Building Your Own Thing (Even if You Don’t Exactly Feel “Entrepreneurial”)
- Merve Kagitci Hokamp
- Oct 6
- 7 min read
Ten years ago I was on the terrace at Google’s San Francisco office telling a friend, “I’m not starting a company.” She felt the same. We were happy at work, growing fast, earning well —and quite frankly would have no idea how to make that leap.
Fast-forward to now: We both run our own businesses — and we’re happy we jumped. We wouldn't have it any other way.
I coach a lot of professionals at that same edge. One of them — let’s call her Amy — who inspired this article, was recently made redundant. 10+ years in, sharp as they come, sitting at her kitchen table asking, “What if I built something of my own?”
Not a stopgap. A real practice.
There’s no Harvard case called How Amy Built Her Thing. But there are patterns that work.
The part nobody tells you about entrepreneurship
You don’t need to “feel entrepreneurial.” You need to be useful to a specific group of people.
Clarity beats speed. A few honest conversations now save months later.
You will not have all the answers. You will find them — one step at a time.
As Simon Sinek reminds us, start with why — and then get very clear on who you help and what outcome they’ll happily pay for.
My first moves (that you can borrow)
There isn’t a cookie-cutter path. But the early steps that worked for me — and for clients who’ve successfully moved from corporate to building their own thing — tend to rhyme.
Think of these as borrowable moves, not commandments: simple, low-risk actions that create clarity, test demand, and build confidence one notch at a time.
1) Scan the landscape (1–2 weeks).
Look at 10–15 adjacent businesses: what they offer, who they serve, how they price, what’s missing. Don’t hunt for “no competition.” Look for under-served problems.
Example (mine): when I first stepped out of corporate, I mapped 14 leadership programs and solo coaches. Everyone promised “clarity” and “confidence”; almost nobody showed concrete, operator-grade tools leaders could use by Friday. That gap (practical, no-fluff, exec-ready) became my lane.
Example (client): a senior HR leader studied 12 DEI/leadership boutiques. The pattern was heavy theory, light practice. She built a micro-offer that paired a 60-minute masterclass with a 30-day team habit sprint. It sold because it filled an obvious hole.
2) Talk to humans (10–15 short calls).
No pitching. Just three questions:
What’s the hardest part of X right now?
What have you tried?
If someone fixed this, what would “done” look like?
By call six, the pattern tends to be loud and clear.
Example (from a client): A PM leader spoke to 12 founders; 9 said, “We don’t need more ideas - we need someone to turn decisions into habits.” That became his “Decision Sprint” offer.
3) Write one working paragraph.
I call this the cocktail party statement - how you might be able to quickly tell someone what you do and how you do it at a cocktail party and have them understand it too. Here is the format:
“I help {who} go from {pain} to {result} through {how}.
Example (from a client): “I help boutique fitness studios go from empty off-peak classes to fully booked schedules through a last-minute demand marketplace.”
4) Make a tiny plan (3 pages, max). Keep it useful, not ornate.
Offer: the problem, the outcome, how you deliver, and your starter/standard/premium price.
Market: who you serve, how you’ll reach them (network, referrals, LinkedIn, webinars), and proof (results, stories, testimonials).
Numbers: rough revenue and costs so you know what must be true (capacity, pricing, breakeven).
Example (from a client): an ex-consultant almost spun up a 40-slide deck; we forced it into three pages. She saw she only needed five clients/quarter at her price point — instant focus, less busywork.
5) Get your first customers from your network.
Don’t “scale” just yet. Start warm, specific, and problem-first.
Make a short list (15–25 names: former colleagues, managers, clients).
Send a crisp note: “I’m working on X. The people I help are stuck on Y and want Z. If that’s live for you, I can run a [Power Hour / Diagnostic / Workshop / Report] to get you from {pain} to {result}. ”
Aim for 5–10 honest conversations; sell 1–3 starter engagements.
Example (mine): two thoughtful emails and one LinkedIn DM produced four intro calls and two paid pilots. No funnel, no ads.
6) Keep systems light.
Ship with the bare minimum; add complexity only when simplicity breaks.
Presence: updated LinkedIn headline + a one-page “What I Do” PDF/Doc.
Scheduling: Calendly (free tier is fine).
Payment: Stripe/PayPal link or invoice template.
Paperwork: a simple one-page SoW/contract (PandaDoc/Docusign or even PDF+e-signature).
Delivery: a Notion/Google Drive folder for shared work and notes.
Example (mine): I launched with a self-designed website, PDF one-pager, Calendly, Stripe links, and a basic SoW. It was enough to sell, deliver, and collect.
A 30/60/90 for entrepreneurs that doesn’t overwhelm
Now that we have talked about some tips around making it work, let's think through the first 90 days.
Days 1–30
10–20 discovery calls
One helpful LinkedIn post per week or a marketing platform of your choice (could be an in-person event, different social media channel, email list)
Sell your starter offer to 1–3 people
Days 31–60
Deliver, capture outcomes, ask for a testimonial
Tighten scope; raise price if demand is there
Write a simple case study (one page)
Days 61–90
Package your process (a light PDF beats a fancy site)
Add a basic lead magnet (one-page checklist)
Block two recurring “growth hours” each week (outreach + creation)
Example (mine): I blocked Tue/Thu “growth hours.” Protecting that time turned into a flywheel:
outreach → calls → delivery → testimonials → better outreach.
(This reminds me I need to bring that back!)
Pricing without the spiral
Price the result, not your time. Tell people exactly what they’ll get and what it costs, as a fixed outcome — not “€X per hour.”
Offer one or two simple packages. Example:
Audit — 2-hour review + action plan within 48 hours — €450
Sprint — 2-week implementation to reach {specific result} — €2,500
Close with an easy scheduling choice, not a big menu. “Shall we kick off next Monday or the Monday after?”
Real example: a client dropped hourly billing and switched to two fixed offers (“Diagnostic” and “Sprint”). Prospects said yes faster, there was less haggling, and emails got shorter —because people like to buy value.
What this really feels like
Week 1: talking about your new work feels awkward.
Week 3: it feels normal.
Month 2: you realize your network is your best channel.
Month 3: a client asks for more. Belief clicks.
Some days you’ll feel like a genius. Other days you’ll Google “how to write an invoice.” Both are part of it.
A personal anectode: my first invoice took longer than my first session prep. I still laughed and pressed “send.”
“Wow, that’s brave”
People may say, “Wow, that’s brave,” with a raised eyebrow. Some days you’ll feel lost; sometimes it’s spirals. That’s not a red flag — it’s a rite of passage. Choose clarity over noise, usefulness over polish. Three months from now you may pivot or double down.
Both are wins — because both are informed by real people and real work.
If you were across the table from me, I’d ask:
What problem do you solve without thinking that others find hard?
Who in your current network has that problem right now?
What’s the smallest, most useful way you can help them in the next 14 days?
Then we’d pick one offer, send five messages, and get you into two real conversations. That’s the whole game.
I once swore I’d never do this. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else. You don’t need to feel “entrepreneurial” to start — you just need to start.
The thing you’re imagining isn’t built in a day; it’s built in a thousand small, honest moves.
What’s your first one?
What about Amy?
Amy’s still in it — on purpose. Some days feel like spirals; some days like a flywheel. People say, “That’s brave.” She laughs: “It’s just the next honest step.” She hasn’t “arrived.” She’s building.
If you’re at your own kitchen table with the same question, write your one-paragraph statement, send it to two people who might need it, and see what opens.
Hi! I'm Merve. 👋 I help leaders build high performing teams, amplify their business impact, and advance their careers.
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