The Data Entrepreneurs

Founded a community of 850+ data & AI entrepreneurs. Hosting monthly workshops and discussions.

Founder

Shawhin Talebi Ventures LLC

Teaching AI on Maven. Shipping products. Advising 1-1k person businesses on AI.

AI Educator & Advisor

Towards Data Science

Writing articles on Data Science + AI. 25k Monthly Reads. 16k Followers.

Writer

YouTube

Making videos on Data Science + Entrepreneurship. 1M+ Views. 40k+ subs.

Content Creator

Toyota Financial Services Corporation

• Uncovered and corrected issues in production credit risk model that impacted over 70% of accounts and wrote model monitoring scripts to help avoid future failures
• Redeveloped loan originations model for independent dealers, which resulted in a 50% model performance improvement and provided $2.5 million in realized value to business partner

Data Scientist

The University of Texas at Dallas

• Published open-source methodology to discover optimal EEG bands which led to better characterization of the underlying power spectrum than the more commonly used band boundaries by a factor of 2
• Train over 100 machine learning models which estimated particulate ma]er (PM) concentrations based on a suite of over 300 biometric variables which accurately estimated PM concentrations with high fidelity (r2 = 0.91)
• Led 5 teams focused on deployment of a real-Ime Python-based biometrics application, unveiling immediate insights that were previously inaccessible

Research Assistant

Palomino Motors

• Analyzed marketing and sales reports to inform inventory acquisition, which resulted in a 50% decrease in average inventory age
• Evaluated costs of lead providers through analysis of lead data and close rates, which led to over $2500 in monthly savings

Business & IT Manager

•      Hired, trained, and led team of 8 SUAAB executive council members, that planned and executed 36 events with over 14,000 in total attendance 
•      Managed and analyzed programming budget of over $216,000 along with attendance reports to inform future campus events

Executive Chairman - Student Union and Activities Advisory Board

•       Orchestrated and implemented 2016 Spring Concert with over 1200 students, 45 volunteers, and 6 outside companies and organizations at the TI Plaza, that is now used as a model for all Spring Concerts
•       Analyzed aggregate student course schedules to predict optimal event times

Music Chairman - Student Union and Activities Advisory Board

Failing my way to success | Data Entrepreneur

Meet Shaw, an educator, data scientist, entrepreneur, researcher, drummer, and bread enthusiast driven by an insatiable curiosity to understand the world and create better systems.

With a Ph.D. in Physics from The University of Texas at Dallas, Shaw’s research focused on novel AI applications to fields spanning neuroscience, environmental science, and human performance.

As an educator, Shaw is driven by a passion for learning and a mission to make AI accessible to all. His YouTube channel and technical blog have taught millions and have gained an audience of over 50,000 learners.

I used to to think making 6-figures would make me happy.

But here’s what I realized…

It’s easy to get so focused on hitting a certain $$$ number, that you completely ignore other things that are important to you e.g. time, freedom, relationships, health, growth, etc.

What I realized (for myself) is that no paycheck is worth it if it comes at the cost of my freedom.

That’s why I traded a 6-figure job with decent freedom for pursuing entrepreneurship where I have complete freedom but no guarantee of income.

Funny enough, by optimizing for the things I actually value (not money) I ended up making more money than ever before.

This is what (I believe) happens when you pursue a life that’s actually aligned with your values, not someone else’s.

What’s one value you refuse to compromise for a bigger paycheck?

--
♻️ Repost if money isn't your top value

Shaw Talebi

Your first piece of content will suck.

Here’s why you should post it anyway.

The most common objections I hear from technical folks when I tell them they should post content are:

- But I’m not an “expert”
- What if I say something wrong?
- I’m not a good writer

These were all things in my mind as a grad student at the beginning of my data science journey.

However, I still decided to post my first Medium article, not in spite of these things, but because of them.

Technical content creation isn’t about growing an audience or making money.

It’s about learning.

Forcing myself to teach those 1-2 steps behind me is the best way I’ve found to solidify my understanding of technical ideas.

This is the mindset that got me to post that first piece of content 5 years ago.

Today, the skills and following I’ve grown from my content is what has allowed me to actually make a living as a solo entrepreneur.

