You Resigned. Good. Here’s a gentle 30‑day plan to your first 3 paying clients…
If you are new here and wondering who on earth I am and why I’m talking about 30 days, welcome. I help people move toward entrepreneurship with as little pain as possible.
This guide is written for readers with little to no background in entrepreneurship. I will explain each idea, give examples, and share simple scripts you can copy. There will be a little humour so we can all breathe, but we will not trivialise the work. Deal?
Why this plan works
Two ideas sit under everything you are about to read:
Production precedes reward. Money follows work delivered to a real customer. It is not the other way around.
Good marketing comprises two skills working together.
Monetisation systems create an easy path to buy and an easy path to deliver.
Positioning is how you explain your value so the right people say yes.
When you combine these ideas, you stop building for imaginary customers and start trading with real ones.
A quick story to set the scene
I spoke to a brilliant colleague who is planning to leave corporate. She had a careful plan: list her skills, write a job spec for herself, make a development plan, then do free projects to build a portfolio.
I respect her. I also gently told her this plan creates a perfect binder and zero income.
Corporate planning rewards tidy preparation. Entrepreneurship rewards correct sequence. If you whisk eggs after you bake the cake, you do not get an omelette or a cake. You get a life lesson.
This post gives you the correct sequence.
Key terms in plain English
Tribe: a group of people who already trust you or can be reached easily. You may share a profession, an industry, a problem, or a community. Examples: company secretaries, IT managers rolling out AI, nonprofit boards, local medical practices.
Demand signal: proof that someone in your tribe wants help and will pay for it. A meeting request is a weak signal. An invoice paid is a strong signal.
Paid pilot: a small, low‑risk, clearly defined piece of work a client pays for to test you. It has a result, a price, and a short timeline.
Micro‑product: a repeatable paid pilot you can sell again with very small changes.
The sequence that saves time and earns money
Think of this as your map for the month:
Tribe → Demand → Offer → Price → Deliver → Proof → Systemise → Scale.
We will walk each step together. When we finish, you will have three paying clients or a precise diagnosis for what to adjust next.
Step 1. Choose one tribe you can reach this week
Pick a single group you can speak to without fanfare. Ask yourself:
Do I have names in my phone or LinkedIn from this group?
Would they take my call or reply to a short message?
Do I understand their daily problems?
Examples to copy:
Governance professionals such as company secretaries and board administrators.
IT managers who must turn AI from buzzword to deployment plan.
Directors and senior leaders who need AI guidance in plain language.
Pick one. Not two. Not “anyone who needs help.” One.
Why this matters: Positioning starts with a who. You cannot be compelling to everyone at once.
Step 2. Learn the paid problems before you design anything
Over the next three days, do 30 targeted reaches. Your goal is six short conversations.
Script you can paste:
Hi [Name]. I’m working with [tribe] and taking on two pilot projects this month. I help with [rough problem/common headache]. If this resonates, let’s chat over a call. This will help us both work out the exact value I can bring.
If they ask for a chat, book it. On the call ask four questions:
What is not working right now?
Ideally, how would you like things to be?
What is this fix worth to you?
Is there budget to fix this?
Say less, listen more. You are hunting for demand signals, not praise.
Why this matters: You are replacing opinion with data in the simplest possible way. My own strategy work is built on this habit: production first, market response second, then polish.
Step 3. Turn what you heard into a one‑page paid pilot
Do not write a brochure. Write a single page with six items:
Who it is for
The outcome you will deliver inside 14 days
Scope in bullets
Price and payment terms
What you need from the client on day one
Acceptance criteria so both sides know when it is done
Example for an AI‑curious board
Outcome: a 90‑minute briefing plus a simple risk and opportunity map tailored to the company.
Scope: interviews with Chair and CEO, 90‑minute session, 2‑page summary, next steps.
Price: ZAR 45,000, 50 percent upfront.
Acceptance: session delivered, summary sent, next steps agreed.
Now send this to the two warmest people you spoke to.
Why this matters: This is positioning in action. It clarifies who you serve, what you deliver, and why now.
Step 4. Price with a floor and ask for the order
A floor is the lowest number you are willing to accept for this pilot. If a client asks for a discount, you can allow an early‑adopter price in exchange for a short testimonial that includes at least one metric.
Line to borrow:
I keep the pilot small so we can both move quickly. Early‑adopter rate is available this month in exchange for a three‑line testimonial that mentions one measurable result.
If they ask for free work, smile and decline. Free looks friendly but it keeps the client from prioritising your work.
