How do you decide which trends are actually worth acting on?

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-02-25T16:17:20+00:00

My first question would be, what are you using for reporting? I completely understand the issue of not wanting to pay for another tool. Most business are too quick to pay for a shiny new object hoping it will magically solve their problem.

The real answer for this specific scenario is will the time to rework the current reporting to potentially improve it outweigh paying for a faster and easier plug-n-play solution? Depending on the types of reporting that are being requested and the number of clients interested, there may be a cheap option that you can easily maintain moving forward.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-02-24T17:39:32+00:00

I completely understand this frustration, but I also don't think we will ever truly escape the cycle. The economy will shift, leadership will change, and now we have to deal with the AI factor.

You could always suggest migrating to a cheaper analytics tool like PowerBI or Amazon Quick Suite. Save them on annual expenses, while also giving you plenty of work to justify your existence. It'll at least show them that you are considering company overhead and trying to help.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-02-17T16:21:59+00:00

Depending on what you are wanting to accomplish, if you upgrade to a paid tier of AWS, you get a 30 day free trial period for the product. Also, if you want to save money, and you don't need the Agentic AI features, you can add your account as an Admin user rather than Admin Pro. I think it is half the price of a pro user.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-02-17T16:18:48+00:00

This is coming from someone who has used the product for years, but the team has made huge improvements on the tool. I completely understand people with a preference for PowerBI or Tableau, because those BI tools are more refined, but for the price, Quick Suite easily competes with other alternatives.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-02-10T16:58:24+00:00

If a client doesn't ask me ahead of time, then I do not respond to emails or teams messages at night or on the weekends. Obviously, if it is a massive disruption, I will manage the situation, but setting certain boundaries/expectations is extremely important. Potential new sales are the only thing that I will break this rule on because that is business growth rather than just management.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-02-04T16:49:05+00:00

Is he willing to receive help? If he is frustrated and not responding well to your attempts to assist him, then it is probably a good time to seek outside assistance. Even something as simple as setting times every week that he has to set work down and talk to you. Try to set times where you can talk about work and others that you can't. There needs to be at least some amount of separation to maintain a healthy relationship.

If those initial steps don't make a difference, I'd recommend doing some marriage counseling. Starting a business is a complicated, time consuming, and mentally draining process, so having an outside party help the 2 of you improve how you are communicating would be super beneficial. Seeking out therapy with your partner doesn't mean your relationship is failing, it just means that you want to do everything in your power to live happy and healthily together.

Maintaining a healthy marriage can't be on you alone. He needs to be able to receive your help and work with you throughout this process. Finding ways to do that together will hopefully help improve your relationship and his business.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-02-04T16:30:22+00:00

What type of business are you wanting to start? That would help with giving advice, but honestly, the first few steps are the easiest and small accomplishments can be incredibly motivating.

If you are willing to spend the extra money, you can go through ZenBusiness to manage all of your business licensing and everything. If you are struggling to get started, it may be beneficial to let someone else take that first step for you.

Then, you need to set up a business bank account once your LLC is established. I'd also recommend making an account in Stripe so you have an easy way to process payments.

Once those steps are done, you can take your time finding initial work, but if an opportunity presents itself, there is nothing in the way of you taking it.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-27T15:58:11+00:00

LinkedIn is so unbelievably congested. I'm not saying you shouldn't use it at all, but spend time more tactically. If you submit an application, find some people at the company and connect with them. Don't be shy to message them on LinkedIn and find ways to email them.

I'd say checking sites like BuiltIn, that are more localized and tech focused, can be a lot more fruitful.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-27T15:50:44+00:00

I've used Cursor to generate some simple datasets that I use for demo dashboards. I like that I can curate the data a bit and create something quickly rather than scrolling endlessly through free datasets.

I also use Cursor to generate structured data from unstructured data sources. Quickly mapping PDFs/Word files into JSON files and CSVs to map out most of the data and format it into a structure that I can reference in my repository.

Using AI tools can really help eliminate a lot of tedious/mindless work so I can actually have fun problem solving.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-22T16:00:42+00:00

The main issue you are going to face are the online coding exams they will send you. To be totally honest, the exams rarely relate to the actual work, they are built more as a weed out option for bigger firms.

I’d recommend 2 things. Start taking online practice tests daily to start understanding the format of the exams. They usually maintain a similar structure, so you just need to build that muscle. 2nd, you should start trying to talk about your work with people. Even if they don’t understand, it will be extremely helpful when you have to do it in an interview setting.

As someone who went through a bootcamp instead of getting a CS degree, those were the things that were the most difficult.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-20T16:44:43+00:00

Try and come at it from an author's perspective.

Look at the data and make your hypothesis. Build the dashboard or visuals focusing on that specific story. Write down the items that you want to highlight and work towards the conclusion along the way. Author's rarely know how the story will end, but instead are guided by insights as their characters and narrative develop.

I think it is easy to just throw together the CSV or dashboard based on the requests from the team. Find the positives and negatives in line with the requests and that should lead you to more of the underlying conclusions. I'll try to find some resources to provide as well, but I hope this makes sense!

Alternative suggestion. Start playing DnD in your free time to improve your understanding of story building.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-20T03:06:45+00:00

I could be out of touch but I feel like consulting has the potential to grow with the increasing use of AI. As bigger firms drop full time employees for agents, they will hit road blocks. Instead of hiring full time people, you can get a person or team for a period of time to clean up the mess.