But if you’re still not convinced I’m curious why.

👉 What is holding you back from posting your 1st piece of content?

5 years ago today, I posted my first data science video on YouTube.

Today, I’ve posted 120 videos about AI, data science, and my journey.

Here are 5 things I've learned from 5 years on YouTube.

1) You don’t need to be an expert (just be 1–2 steps ahead of your audience)

If you can explain what you learned last month, that’s more than enough.

2) Teaching is the best way to learn.

Making videos forced me to clarify my thinking and fill my own knowledge gaps.

3) Success comes from showing up (over and over again)

Most channels improve with consistency, not with the perfect idea.

4) The more painful the video was to make, the better it performed.

If a video felt like work, it was probably genuinely useful for viewers.

5) Turning views into income is its own skill

Making real money from content creation doesn’t happen by default. You have to be strategic about it (and learn some new skills).

👉 What did you learn after doing something for 5 years?

How to Monetize Your AI Skills…

(outside of a full-time job)

1) Build AI projects for clients on Upwork

This is the easiest place to start since it's like a typical job but with more flexibility.

Your starting hourly rate can be 2-3X what you make in your 9-5.

2) Start a technical blog about what you’re learning on Substack

Writing blog posts is not only a great way to learn but also to attract people on a similar journey as you.

You can either monetize your Substack directly (via memberships) or indirectly via sponsorships.

3) Post educational YouTube videos on AI

Creating video content is an even more powerful way to build relationships with people since they can see your face and hear your voice.

You can monetize this via the YouTube Partners Program (i.e. ads), sponsorships (i.e. shouting out products), or selling your own product/service

4) Offer AI consulting calls via Calendly (or the like)

If you have experience with more strategic work, you can help SMBs who are in the early days of their AI adoption.

This can be one-time calls or larger engagements, depending on the need.

5) Create a freebie + newsletter on an AI sub-field (e.g. AI safety, RAG, enterprise use cases)

Yet another form of content creation is creating a newsletter. This is powerful because your content gets sent directly to people’s inboxes.

However, this also means getting newsletter subscribers is harder than getting YouTube and blog followers. So, incentivizing them with a freebie helps.

6) Teach people AI through a course

More people than ever are trying to learn AI today. Identify a group of people that you can help make a transformation for e.g. turn SWE into AI engineers.

These can be self-paced courses via Kajabi (and the like) or live cohorts on Maven.

7) Build an AI SaaS

The biggest (yet riskiest) opportunity is to build an AI software product.

While there are countless ways this can look, the best starting place is a clear business problem and customer avatar.


👉 Which of these options are you most interested in?

My AI SaaS crossed the 50-user mark!

Here’s how I did it…

Step 1: Solved my own problem

Learning a new industry or market takes time.

Starting with my own pain points is a quick way to start shipping fast.

Step 2: Created a landing page first with a waitlist

With my first SaaS, I jumped straight to building.

This time, I spent one day building the landing page first to start gathering emails early.

Step 3: Built an initial version (fast)

Instead of trying to launch with a “perfect” product, my goal was to build something complete and simple.

This allowed me to quickly test whether this product is something people care about.

Step 4: Pre-launched it to the waitlist

Once the first version of the app was ready, I shared it with my (62) waitlist sign-ups.

This was enough to get my first 50 users and pieces of feedback.

If you're building SaaS products, how do you get your first users?

--
P.S. Struggling to turn ideas into posts? Try Ghst, an AI ghostwriter that sounds like you, not ChatGPT. 
👉 Free 7-day trial (no cc required): https://ghstwriter.com

If you have technical skills, then there are several ways you can make extra money from them while still working your full-time role. 

In my latest blog post, I broke down the 5 best side hustles for tech professionals.

👉 Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gvB9QGA5

Most technical people I know are too smart to work for someone else.

However, it’s not always obvious how to turn tech skills into income beyond a typical job.

Here are 5 things you can sell as a technical solopreneur.

1) Your skills (i.e. freelancing)

Do what you do in a 9-5 job, but as a freelancer.

2) Attention (i.e. content creation)

Make free content and monetize it via a partner’s program, brand deals, or sell it to a company.

