Choosing the Right Business Model for Your Skillset
- Akino Davis
- Aug 10
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 22
This Newsletter is brought to you by:
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your step-by-step blueprint to turn your skills into a real business without quitting your job.
If you've been following the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter, you know we've been diving deep into the practical realities of making the entrepreneurial transition work.
Last week, we explored "How to Know If You're Really Ready to Become an Entrepreneur," helping you assess whether you have the financial, mental, and strategic foundation for the leap.
This week, we're continuing our Ready Without the Risk theme by tackling the next critical decision: once you know you're ready, how do you choose the right way to structure your business?
"What if I choose the wrong business model and waste years building something that never works?"
That's the fear keeping most smart professionals stuck in research mode, isn't it?
The Model Paralysis That Keeps Professionals Stuck
Here's what I see happen over and over again with the professionals I coach.
They've identified their expertise. They know they want to monetize it. They've even validated that people will pay for their knowledge.
But then they hit the wall of business model decisions.
Should they start a consulting practice? Publish a book? Launch an online course? Build a coaching business? Create a digital agency? Offer done-for-you services? Start a subscription model?
The options feel endless. And overwhelming.
I lived this exact paralysis when I was transitioning from operations and facilities management into entrepreneurship. I had deep expertise in project management, strategic planning, and business operations. I knew I could help other professionals. But I had no clue how to package that into a sustainable business model.
So I did what most professionals do: I researched. And researched. And researched some more.
For months, I consumed every piece of content about different business models. I analyzed what other coaches were doing. I made spreadsheets comparing revenue potential, time investment, and scalability factors.
But all that research just made the decision harder, not easier.
Why Common Business Model Advice Fails Professionals
Let's talk about the advice that's probably confusing you right now:
"Just copy what's working in your industry." This sounds logical, but it ignores your unique strengths, working style, and life goals. What works for someone else might be a disaster for you.
"Choose the most scalable model." Scalability sounds great in theory, but if you choose a model that doesn't align with your natural strengths, you'll burn out before you ever reach scale.
"Follow the money." High-revenue models often require skills you don't have or lifestyles you don't want. Chasing money without considering fit is a recipe for professional misery.
"Start with the easiest model." Easy doesn't always mean sustainable. Sometimes the "easy" choice creates long-term problems that are much harder to fix later.
These approaches fail because they focus on the model itself, not on how the model aligns with you: your skills, your goals, your lifestyle, and your natural working style.
My Business Model Framework: The Skills-First Approach
Here's what I discovered when I finally stopped researching and started testing: the right business model isn't about what's trending or what's most profitable. It's about what amplifies your existing strengths while supporting the life you want to build.
When I redesigned my approach to building SME Digital, I asked three simple questions:
What do I naturally do well? (My skills and strengths)
How do I prefer to work? (My working style and lifestyle goals)
What do my ideal clients actually need? (Market demand)
The intersection of those three answers became my business model roadmap.
For me, the answers were clear: I was naturally good at strategic thinking and problem-solving. I preferred working closely with individuals rather than managing large groups. And my ideal clients needed personalized guidance, not generic courses.
That led me to focus on high-touch 1:1 coaching paired with targeted group/workshop programs. A business model that leveraged my operations background while supporting my preference for deep, meaningful client relationships.
The result? A sustainable practice that feels natural to deliver and consistently attracts the right clients.
You can read more about aligning your business with your natural strengths in my previous article, "How to Turn Your Career Experience Into a Profitable Business."
The Right Business Model for Different Professional Skillsets
Let me break down how different professional backgrounds naturally align with specific business models:
If you're analytical and process-oriented (like finance, operations, or project management professionals): Consider consulting models where you audit, optimize, or implement systems for clients. Your clients value your expertise in creating order from chaos.
If you're relationship-focused and communication-driven (like sales, HR, or customer success professionals): Coaching and training models often work well. You excel at helping people develop skills and overcome challenges.
If you're creative and strategic (like marketing, design, or product professionals): Agency or done-for-you service models might be your sweet spot. Clients want to hire your expertise to create something they can't do themselves.
If you're technical and specialized (like IT, engineering, or scientific professionals): Educational models, such as courses, workshops, and certification programs, often align well with your deep expertise and teaching ability.
The key is choosing a business model that feels like a natural extension of what you're already good at, not a complete reinvention of yourself.
A Client Case Study: From Model Confusion to Clear Direction
One of my coaching clients, a branding professional working in corporate marketing, spent months torn between offering project-based branding packages or monthly retainer relationships with her agency clients.
The project model felt familiar from her corporate experience, but she was attracted to the "predictable income" promise of retainer arrangements. She was stuck in analysis paralysis, inconsistently pricing and packaging her services while working her full-time job.
We worked through my Skills-First framework together. Her natural strengths were creative problem-solving and strategic thinking. She preferred diving deep into brand transformations rather than managing ongoing monthly tasks.
Her ideal clients were ambitious startups who needed complete brand identity overhauls, not continuous brand maintenance.
The answer became obvious: focus on project-based packages.
Within 60 days of making that decision, she had signed two comprehensive branding projects, working evenings and weekends while keeping her corporate position. Months later, she was running a profitable side agency with the leverage to choose her clients, still employed but building toward her full transition.
The clarity of choosing the right business model eliminated her hesitation and allowed her to start earning while employed. Now she's building her bridge to entrepreneurship with proven income and happy clients, exactly the kind of strategic transition that reduces risk.
Making Your Business Model Decision
If you're struggling with business model decisions, here's what I recommend:
Start with your strengths. What are you naturally good at? What do colleagues always ask for your help with? Your business model should amplify these strengths, not require you to develop entirely new skills.
Consider your working style. Do you prefer working with individuals or groups? Do you like creating content or delivering services? Do you want to travel or work from home? Your model should support your ideal lifestyle.
Test before you commit. Don't spend months planning. Spend weeks testing. Try a small version of your chosen model with real clients. Let their feedback guide your decision.
Remember that models can evolve. You're not married to your first choice. Many successful businesses start with one model and evolve into another as they grow and learn.
The goal isn't to choose the perfect business model. It's to choose the right starting business model, one that gets you moving instead of keeping you stuck in research mode.
Ready to Move from Research to Reality?
Choosing the right business model for your skillset isn't about finding the "best" option. It's about finding the option that best fits you: your strengths, your goals, and your vision for your business.
The professionals who succeed are the ones who stop researching and start testing. They choose a model that feels natural, launch quickly, and iterate based on real feedback from real clients.
If you're ready to stop overthinking your business model and start building your business, you're exactly who I write for each week.
Subscribe to the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter at www.smedigital.biz/blog for weekly insights on transitioning from high-performing professional to successful entrepreneur without the overwhelm or endless research loops.
Your perfect business model is waiting. But it's found through action, not analysis.
Let's build it together.
Whenever you are ready, there are more ways that I can help you:
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You don’t need another degree. You need a decision and a roadmap.
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