Your First 90 Days as a New Founder: What to Focus On
- Akino Davis
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
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.
Welcome back to the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter, where high-performing professionals learn how to transition into entrepreneurship with clarity, confidence, and strategy.
Last week, we explored "How to Craft an Offer That People Will Pay For," showing you how to turn your expertise into a clear, profitable offer that resonates with your audience. This week, we're closing out our From Unclear to Unstuck theme by tackling what happens after you've made the leap.
"I finally started my business, but I have no idea if I'm focusing on the right things."
If this thought crossed your mind in your early days as a founder, you're exactly where you need to be today.
The Overwhelming Reality of Your First 90 Days
Most new founders I coach experience the same jarring transition: one day you're an employee with clear priorities and structured days, and the next, you're staring at a blank calendar wondering what the hell you should be doing first.
Everything feels urgent. Nothing feels clear.
You're torn between building your website, creating content, networking, refining your offer, setting up systems, and actually serving clients. The freedom you craved suddenly feels like chaos.
Sound familiar?
My Own Struggle with Crafting a Profitable Offer
When I first launched SME Digital, I thought the hard part was over. I had validated my coaching offer, secured my first few clients, and finally made the transition from operations management to entrepreneurship.
I was wrong.
My first 90 days were a mess. I spent weeks perfecting a logo that didn't matter. I built elaborate systems for a client base I didn't have yet. I wrote content for an audience that was still finding me.
I remember sitting in my makeshift home office, overwhelmed by my own to-do list, wondering if I had made a massive mistake leaving the structured world of construction and facilities management.
The breakthrough came when I realized I was treating my startup like a hobby, not a business.
Why Common "First 90 Days" Advice Fails Professionals
Most startup advice for new founders sounds like this:
"Focus on product-market fit."Â Great advice for tech startups, but as a professional monetizing your expertise, you already know your market; you've been serving them in your career.
"Build your personal brand first."Â This leads to months of content creation with no revenue. Branding matters, but cash flow matters more when you've left your salary behind.
"Network your way to success."Â Networking without a clear value proposition just makes you another person asking for favors.
These approaches fail because they ignore the reality of professionals transitioning from employment to entrepreneurship. You don't have unlimited runway or venture capital. You need focused action that generates results quickly.
My Coaching Approach: The First 90 Days Framework
Here's what I discovered works and what I now teach every client in my Becoming An Entrepreneur Coaching Accelerator:
Your first 90 days should focus on three things only: Revenue, Relationships, and Rhythms.
Days 1-30: Revenue Foundation
Deliver exceptional service to your first 3-5 clients
Perfect your core offer based on real feedback
Create a simple sales process that converts
Days 31-60: Relationship Building
Build genuine connections with 50 ideal prospects
Create content that demonstrates your expertise
Establish referral systems with past colleagues
Days 61-90: Rhythm Development
Design sustainable business systems
Create consistent content and outreach schedules
Build financial tracking and goal-setting habits
The key insight: your first 90 days aren't about building everything. They're about building momentum.
A Client Success Story: From Scattered to Systematic
One of my coaching clients, a former HR director, came to me six weeks into her consulting practice feeling completely overwhelmed. She had spent her first 90 days trying to do everything at once: building a website, creating a course, writing blogs, and chasing every networking opportunity.
Result? Zero revenue and maximum stress.
We hit the reset button. Using my framework, she focused the next 30 days solely on delivering outstanding results for two pilot clients. She documented their transformations, refined her process, and asked for referrals.
By day 60, she had a waiting list.
By day 90, she had replaced her corporate salary.
The difference wasn't her expertise; she was already an expert. The difference was focus.
You can read more about overcoming startup overwhelm in my previous article, "Why Most Professionals Stay Stuck in Thinking Mode."
What Your First 90 Days Should Actually Look Like
If you're in your early founder journey, here's what deserves your attention:
Weeks 1-2: Operational Basics Set up simple invoicing, contracts, and project management. Nothing fancy, just functional.
Weeks 3-6: Client Delivery Excellence Pour everything into making your first clients incredibly successful. Document everything. Ask questions. Iterate.
Weeks 7-10: Systematic Outreach Develop a consistent process for reaching your ideal clients. LinkedIn messaging, email outreach, whatever works in your industry.
Weeks 11-12: Foundation Review Analyze what's working and what isn't, and plan your next 90 days based on real data, not assumptions.
Remember: your first 90 days aren't about perfection. They're about proof. Proof that your idea works, that people will pay, and that you can build something sustainable.
The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
Here's what I want you to remember as you navigate your first 90 days:
You're not building a startup. You're transitioning from employee to business owner. That requires different priorities, different timelines, and different success metrics.
Your experience as a professional is your competitive advantage. Your ability to deliver results is what matters most. Everything else: branding, systems, and scaling, comes after you've proven you can consistently create value for people willing to pay for it.
Your first 90 days are about building belief: in yourself, in your offer, and in your ability to make this transition work.
Ready to Make Your First 90 Days Count?
If you're in your early founder journey or preparing to make the leap, you're exactly who I write for each week.
Every week, the Becoming An Entrepreneur Newsletter offers clear, practical strategies to help you transition from high-performing professional to successful entrepreneur, without the overwhelm or confusion.
Subscribe now at www.smedigital.biz/blog for weekly insights that keep you focused on what actually moves the needle in your business.
Your first 90 days don't have to be perfect. They just need to be purposeful.
Let's make them count.
Whenever you are ready, there are more ways that I can help you:
Get My New Book: 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. Get Your Copy
UNSTUCK! 1:1 Business Clarity Call: Â A High Impact Private Session for Professionals who need targeted guidance to move forward with clarity and confidence. Fast. Learn More Here
4-Week 1:1 Business Launch Accelerator: Clarify and Solve Offer Confusion, and Develop A Real Launch Plan in 30 Days. Learn More Here
12-Week 1:1 Business Coaching Accelerator:Â Validate your business model, build your signature offer, and launch with confidence. All with strategic 1:1 support in 90 days. Learn More Here
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
