The 3 Systems Every Beginner Entrepreneur Needs
- Akino Davis
- Aug 31
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 1
This Newsletter is brought to you by:
Becoming An Entrepreneur™: The Professional’s Guide to Monetizing Expertise,
your step-by-step blueprint to turn your skills into a real business without quitting your job.
If you caught last week’s edition, Pricing Your First Service with Confidence (Even If You’re New), you know we’re building a safe, smart path from paycheck to profits. Today, we close out that theme with something your future self will thank you for: The 3 Systems Every Beginner Entrepreneur Needs that reduce stress, lower risk, and turn effort into results you can count on.
Businesses rarely fail for lack of hustle. They fail for lack of systems.
Most new entrepreneurs don’t have a strategy problem. They have a repeatability problem. They work hard, try many things, and still feel uncertain. When actions aren’t repeatable, results aren’t reliable. When results aren’t reliable, risk feels louder than it is.
I understand that feeling.
Before I founded SME Digital, I worked in construction, projects, facilities, and operations. Everything important: budgets, timelines, safety, was built on systems. When I stepped into entrepreneurship, I left that structure behind. Big mistake.
In my first months, I tried to replace systems with energy. I posted more. I tweaked offers. I chased tools. Leads were random. Delivery was heavy. Money tracking was… hopeful. That chaos showed up in my sales calls. I sounded busy, not steady.
What changed everything? I stopped trying to do more and started building three small systems I could run every week without drama.
The Real Problem We Need to Solve
You don’t need twenty apps. You don’t need a 40-page plan. You don’t need to “be everywhere.”
You need a few minimum viable systems that protect your time, make your value visible, and create calm. Systems that work on the busy weeks, the quiet ones, and the uncertain ones.
Here’s another truth: most common “solutions” don’t fix the real problem.
Copying someone’s tech stack won’t fix unclear positioning.
Posting every day won’t fix a fuzzy offer.
Discounts won’t fix shaky confidence.
A big business plan won’t create your next client.
All of that is motion. Not progress. Progress comes from a few small systems you can trust.
The 3 Systems Every Beginner Entrepreneur Needs
These are the exact starters I used to stabilize SME Digital. They are light, repeatable, and designed for professionals who are still working a job or managing a full life.
1. The Demand System
Leads → Conversations → Clients
Purpose: Create steady conversations with the right people and convert those conversations into paid work.
Your minimum viable version (start here):
A one-sentence offer with a clear outcome and price.
A simple list of 50 contacts (colleagues, past clients, and LinkedIn connections).
A short outreach script and a 15–30 minute “Clarity Call.”
One booking link and one follow-up template.
A single tracking sheet (Google Sheets or Free CRM).
Weekly rhythm (90 minutes total):
The 5–5–5 rule: 5 new outreaches, 5 nurtures, and 5 follow-ups.
Aim for 2–3 calls booked each week.
Send one short value email or DM weekly to your list.
What to measure: Conversations per week, calls booked, call-to-close rate, time-to-close.
Why it works: Random outreach creates random income.
A Demand System builds a pipeline you can predict and improve.
A quick note on style: outreach is not a pitch. It’s a door. Your offer and your clarity does the rest.
2. The Delivery System
Kickoff → First Win Fast → Testimonials
Purpose: Deliver a consistent result without reinventing the wheel for every client.
Your minimum viable version:
A welcome email with next steps, a calendar, and boundaries.
A one-page Inputs Checklist (what you need from the client).
A 60-minute Kickoff Agenda template.
A one-page Action Plan template.
A short Feedback & Testimonial request.
Weekly rhythm (60–90 minutes per active client):
Kickoff: capture goals, constraints, and success metrics.
First win fast: within 7–10 days, deliver a visible improvement.
Check-ins: short, structured, on time.
Close strong: summarize results and secure a testimonial while the win is fresh.
What to measure: Time-to-first-win, completion rate, testimonial rate, referral rate.
Why it works: A light Delivery System lowers your effort, increases client confidence, and turns one project into future pipeline.
Personal tip: your first win doesn’t need fireworks. It needs relief. Reduce friction. Clarify steps. Show progress quickly.
3. The Money & Decision System
Cash → Choices → Calm
Purpose: Protect your runway, price with confidence, and make decisions you can live with.
Your minimum viable version:
Separate business account(s).
A simple income/expense and runway sheet.
A Floor–Target–Ceiling pricing ladder for your offer.
A 10-minute Friday finance ritual: invoices, review, decisions.
Weekly rhythm (every Friday):
Log revenue and expenses.
Update runway (months of breathing room).
Review pipeline (calls next week, expected closes).
Decide on one pricing or scope improvement based on data.
Move 20% to taxes, 10% to reinvestment.
What to measure: Monthly revenue, average price, runway months, close rate.
Why it works: A Money & Decision System turns anxiety into action. When the numbers are visible and simple, you move smarter and sleep better.
