Ultimate Data Freelancer Resources
🚀 Quick Start Guide
New to data freelancing? Start here:
- Read Lessons after one year of data science freelancing 📖
- Download Proposal Template(Free) 📄
- Join Technical Freelancer Community 👥
📚 Table of Contents
- 🎙️ Learning Resources
- 📝 Directories & Networks
- 📄 Business Templates
- 🚀 Starting Your Consulting Company Path
- 💰 Pricing & Rates
- 📖 Books & Reading
- 📽️ Project Examples
- 👥 Some Consultants Stories
- 🎓 Courses & Communities
- 📧 Newsletters
- 📺 YouTube Channels
- 🎙️ Podcasts
🎙️ Learning Resources
Educational Resources & Presentations
| Resource | Type | Description | Link | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Education Data Science Seminar - Consulting | Presentation | Comprehensive slides on data science consulting in education from Stanford’s EDS seminar | PDF Slides | Crystal Lewis, Crystal Lewis Consulting LLC, Saint Louis, MO |
Podcasts & Talks
| Resource | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|
| What they forgot to teach you about starting a business with R | Talk | Link |
| The Business of Authority | Podcast | Link |
| Being a Data Viz Consultant | Talk | Link |
| Breaking into Education Consulting | Webinar | Link |
| How I Built This | Podcast | Link |
| The McKinsey Podcast | Podcast | Link |
| Soft Skills Podcast | Podcast | Link |
Key Articles
| Topic | Resource | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Client Acquisition | The Surprising Truth About Finding Clients | Link |
| Getting Started | Freelancer’s Guide to Upwork | Link |
| First Year | Lessons after one year of data science freelancing | Link |
| Purpose | Serving with Purpose: Lessons Learned from Consulting | Link |
| Business Setup | Thoughts on starting your own business | Link |
📝 Directories & Networks
General Directories
- Data Freelancers - Curated list by Ben Jones
- Data Consultants - List by Crystal Lewis
- Data Drive Consultant Database - Searchable database
Specialized Networks
- CIRCLE Consultant Request - Education research consultants
- Research Pathfinder - Evaluation and research consultants
- Illuminate LLC Partners - Education data company partners
📄 Business Templates
Client Acquisition
- Discovery Call Template(Free)
- Proposal Email(Free)
- Proposal Template(Free)
- Data Infra Audit Template(Paid)
- Project Update Email(Free)
- Original Source For Templates Above(Free)
- Develop a Sales Pitch(Free)
Project Management
Business Setup
- Pick Your Niche(Free)
- Legal Setup(Free)
- Get Insurance(Free)
- Building A Website and Online Presence(Free)
Make a Website for Your Business
Your website is your digital storefront and often the first impression potential clients have of your consulting business. A well-designed website should clearly communicate your value proposition and make it easy for visitors to understand your services and get in touch.
Essential Elements for Your Consulting Website:
- Clear Service Description: Explain exactly what you do and the problems you solve for clients
- Contact Information: Make it prominent and easy to find - include email, phone, and contact form
- Portfolio/Case Studies: Show examples of your work (with client permission)
- About Page: Share your background, expertise, and what makes you unique
- Testimonials: Social proof from satisfied clients builds trust
Examples of Effective Consulting Websites:
- R for the Rest of Us - Clean, professional design showcasing data visualization services
- Cara Thompson Consulting - Personal branding with clear service offerings
- Kirsten Lee Hill - Elegant portfolio showcasing data visualization expertise
- Daly Analytics - Professional layout with clear contact options
- Mosinian Consulting - Technical focus with easy navigation
- Ghement Statistical Consulting - Academic and professional presentation
- Matthew B. Jane Consulting - Clean design emphasizing expertise
- Tanya Shapiro Consulting - Personal brand with clear service descriptions
- Data Dozen - Modern design with prominent contact information
- Anya Mensah Consulting - Professional layout with clear value proposition
- Free State Analytics - Government consulting focus with clear navigation
- Civilytics - Civic data consulting with professional presentation
- Exponent Education - Education consulting with clear service descriptions
- Data Distillery - Creative branding with technical expertise showcase
Quick Tips:
- Use a professional domain name (yourname.com or yourcompany.com)
- Ensure your site is mobile-responsive
- Include clear calls-to-action throughout
- Keep the design clean and professional
- Consider adding a blog to showcase your expertise
Starting Your Consulting Company Path
- Make the jump!
