22-25 April 2026 
From Data Professional to Business Owner: Turning Experience into a Scalable Consultancy
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
Thinking about freelancing, consulting, or starting a business but not sure where to begin?
This session explores how you can turn your existing experience into a viable business. Drawing on real-world lessons from building a consultancy, it covers how to recognise the commercial value in your skills, avoid common early mistakes, and move from simply doing the work to solving problems clients will pay for.
Session Details
If like me you have reached a point where you are starting to wonder: Could I do this for myself?
Whether that means freelancing, consulting, building a product, or starting a small business alongside a day job, the leap can feel risky and unclear.
This session is about turning your existing experience into a viable business, without pretending everyone wants to be a startup founder or sales expert.
Drawing on real-world experience of building a consultancy from a technical background, this talk covers:
How to recognise the commercial value in the work you already do
The difference between being good at your job and being sellable as a service
Common mistakes technical professionals make when starting out, and how to avoid them (including the mistakes I made!)
Practical ways to price, package, and position your expertise without underselling yourself
How to move from “doing the work” to solving business problems clients will actually pay for
Taking a practical, honest look at what it really takes to move from technical professional to business owner, including what worked, what did not, and what you can start doing today.
Whether that means freelancing, consulting, building a product, or starting a small business alongside a day job, the leap can feel risky and unclear.
This session is about turning your existing experience into a viable business, without pretending everyone wants to be a startup founder or sales expert.
Drawing on real-world experience of building a consultancy from a technical background, this talk covers:
How to recognise the commercial value in the work you already do
The difference between being good at your job and being sellable as a service
Common mistakes technical professionals make when starting out, and how to avoid them (including the mistakes I made!)
Practical ways to price, package, and position your expertise without underselling yourself
How to move from “doing the work” to solving business problems clients will actually pay for
Taking a practical, honest look at what it really takes to move from technical professional to business owner, including what worked, what did not, and what you can start doing today.
3 things you'll get out of this session
Clarity on how your existing technical experience can be turned into a viable business or consultancy
Practical guidance on pricing, positioning, and packaging your skills without underselling yourself
Real lessons and next steps to avoid common mistakes when moving from technical professional to business owner