{"id":31,"date":"2021-08-13T21:43:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T21:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/oducleaders\/?page_id=31"},"modified":"2025-05-03T01:14:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-03T01:14:31","slug":"entrepreneurship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/entrepreneurship\/","title":{"rendered":"Entrepreneurship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Description of the Experience<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, I began building an AI-powered outreach automation service that helps small businesses and solo founders streamline how they attract clients. The project focuses on automating cold email campaigns, lead management, and CRM workflows using tools like Instantly, Make.com, and Notion.<\/p>\n<p>What started as a way to apply my cybersecurity and systems background quickly evolved into a fully functional business model. I set up domain-based sender accounts, designed the backend with workflow automations, and launched pilot outreach campaigns to test results and refine strategy.<\/p>\n<p>This experience sits at the intersection of technology, communication, and execution\u2014skills I know I\u2019ll rely on in both entrepreneurial and professional settings going forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u2e3b<\/p>\n<p>Work Samples<br \/>\n\u2022 System Diagram \u2013 AI Outreach Workflow<br \/>\nVisual breakdown of how leads are sourced, emails are sent, and data is tracked using AI tools and automation.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-205\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25352\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-02-at-9.13.49\u202fPM-300x297.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25352\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-02-at-9.13.49\u202fPM-300x297.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25352\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-02-at-9.13.49\u202fPM-1024x1014.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25352\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-02-at-9.13.49\u202fPM-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25352\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-02-at-9.13.49\u202fPM-768x761.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25352\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-02-at-9.13.49\u202fPM-303x300.png 303w, https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25352\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-02-at-9.13.49\u202fPM.png 1452w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n\u2022 Client Pitch Deck \u2013 Outreach-as-a-Service<br \/>\nA presentation prepared for early feedback, outlining the offer, use case, and campaign structure.<br \/>\n\u2022 Notion Dashboard + SOP Templates<br \/>\nMy internal tracker for lead progress, SOP documentation, and client onboarding.<\/p>\n<p>\u2e3b<\/p>\n<p>Reflection<\/p>\n<p>Building this system from scratch taught me how to move with clarity under pressure. There were no external deadlines\u2014just self-accountability. I had to learn how to test tools, structure data flow, and make quick decisions when something broke.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the technical side, I developed a deeper sense of confidence in my ability to deliver a working solution that solves a real problem. I learned that clients don\u2019t want complexity\u2014they want reliability, speed, and results. That insight changed how I think about product design and business in general.<\/p>\n<p>\u2e3b<\/p>\n<p>Skills Developed<\/p>\n<p>This project helped me develop and apply several key career skills:<br \/>\n\u2022 Plan, organize, and prioritize work: Managed full project lifecycle while balancing school, internships, and part-time jobs.<br \/>\n\u2022 Make decisions and solve problems: Handled issues with domain reputation, email deliverability, and automation errors in real-time.<br \/>\n\u2022 Demonstrate computer software proficiency: Integrated platforms like Instantly, Make.com, Notion, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and Google Sheets.<br \/>\n\u2022 Influence or sell to others: Wrote cold outreach scripts, structured messaging, and built early-stage interest through automation.<br \/>\n\u2022 Create and edit reports: Tracked results, analyzed response rates, and refined lead criteria and campaign sequences accordingly.<\/p>\n<p>\u2e3b<\/p>\n<p>Connection to My Goals<\/p>\n<p>This experience fits directly into my long-term goal of working in cybersecurity, GRC, or AI governance, while maintaining the flexibility to build my tools and ventures on the side. The technical insight, communication skills, and strategic thinking I gained from this process all translate directly to roles where precision, clarity, and system design matter.<\/p>\n<p>It also reinforced that I\u2019m not just learning how to work in tech\u2014I\u2019m learning how to build with intention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Description of the Experience In 2025, I began building an AI-powered outreach automation service that helps small businesses and solo founders streamline how they attract clients. The project focuses on automating cold email campaigns, lead management, and CRM workflows using tools like Instantly, Make.com, and Notion. What started as a way to apply my cybersecurity &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/entrepreneurship\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Entrepreneurship<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21125,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":206,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31\/revisions\/206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/mrabi-eportfolio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}