Josh Nel

About me

Share a short bio about yourself

My name is Josh. I have a background in philosophy and social data science, and I work at the intersection of data analytics and its real-world applications. My work focuses on using data for marketing, storytelling, journalism, customer insights and anything I and a client find interesting.

I’ interested not only in how data is used, but in what it reveals about human behaviour, a company's organisational processes, and why data collection matters in the first place. I consider myself a professional data nerd and spend much of my time, at and outside of work, working on data-driven projects.

Outside of work, I’m a pet parent, practice capoeira, and am a lover of random facts.

What city & country do you live in?

Johannesburg, South Africa

About my company

Company Name

TBC

Business Stage

Seed

Give a brief description of what your company does?

The company has two core focus areas, one established and one currently in development.

The first is helping organisations tell compelling stories with their existing data. Many companies sit on valuable data but are unsure how to communicate it effectively. We help transform that data into engaging, meaningful narratives for customers, clients, leads, and broader audiences, including opportunities for PR and thought leadership.

The second focus area, which is still a work in progress, is helping organisations develop data-led content strategies. This involves assessing whether data content is a viable and valuable approach for a business, and defining what it would look like to implement such a strategy in practice.

What products/services do you sell?

The first service offering is data storytelling and data-driven content creation. This includes analysing data and transforming it into publication-ready content for different audiences and use cases, similar to data journalism or advanced content marketing.

The second offering is a consulting service focused on data content strategy. This involves helping companies understand whether data-led content makes sense for their business, what form it should take, and how to operationalise it effectively.

Support

What is your biggest goal for personal and professional improvement or growth?

My main goal is to better balance the different aspects of my business in a way that is sustainable over the long term.

This includes maintaining the lifestyle I want, setting healthy boundaries, minimising burnout risk, and still leaving room to explore experimental projects that could become future business lines—without the immediate pressure for them to generate revenue.

What is your biggest challenges that you’d like to overcome in the hivemind?

The biggest challenge is building a stable pipeline of high-quality, well-paid clients, particularly on the consulting side of the business. While the data analytics and content creation work has been profitable, it is time-intensive and makes capacity difficult to manage. Project delays can have knock-on effects across the business. My goal is to further develop the consulting side into a more consistent and sustainable pipeline, allowing me to spend more time delivering value to clients and less time sourcing new work.

How can you help others in the community?

I enjoy helping others work with data in practical and strategic ways. This includes assisting with data analysis, advising on how to use data in projects or content, and helping shape or pitch data-driven work.

I also have experience as an editor and am always happy to support others with reviewing, refining, or structuring written work where needed.

My online presence

Newsletter

Instagram

Twitter / X

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