Step 5. Deliver fast and make the result obvious
Ship inside 7 to 14 days. Make progress visible. For services, send a mid‑point note: “We have completed items 1 to 3. Items 4 and 5 land Friday.” For productised work, show a sample early.
Then ask for proof:
Could you describe the outcome in one sentence and mention any metric that moved? Three lines total is perfect.
If your testimonial says “great vibes,” you accidentally ran yoga. Ask for a metric.
Step 6. Turn the pilot into a micro‑product
After three deliveries, you will start seeing a pattern. Freeze the scope, tidy your files, and create a version you can deliver again with small changes. That is your first micro‑product. Congratulations. You have something to sell every week while you improve it.
Step 7. Add systems only to remove friction
New founders often buy tools first. Please don’t. Add one system per week only when it removes a bottleneck:
Week 1: calendar link and a simple way to invoice
Week 2: a basic pipeline tracker, even if it is a spreadsheet
Week 3: a three‑email follow‑up sequence for people who said “not now”
Week 4: one automation that saves you an hour a day
This is what I mean by monetisation systems. They improve team productivity and the customer experience, not your collection of apps.
The 30‑day schedule in human language
Days 1 to 3
Pick your tribe. Reach out to 30 people. Book six short conversations.
Why this is doable: 10 messages a day is two coffee breaks and a brave thumb.
Days 4 to 7
Write two one‑page pilots. Send them. Ask for the order.
Your brain will want another course or another template. Thank it and proceed anyway.
Days 8 to 14
Deliver your first pilot. Keep scope tight. Collect one metric and a testimonial.
You are allowed to be nervous. You are not allowed to disappear.
Days 15 to 21
Deliver the second pilot. Freeze the best bits into a micro‑product.
Create a checklist so delivery gets faster next time.
Days 22 to 30
Share your proof with the same tribe. Raise the price if your close rate is above 40 percent. Add exactly one system that removes the loudest bottleneck.
Worked examples you can adapt
Example A. Company Secretaries
Tribe: company secretaries in mid‑market firms
Problem: boards discuss AI without a governance frame
Paid pilot: 90‑minute session plus a 2‑page governance checklist
Price: ZAR 45,000
Outcome metric: board approves a first draft AI policy within 30 days
Example B. IT Managers
Tribe: IT managers under pressure to produce AI wins
Problem: scattered use cases and uncertain ROI
Paid pilot: a 2‑week “AI quick wins” sprint that ships two real automations
Price: ZAR 40,000 plus tool costs
Outcome metric: hours saved per month and error rate reduced on one workflow
Example C. Nonprofit Directors
Tribe: small nonprofit directors
Problem: donor updates are slow and manual
Paid pilot: set up a lightweight CRM workflow and a monthly donor report template
Price: ZAR 48,000
Outcome metric: time to produce donor report cut from 6 hours to 1 hour
The corporate‑to‑entrepreneur translation table
Job spec becomes your offer one‑pager.
Development plan becomes your what you need to study to deliver your project successfully.
Committee feedback becomes the market response.
Free “portfolio work” becomes a small paid pilot with a testimonial. This is how you move from tidy documents to cash flow.
Common worries answered
What if no one replies?
Check two things. First, your tribe might be too broad. Narrow it. Second, your outcome might be vague. Make it specific and short. If you still get silence, try a nearby tribe where trust is stronger.
What if someone asks for free work?
Say: “I keep the pilot small and affordable so we both commit. If it is not useful, I will say so before we start.”
How do I set my price?
Use a floor that makes the work worthwhile, then test the market. If two out of five say yes immediately, you are likely priced too low. If none say yes, improve the outcome and try again before lowering.
Do I need a website?
Not to start. A calendar link and a one‑pager will take you further than a beautiful homepage with no offers.
Is 30 days realistic?
Yes. The timebox creates focus for you and your client.
A short note on money pressure
Money pressure can feel scary. It is also a helpful teacher. It deletes the unnecessary, forces correct order, and rewards shipped value. That mindset sits at the core of my work. Income follows production, and marketing is the pairing of systems with positioning, so production reaches customers who are ready to buy.
Humour break: if you feel faint at the thought of asking for money, drink water, take a walk, and remember that the client also wants their problem solved. You are not stealing. You are trading.
Your move
Hit reply with two lines:
The tribe you will serve for the next 30 days.
The outcome you can deliver in 14 days.
If two people in that tribe are willing to pay you right now, you already have a business. From there, we tidy the systems and raise the floor. That is how we go from first cash to a real engine.
Now, make it rAIn, KG
Wow Kerushan, this is gold, Thank you!