Cover photo by Dose Media on Unsplash

Many techies struggle to find their own paths in tech and get sucked up in the growing landscape without knowing how to offer unique value and make money. In my article, I share my own story on how I’m navigating and a few things on how other techies can too. Enjoy!

I started my tech journey in 2020, during the pandemic. I didn’t have enough internet access to keep up with my interests, so I started researching how I could solve this problem. That’s how I came across programming and got distracted as I started building interesting stuff.

Skipping to the fall of 2022, I found myself in a difficult position; I didn’t have a smartphone nor a PC, and I needed to channel my skills into more money making ventures.

In dire need of a breakthrough, I borrowed a friend’s laptop and set out to put together a quick portfolio, worked on some intriguing projects, wrote some articles in order to showcase my my expertise.

With optimism and determination, I started reaching out to blogs, applied for some write to earn programs, applied for some freelance gigs, applied for some jobs and yet nothing came through, even after some really close calls, the results were still eluding.

I was doing various things at once and in a hurry (which is a horrible way to pursue your goals by the way 😅). But what was wrong with my job applications? Why didn’t I get much better response rates?

We possess the power to carve our own unique path and add value in ways that others may not even envision.

There was no need to conform to the crowd; it was time to find my own thing and let it resonate with authenticity.

As the year drew to a close, fate intervened, and a series of unfortunate events led me to lose access to my friends laptop. Yet, even in the adversity, an opportunity beckoned me.

As a techie, in addition to continuously searching for opportunities online, you should look for local opportunities around you 🧐, you can discover interesting opportunities that might be at your backyard.

I observed the SMBs (Small-Medium sized Businesses) around me and noticed a startling reality; most of them lacked websites and were devoid of any tech strategies to drive exponential growth. A spark ignited within me and I realized I held the key to their transformation, I could create incredible solutions for them and had the passion to solve their problems. Although, few people might do this already, I saw an untapped opportunity that I can get the most of. So I started my tech consulting journey.

January 2023, I needed to get leads for my tech consulting, so I started doing something basic: I would borrow a smartphone at night and google "restaurants near me", "travel agency near me" and several other types of businesses I could think of, then I’d check if they had a website, which they usually don’t, and I would find their emails and start sending customized emails, telling them what a website can do for their business, etc. I wrote really convincing emails and excellent proposals. I was also reading and learning to constantly improve my marketing skills.

So I was sending high-quality emails for like a week and didn’t get any response, until I realized something; they didn’t focus on any online strategy, so what made me think they’d open my email in the first place?

So there was only one way to find out and make sure they got the message: I started cold calling at day and getting phone numbers of potential clients at night.

It was difficult for me; it challenged my personality and comfort zone, but I took the leap because I had to give it my all.

So I started cold calling, asking if they’d seen my email, telling them to check, and following up to know what they thought. Sometimes I would call without sending an email. I did it for a while, continued to improve my offer, and started offering free consultations and the likes.

The rejections were high 😵💀, and it had some complications, but a few times I got the chance to actually consult physically, and fewer times I got some traction. By this time, I had learned a lot of lessons and one of the most important was: many businesses that I successfully communicated well with where interested in what I had to offer, but they’re scared of investing in growth because of external factors that are always there. For instance in Nigeria there were things like; fluctuating fuel prices, cashless policy, upcoming elections and the aftermath of such events. I doubt businesses won’t have their own excuses in other countries, but the point is that it taught me to:

Stop offering to help businesses grow and start offering to help them survive!

With this profound realization, my perspective shifted, and I stopped solely focusing on helping businesses grow. Instead, I directed my efforts towards equipping them with the tools and strategies to navigate the chaos, enabling them not just to survive but to thrive in uncertain times.

You should look for pain points and offer what people are thirsty for.

An example would be; if you’re a mobile developer or web developer or designer or something, stop offering “I can build you a fantastic amazing clean MERN stack AI powered blah blah website/app” and start thinking of “I can help you with a website to get on top of the search engine, position your brand and get you customers, and as a partner of X ad agencies, I will help you make revenue from your traffic”, “I can bring the best combat animations to your game company because I have [unique expertise you can’t get anywhere else]”, These are just basic examples.

What I’m trying to say is; you need to improve your skills in certain areas, so that you can hype yourself, position yourself as the only person that can give that kind of value.

In the ever-changing landscape of technology, thriving amidst chaos requires resilience, authenticity, and a willingness to embrace the unknown. As tech enthusiasts, we hold the power to carve our unique paths and add value in ways others may not envision. Businesses too must recognize the untapped potential of technology to drive exponential growth and navigate through challenging times.

Embracing technology can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re unsure of where to start or how to implement tech solutions for your business or struggle with Pathfinding in tech, feel free to reach out. Tech consulting is my specialty, and I’m here to help you navigate the digital realm with expertise and passion.

For those aspiring to embark on a tech consulting journey, don’t let fear of making mistakes hold you back. Join my newsletter, where you’ll find valuable information and resources that will guide you on the right path. Learn from my experiences to avoid common pitfalls and focus on strategies that work. You can join my newsletter here.

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Keep Thriving.

This article was originally published on my Medium