3) Consulting

Instead of doing the “hands on keyboard” work, help clients with strategic tasks and project management.

4) Education

Teach people technical skills e.g. AI/ML, how to code, data science, etc.

5) Software

Identify a narrow problem for a specific customer and solve it with a SaaS.


What are some other ways you’ve seen people monetize their technical skills?

--
P.S. In my latest YouTube, video I talk more about these paths and some tips for getting started. 👉 Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gnd7iBUG

Open video: How to Monetize Your AI Skills (outside a 9–5) on youtu.be

How to Monetize Your AI Skills (outside a 9–5)

What AI coding is (actually) about.

The reason an AI can't code your entire app is that you're not just outsourcing the coding part...

you're also outsourcing the thinking part of the development process. 

Consequently, you’ll have a fuzzy mental model of how your app works (causing you a lot of headaches when things inevitably go wrong).

Therefore, effectively coding with LLMs comes down to one thing
→ closing the gap between what you’re thinking and what the LLM is doing.

In other words, it’s an active process of clearly defining what you want the LLM to do and rapidly evaluating its outputs to ensure you understand how the code actually works.

What does your AI coding workflow look like?

--
♻️ If this post was helpful, repost it!

AI can generate lots of text.

But can it write like a top tech creator?

I put my new AI ghostwriting tool (Ghst) to the test by having it write posts for 10 of my favorite LinkedIn creators.

Here’s what happened…

- 4 out of 10 said it sounded like them
- 2 out of 10 said they would post what Ghst wrote (with tweaks)
- 2 out of 10 said they already have an AI workflow to help them with posts
- 2 out of 10 didn't respond (yet)

Not amazing results, but it's real 😅

Huge thanks to Daliana Liu, Paolo Perrone, Paul Iusztin, Jeremy Arancio, Frederic Brunner, David Cohen, Anas Riad, and 🟢 Amir Feizpour for the helpful and honest feedback!

Time to keep iterating 🔁

--
P.S. Want to try it out for yourself? 
Go to https://ghstwriter.com for a free 7-day trial (no cc required)

Every LinkedIn post used to be a battle.

Each one started from zero and took 60 min to write.

What changed? 

I built a simple, repeatable system:
- Used Notion to organize ideas and my content calendar
- Identified 2-3 themes that worked for me
- Saved effective hooks and templates from other creators
- Reused and improved on past posts

Even a simple system like this allowed me to cut my writing time in half and 2X my output.

What repeatable process do you use for content creation?

--
P.S. Struggling to turn ideas into post? Try Ghst, an AI ghostwriter than sounds like you, not ChatGPT. 
👉 Free 7-day trial (no cc required): https://ghstwriter.com

Over the past 3 years, I’ve posted 1000 times on LinkedIn.

Here’s how I post daily content without running out of ideas.

The one thing that helped me go from struggling to post once a week to consistently posting twice a day was having a collection of post templates to choose from.

Some formats that have worked for me over the years include:

1) Sharing helpful resources from other creators (and tagging them)
2) Listicles e.g. project ideas, steps in a workflow, side hustle ideas
3) Career milestones and lessons learned
4) Explaining a technical concept that used to confuse me
5) Sharing content from my other platforms

Every Sunday, I spend 30 minutes brainstorming post ideas based on these formats and organizing them in my content calendar on Notion.

If it sounds simple, that’s because it is.

The hard part is consistently showing up every week and actually doing it 😅

What helps you stay consistent with content?

--
P.S. Struggling to (consistently) turn ideas into posts? Try Ghst, an AI ghostwriter that sounds like you, not ChatGPT.
👉 Free 7-day trial (no cc required): https://ghstwriter.com

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Shaw Talebi's Linkedin Analytics

Shawhin Talebi

Performance ScoreShawhin Talebi's LinkedIn Performance

Shawhin Talebi's Best Posts (last 30 days)

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Shawhin Talebi

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Shawhin Talebi's LinkedIn Performance

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Shaw Talebi's Linkedin Analytics

Performance ScoreShawhin Talebi's LinkedIn Performance

Shawhin Talebi's Best Posts (last 30 days)