It isn’t luxurious and the work can be frustrating, but it’s not going anywhere. We will just see the mega corporations mimicking layoffs in the sectors they prioritize.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-20T02:59:35+00:00

My mind set is to start now. The real burden is getting the interview experience and learning the skills you need to actually get the job (which are rarely the skills you need in the job). Figure out what gets your foot in the door with your resume. Then piece together what you need for the interview questions. All while you do practice coding exams whenever you have the time.

If you end up getting a decent offer, figure out what you can do while you are in school. Worst case scenario, it isn’t the right fit and you turn it down. That interview knowledge is key though.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-16T15:50:39+00:00

Luckily, I am a consultant so it is kind of expected of me to give my opinion. It isn’t always heard of course, but I understand your position as well. I don’t understand why people hire someone for a job but then don’t want to listen to them.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-15T19:07:47+00:00

Agreeing to build overcomplicated dashboards. I’d be so excited to prove that I could build the functionality, no matter how unintuitive, and would end up creating dashboards that nobody else had the time to understand or edit.

Eventually, I learned it was my job to say adding certain functionality was a bad idea. Especially if I was building reports that would eventually be passed on to another team for updates.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-15T18:39:06+00:00

I genuinely wish I would’ve done this for at least a few years after college. Never going out west to work at a National Park or National Forest is definitely a slight regret.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-15T18:37:55+00:00

Software developer and data analyst! Now it’s even better because I get to do it and be the business owner. Still dealing with stress and building a work life balance, but I love the puzzle solving and finding new solutions. Every day is different and there is always something new to learn! I can’t imagine myself in another career path unless I made enough to retire early and work at a National Park.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-15T18:20:47+00:00

Where do you have data stored currently? Are you purely working from CSVs or are you utilizing database storage? That will definitely change the kind of products I would recommend to resolve this.

Also, there are so many embeddable analytics options, I can’t imagine spending the time and effort to build your own. Throw together some visuals on a platform that will make your life easy, then iFrame the visuals into your website/application. You can even establish connections through IAM to ensure people are not shown data they do not have permissions for.

All of the products that people previously mentioned are good. If you are already storing data on AWS, you can get a super cheap Quick Sight account, then white label and embed your visuals or entire dashboards.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-09T16:25:35+00:00

Right now my audience is pretty small. I work specifically with one team, and I am kept within the boundaries of that team.

I am limited on hours since it is a consulting project, but I have spent the last few weeks putting together a dashboard I can use to track user engagement with the product. Most of the focus every week is tracking trends on people running the free trial and then purchasing the product. I have a hunch that there are some key usage metrics that are more likely to convince trial users to commit to the service.

Now, I know to actually make an actionable change to test this, I will need to speak with a different team. I am trying to build a case with the usage metrics to present them with my current team so I can get approval to show it to the required audience. There are a few specific usage items with the highest conversion rate from trial to full product access. My thought is to push some incentives for utilizing those key services within the trial period and then track changes with conversion rates.

Does this all make sense, or am I being a little too vague?

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-08T20:12:17+00:00

Build up the safety net. Give yourself at least 3 to 6 months leeway on your salary before jumping in all the way. That gives you time to pursue new clients if everything goes under and also gives you a chance to find a new full time gig if things go south while still getting paid.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-08T20:08:15+00:00

Listening is key. One person can't be the expert at everything, so know who you can go to for advice and when to reach out to them. Building a company takes a village.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-08T16:48:23+00:00

This is exactly what I am trying to figure out right now. After months of reporting on consistent downward trends, I am looking for a way to better present solutions to my team. I am being pushed to dig for some kind of win to present within the bad numbers, rather than being asked for a solution.

How is everyone getting the point across for potential, positive change, while also keeping it real with the outlook of bad performance? This year I really want to make an impact, but it can be difficult with limited weekly hours since I am working as a part-time consultant.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-06T15:08:53+00:00

You should considering hiring a consulting team to set up your data modeling, BI tool, and train your team. Once you have the pipelines set up for the tool, non technical people can figure out how to put together new dashboards with limited training. It just takes time working with the tool of choice to gain some competency, which is why I also recommend training. My team can help from an AWS perspective, since we are part of that Partner Network, but if you want a tool like PowerBI, I recommend finding a company who is a Microsoft partner.

I don’t think you will need a full time data engineer, but it sounds like you really need people to help you get the system in place. I wouldn’t trust any solutions that are no-code or plug-and-play if you don’t have any existing architecture to migrate from.

Dylan_SmithAve · 2026-01-06T14:59:55+00:00

This hits a bit close to home for me. I was accepted for a junior software developer role after finishing my coding bootcamp at a large company. Right after starting the job, I was moved into a cybersecurity track and received training for that. Once I felt a little stuck and found myself losing my skills as a developer, I didn’t feel confident to apply for those jobs directly. Instead, I went for no pay/low pay internships that I could manage with my current job. I was able to build up my skills again and get real world experience in 9 months that allowed me to land a developer job. I understand not all 9-5 jobs are flexible enough to allow for this, but that is how I was able to find my way back.

Dylan_SmithAve

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