Title: First a little background. I'm a developer working for a near-profitable startup. I'm a high level employee and after building out our initial platform I moved on to recruit a team of developers to scale the business. But I'm not a founder and it is time to move on.<p>Which brings me to HN.<p>I think most businesses have a very particular need that I could help meet as a consultant, but I'm unsure how to get started. I'll call the need "data liberation".<p>A recent project at work showed me the value of this idea. After being given a broad mandate to consolidate some reports, I chose to spend some time trying to make the reports actually "good". That is to say fast, fast, fast, and searchable. I looked at options such as SSRS but ended up going with a custom built solution. In short, I channeled my inner Google and did everything I could to make the reporting app provide instant results with very elegant search interface.<p>Everyone was blown away and the four primary analysts reported saving a combined 10 hours a day over their old methods. One of the higher ups came out and asked me if I had opened up some secret high speed connection to the database. Although flattering, it was just good software design.<p>And then it hit me, I like this type of work. I can do this type of work. And I think I'm good at it.<p>This couldn't be a software play. Not only do I not own the code, but it is too specific to the company. But that specific nature is what makes it good. Solutions from SAS, Cognos, and Microsoft already fill this space and they are flawed for one simple reason: too generic. In order to really liberate a company's data I believe you need a very tailored interface that can make using your data feel like using Gmail or Craigslist. It is all there, easy to find, and only a few key strokes or clicks away. And with the power of data warehouses, open source software, and a JavaScript fronted I believe you can make a custom application cheaper than buying the larger generic tools.<p>So, how would someone even go about providing a service like this? More over:<p><pre><code>    * Where should I look for my first client?
    * Would I have to link up with an existing consulting firm or can individuals find success in this space?
    * Is this even a problem that businesses acknowledge?
    * Do you have similar experience doing or hiring out this kind of work?
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Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated.
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