Looking for Advice: How Do You Get Your First Clients for a Data Engineering Consultancy?

Hey everyone,

I’ve recently started my own consulting startup focused on Data Engineering and related services data pipelines, cloud, Databricks, PySpark, SQL, AWS/Azure, analytics, and more.
The technical side isn’t the difficult part. 😅 The toughest challenge right now is getting those first few clients.

I’d love to hear from people who have started a consulting business or freelancing agency:
● How did you get your first client?
● Which platforms or strategies actually worked for you?
● Did you focus on cold outreach, LinkedIn, Upwork, referrals, or something else?
● What would you recommend to someone starting from zero?

Any honest advice, experience, or even mistakes to avoid would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!