Celebrating Progress: Datalancers' Journey Through 2023 🚀

🌟 Greetings Datalancers!

As the week unfolds, let's take a moment to reflect on the remarkable journey we've embarked on together. Your energy, insights, and dedication have shaped our community into what it is today. 💖

Community Collaborations:

In the past weeks, our community has seen incredible growth and development:

• Slack Experience: A massive shoutout to Sara Sabzikari for spearheading the design and launch of our vibrant Slack channels. Your commitment is the heartbeat of our dynamic space! 💪

• Database Progress: The groundwork for our community database is underway, a collective effort to organize and share our wealth of knowledge. 📖💿️🖥️

• Website in the Works: The spark of a website is lighting up, a testament to our collective vision for a centralized hub. ✨

Special Thanks:

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to this journey. Special recognition to Simo Tumelius, Steve Pisani, Sara Sabzikari, Ashish Agrawal, and Tyler Papaleo for their roles in shaping our community. Kudos to Will Holtz and Pete Fein for offering invaluable insights in the early stages. A huge thanks to Christine Ndege for her work spearheading the schema of our Datalancers database!

It's incredible to see this vision take shape, and I'm immensely grateful for your ongoing support. If you feel inspired to contribute, your voice is more than welcome!

Community Recap:

Let's revisit the highlights from this year’s survey:

• Over half of us are freelancing full time, a testament to our shared passion and commitment. 👏👏👏

• Most of us are seasoned data professionals, with 6+ years of expertise. 💪

• Analytics engineering emerges as a dominant field of work, reflecting our collective expertise. 📊

• A majority expressed interest in community activities, highlighting our shared enthusiasm for collaboration and knowledge sharing. 🤝

• An overwhelming majority expressed interest in sharing/receiving rates information, reflecting a shared commitment to transparency. 💸💸

Nuggets of Wisdom from Your Community:

Retainers

1. Retainer Strategies:

• Offering retainers at the start of the month and invoicing additional hours separately can be effective for new clients.

• Consider decoupling retainers from hours worked for a more flexible approach, ensuring clients pay for expertise and support.

2. Negotiating Retainers:

• When negotiating retainers, presenting a financial case for the consultant's sustainability can lead to successful agreements.

• While pushing for a retainer, be ready to walk away if the terms don't align with your financial needs.

3. Contract Language:

• Retainer contract language often includes specifics like monthly rates, maximum hours, and additional hourly rates.

• Crafting clear language is crucial to avoid misunderstandings and set expectations.

4. Long-Term Considerations:

• Retainers may be suitable for ongoing maintenance work, but project-based work requires careful consideration.

• Successful retainers often stem from a balance between client expectations and consultant availability.

Some of our fave BI tools:

• Tableau 🧮 

• Looker 📊 

• Count.co 🔢 

• Metabase ➕ 

Looking Ahead to 2024:

As we approach the new year, our community is poised for even more growth and collaboration. The folks who have expressed interest at the start are now creating a vibrant ecosystem of shared insights and community.

Thank you all so much for joining us on our Datalancers journey. Wishing you a joyful holiday season and New Year filled with exciting opportunities and growth. Here's to the incredible community we've built together! 💪 ✨

Share your thoughts, ideas, or any exciting news—let's make 2024 even more remarkable together! 💬

Warm regards,

Danielle ✨