- How To Get Clients(Free)
- Client Acquisition - Networking At Events(Free)
- Client Acquisition - Marketing(Free)
- Client Acquisition - Sale(Free)
- Client Acquisition - Vendor Partnerships(Paid)
- Client Acquisition - Ask Me Anything Session - Vendor Partnerships(Paid)
- Client Acquisition - Referrals(Paid)
- Consulting vs contracting- Everything you need to know
- Consulting Vs Contracting(Paid)
- Are You Ready To Start Consulting?(Paid)
Insurance Types
| Insurance type | Who it’s for | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | Any business | This coverage protects against financial loss as the result of bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses, libel, slander, defending lawsuits, and settlement bonds or judgments. |
| Product liability insurance | Businesses that manufacture, wholesale, distribute, and retail a product | This coverage protects against financial loss as a result of a defective product that causes injury or bodily harm. |
| Professional liability insurance | Businesses that provide services to customers | This coverage protects against financial loss as a result of malpractice, errors, and negligence. |
| Commercial property insurance | Businesses with a significant amount of property and physical assets | This coverage protects your business against loss and damage of company property due to a wide variety of events such as fire, smoke, wind and hail storms, civil disobedience and vandalism. |
| Home-based business insurance | Businesses that are run out of the owner’s personal home | Coverage that’s added to homeowner’s insurance as a rider can offer protection for a small amount of business equipment and liability coverage for third-party injuries. |
| Business owner’s policy | Most small business owners, but especially home-based business owners | A business owner’s policy is an insurance package that combines all of the typical coverage options into one bundle. They simplify the insurance buying process and can save you money. |
Marketing Deeper Dive - Content That’s Landed Me Clients Example
- 4 Alternatives to Fivetran: The Evolving Dynamics of the ETL & ELT Tool Market(Free)
- Do You REALLY Need A Data Warehouse - What Are The Benefits Of A Data Warehouse?(Free)
💰 Pricing & Rates
Pricing Guides
- What Should You Charge As A Data Consultant(Free)
- Pricing Strategy(Paid)
- Setting Fees As A Consultant - Different Pricing Tiers(Free)
- Why You Shouldn’t Price Hourly(Paid)
- How To Kill Your Profits As A Consultant(Free)
Rate Databases
- Freelancing Females Database of Rates - Crowdsourced rates
- 2024 Nonprofit.ist Consultant Cost & Compensation Survey - Nonprofit sector rates
📽️ Project Examples
- Consulting Project Example - Embedded Analytics Discovery Project(Free)
- Consulting Project Example - The Basic Data Stack(Paid)
- My First 6-Figure Consulting Project(Free)
👥 Some Consultants Stories
🎙️ Podcasts
- How I Built This(Free)
- The Business of Authority(Free)
- Soft skills Podcast(Free)
- The McKinsey Podcast(Free)
📺 YouTube Channels
Sales
Communication
📖 Books & Reading
Business & Consulting
- Million Dollar Consulting - The Professional’s Guide to Growing a Practice (Paid)
- Blue Ocean Strategy - How to Create Uncontested Market Space (Paid)
- $100M Offers - How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No (Paid)
- Oversubscribed - How to Get People Lined Up to Do Business with You (Paid)
- The Trusted Advisor - Building trust-based client relationships (Paid)
Leadership & Communication
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - A Leadership Fable (Paid)
- The Advice Trap - Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever (Paid)
- The Making of a Manager - What to Do When Everyone Looks to You (Paid)
- Storyworthy - Engage, Teach, Persuade through the Power of Storytelling (Paid)
- HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Communication - Essential articles on effective communication (Paid)
🎓 Courses & Communities
Communities
- Technical Freelancer Community - For technical professionals interested in freelancing (Free)
- Freelancing Females - Community supporting female freelancers (Free)
Courses
- Technical Freelancer Academy - Comprehensive course on building a technical freelance business (Paid)
📧 Newsletters
| Newsletter | Focus | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Freelancer Academy | Tips for technical freelancers | Link |
| The Hustle | Business and tech news | Link |
| CB Insights | Tech industry insights | Link |
Key Insights
“Earn a Reputation for Being a Good Person to Work With” -Cara Thompson
“There is no single ‘right’ way to begin a consulting business. Your path has to align with YOUR values, strengths, and ways of working.” -Alicia Lynch
🔍 Quality & Trustworthiness
- Community-Vetted: Resources sourced directly from practicing freelancers
- Transparency: No single resource is endorsed, empowering you to evaluate what works
- Practical Focus: Actionable resources for real-world problems
- Diverse Perspectives: Multiple niches and business models represented
- Continuously Updated: Living document reflecting current state of data freelancing
Find this evolving collection of resources at the Data Freelancing Resources GitHub Repository and The Consulting Handbook by Seattle Data Guy
Crepi il lupo! 🐺