From my desk: this ritual is where I learned to raise my price without flinching. Patterns tell you when it’s time.
Where This Came From (and Why I Trust It)
When I brought these three systems into my week, everything settled.
Monday: 5–5–5 outreach. Two clarity calls booked.
Tuesday: Kickoff with a new client; first win scoped for 7 days.
Wednesday: Midweek finance check, one invoice sent; runway steady.
Thursday: Two nurture messages led to a referral call.
Friday: 10-minute money ritual; moved price from floor to target for the next three sales.
No drama. Just rhythm. And results I could trust.
Coming from construction and operations, this felt familiar. In the field, we never trusted hope. We trusted scope, schedule, and standards. Entrepreneurship is the same. Your systems are your standards.
Common Detours (and How to Get Back on Track)
“I’m posting content but not getting clients.” You built a content system, not a demand system. Add the 5–5–5 weekly outreach and a clear call booking link.
“Clients love the call, but I’m exhausted delivering.” Your delivery system is heavy. Tighten scope. Win fast. Template everything.
“Money still feels scary.” You’re looking once a month. Look weekly. Ten minutes. Same time. Same sheet.
“I don’t have time for systems.” You don’t need hours. You need containers:
Demand: 90 minutes/week
Delivery: 60–90 minutes per active client
Money: 10 minutes on Friday
If it doesn’t fit, reduce scope. Simpler beats bigger at this stage.
“Do I need a CRM or fancy software?” Not yet. Start in Sheets, Docs, and Drive. Add tools when process pain repeats.
A 7-Day Starter Plan (so you move this week)
Day 1: Write your one-sentence offer (outcome + who + price).
Day 2: Build your 50-person contact list and pipeline sheet.
Day 3: Draft your outreach and follow-up scripts; set a booking link.
Day 4: Create your kickoff agenda, inputs checklist, and action plan template.
Day 5: Create your invoice template and Friday money ritual checklist.
Day 6: Do your first 5–5–5 outreach. Book two calls for next week.
Day 7: Ten-minute money review. Adjust the price or scope based on what you learned.
Small steps. Real momentum.
Final Word: Ready Without the Risk
You do not need 19 tools. You do not need a viral post. You do not need to “feel ready.”
You need three small systems you can run on ordinary weeks:
A Demand System to create conversations.
A Delivery System to create results.
A Money & Decision System to create calm.
Start light. Stay consistent. Let repetition do the heavy lifting. If this resonated, you’re exactly who I write for each week.
Subscribe to the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter for practical, low-risk ways to turn your expertise into income: www.smedigital.biz/blog
We’re building this on purpose.
Whenever you are ready to explore entrepreneurship, there are a few ways that I can help you:
Expertise Monetization Readiness Assessment
A free, 5-minute diagnostic tool designed for professionals exploring entrepreneurship. Discover how ready you are to monetize your expertise, what stage you’re in, and which business model best suits your skills, industry experience, and goals. Includes personalized results and a tailored next-step recommendation.
Free Discovery Call
A 15-minute clarity session with Akino Davis designed to review your readiness results, explore your business goals, and recommend the best-fit coaching or strategy path. Ideal for professionals seeking expert guidance before committing to a program. No pressure, just direction.
Becoming An Entrepreneur™: The Professional’s Guide to Monetizing Expertise
A practical, no-fluff guide for high-performing professionals ready to turn their knowledge, skills, and experience into a profitable business. Learn how to validate your idea, package your expertise, and launch with confidence, even if you’re starting from scratch.
Get The Complete Guide + Toolkit
Becoming An Entrepreneur™: Business Coaching Accelerator Workshops
Whether you're working through a specific pain point affecting your business, seeking the support of group coaching, or needing the targeted guidance of a 1:1 workshop session, a business coaching accelerator workshop will get you unstuck and to the next level of income growth in your business with clarity and confidence.
Ready to turn your professional experience into a profitable business?
Becoming An Entrepreneur™: The Professional’s Guide to Monetizing Expertise is more than just an ebook.
It’s a full transition system designed to help mid-to-senior-level professionals launch service-based businesses rooted in their expertise.
Inside, you’ll get:
✅ A 200+ page step-by-step guide
✅ Offer Builder, Pricing Templates & DM Scripts
✅ A 30-Day Business Launch Plan
✅ Real examples, launch calendars, post templates & more
You don’t need another degree. You need a decision and a roadmap.
Join Me On YouTube
My latest video series, Coaching in the Car, is now available on YouTube. Check out the playlist below. Make sure to like, share, and subscribe to the channel.
Not Yet Subscribed to This Newsletter?
Join my weekly newsletter with strategies, guides, and tactics that help high-performing professionals save money, time, and stress launching successful businesses.
Learn How Professionals Move Successfully into Entrepreneurship
$50
Product Title sample
Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button. Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button
$50
Product Title
Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button. Product Details goes here with the simple product description and more information can be seen by clicking the see more button.
Comments