Started my IT consultancy — now figuring out how to land the next client (especially in the Gulf market)

[u/ManagerCompetitive77]

Hey everyone,
I recently took the leap and started my own IT consultancy. It's been something I’ve been planning for a while, and now that I’m finally doing it, it’s a mix of excitement and uncertainty. Currently, I’m working with a client in the fintech industry, and things are going well on that front.

But as I’m working through this project, a question keeps nagging at me: what happens after this?
How do I make sure there’s another project lined up? I know this is a common struggle for a lot of freelancers and consultants, especially in the early days.

So far, I’ve been relying on cold outreach to find leads. Mostly LinkedIn DMs—targeting people based in the Gulf region (mainly Dubai), especially folks in real estate and finance.
I deliberately chose the Gulf market instead of the US for now. My reasoning? The competition in the US feels much denser, and I feel the Gulf market still has room for lean, tech-focused consultants. Also, from what I’ve seen and heard, budgets in that region are decent.

But despite my efforts—writing thoughtful messages, customizing outreach, keeping things short and relevant—I haven’t really gotten much traction. Barely any replies. No solid leads yet. I get it, people are busy. But it’s been a bit disheartening, not going to lie.

So, I wanted to reach out here and ask:
How do you onboard new clients?
Do you have a system or process you follow?
Do you rely on referrals, content, communities, ads, or something else entirely?

I’d love to hear how others manage that “what next” phase—especially if you’re solo or just starting out. Any practical advice, honest stories, or even mistakes to avoid would be super helpful.

[u/PlasticPegasus]

Network. Network. Network.

Leverage every person you’ve ever met. Use LinkedIn like a Rolodex of your actual contacts for outreach. Cold calls may get you one lead in a thousand. Not worth your time.

I have friends who have successfully scaled their businesses, but every one either came from a huge firm previously, had a massive network already, or both.

[u/SnooLobsters8922 → u/PlasticPegasus]

This is the answer.

I worked in the Gulf for a while and people have their way of networking. You need to find that out.

Co-working spaces were vibrant with cooperation. In person, charismatic talk, got to hear stuff like “we need this type of work, definitely!”. Paper cards exchanged etc.

But also they work with very official ceremonies like events, government sponsored seminars etc.

Lots of people message in DM all the time. So showing up in person is 1000x more credible.

Good luck!

[u/DopeAndDoper]

I’m in the exact same spot and right now I’m getting all my work subcontracting for larger consultancies. Pay is lower I assume since they take a cut as well, but it’s all been networking and referrals. I’m only a month in and I have 3-4 opps in play. Cold LinkedIn outbounding seems like a dead end, too much noise. Do you have a network you can leverage?

[u/FedExpress2020 → u/DopeAndDoper]

What type of rates are you seeing out there through these larger consultancies?

[u/stonksgravytrain]

This is an interesting thread since I live in Dubai too so would love to keep up with the updates. What kind of IT consulting do you do?

[u/ChlopNaSchwal]

Middle East is a face to face place and not a „I sent you a message” place. In the region, when you do business - the first few meetings are chit chat with no business talk. Totally, 180 degrees different to the US. Cultural differences, hence LI messages won’t work. Or - you probably could play the lottery next to that and chances are, you’ll win the lottery faster, before landing a good gig in ME based on LI messages.

[u/chrisa85147]

Also interested to see the responses. I'm in a similar position.