Hey,
Almost everyone who hears that I quit my day job after only 15 months to run my side hustle full-time asks one thing: "But how did you market yourself?"
I'm going to be real with you. I didn't.
Um, say what?
I know. It sounds crazy.
But hear me out, because if you're at the very beginning stages of crafting your own tech biz, you need to know this.
I didn't bid on jobs.
I didn't do cold calls (ick).
I literally didn't do anything you could dub "outbound marketing."
Soooo, what did I do then?
I focused on inbound marketing.
What that means is that I focused on a few key areas.
Here's a look at exactly where I poured my time + energy:
1) Niching down. I didn't just want to be another "general" techie. I chose to hone in on big data, data science, and AI. I knew those areas inside & out. And I could "see" & predict they were emerging industries without loads of competition. Bingo!
2) Adding value within my niche. "Adding value" sounds so cliche (and broad), but what I mean here is I figured out ways I could contribute to my newly-professed community/niche. I decided to write blog posts (I've always loved writing!), create coding tutorials, do live event coverage, etc. And it worked!
3) Blogging consistently. I poured a TON into my blog that first year. But I didn't create spotty content here and there (or whenever I felt like it). I created content on a weekly basis, and I made sure it was the best quality of stuff I could create at that time (we're always improving, right?). I used my blog to build my credibility as an #DataExpert.
4) Becoming a thought leader. So, I didn't actually "plan" on this one. But blogging my bum off eventually snowballed into loads of attention, leads & clients! How so? Well, when you show up consistently, create quality content & put your own spin on what you write (read: you don't just repackage the same old, same old every other 'expert' is talking about), people will automatically start viewing you as a "thought leader." (This is what I did – plus, I used my natural, fun writing voice vs. an uber-professional one, which made tech sound way more real & accessible than your everyday tech blogger.) Over time, people in the tech space (including clients-to-be who wanted help with their tech businesses) started noticing me. They valued my opinion – and therefore, my services.
So yep, fellow #TechBoss + #WIT, that's my "big secret": inbound marketing.
It REALLY works to bring in leads – if you do it right.
Now, it's not the end-all, be-all. You need quite a few other pieces to bring in enough leads to build a business, but we'll save all that for another day.
What I want you to know for now is that no matter where you're at in your "creating your dream tech business" journey – whether you're just toying with the idea or you're ready to submit that resignation letter and sail off into the golden sunset of entrepreneurship like yesterday – you can start marketing yourself TODAY.
You can literally set up a WordPress or Squarespace blog in approximately 5 minutes, and create your first blog post in another 30.
Now, I'd never say entrepreneurship is easy. But marketing for developers is actually pretty simple, once you get the hang of it!
(Plus, if you're anything like me, I know 'simple' isn't a requirement because you're willing to work hard for what you want. What you're not willing to do is "suck it up" & be a wage-slave for the rest of your life. Am I right?)
Alright, that's all for today, lovely!
Hope to 'see' you there!
Talk again soon!
João
P.S. Now that you know me a little better, I'd love to get to know you! I truly built Catapult Coaching as a way to support fellow STEM professionals who want to build their own 6-figure online businesses, and I'd love to hear your story! You can always hit reply to any of my emails, but the best way to get ahold of me quickly is on Instagram or inside the Tech Entrepreneur Collective. Hope to 'see' you there!
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---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Lillian Pierson (@BigDataGal) <lillian@data-mania.com> Date: Thu, Nov 7, 2019 at 11:32 AM Subject: How I quit my day job after 15 months (without one cold call) To: João <joaoa.dsilva2019@gmail.com> Lillian |
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