller projects (under $10k) generally don’t require it.
Q: How do you price your consulting services, and when should you raise rates?
Start by setting a baseline rate. If you consistently hear “yes,” it’s probably time to raise your rates—ideally, you want about a third of prospects to decline due to price. Once you have an established client base, you can experiment with higher pricing or bespoke models to reflect your increasing expertise and value.
Q: How can consultants grow their business sustainably?
Early on, people frequently asked how I started consulting, leading me to build a community. A community provides support, accountability, and combats the loneliness of solopreneurship. Engaging in a community can significantly benefit your growth and sustainability as a consultant.
About OpenTeams
OpenTeams is the world’s leading open source AI services company. We design and maintain enterprise-grade, transparent AI systems for global organizations across industries, empowering clients to own and control their software infrastructure.
About the OSA Community
The Open Source Architect (OSA) Community is an invitation-only group hosted by OpenTeams for senior software architects, engineers, and technologists who are advancing the frontier of open source.
Benjamin Rogojan
Ben has spent his career focused on helping companies develop end-to-end data solutions that are simple and maintainable. He has worked in various industries and companies including companies like Facebook as a data engineer. Using his broad experiences he has helped companies develop, improve modernize and migrate their data infrastructure. He has helped migrate companies off old ETL systems, find the right solutions such as Astronomer and Fivetran and improve companies data performance. Whether your company is a Saas or Casino, Ben can help.
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