What could possibly be the best approach to an initial ITIL implementation for an organization that has little to no IT procedures.

Here what I suggested when I was asked this question:

Start with high visibility low impact on business execution, meaning in terms of changing habits. Usually service desk that is handling customers/users which has high visibility and low impact in the operating model. It can help to have a tools but probably too heavy at this stage. Start manually to see what could work or not and scale up as you have identified most of the mechanisms.

Look at how the customers feedback are handled, users queries and define a minimal service desk. Knowing exactly what a service desk means. For those not in the know, a Customer services or helpdesk.

Thinking about it, why would you consider ITIL in an organisation with not much IT procedures? You could consider how things are running in your company and things not running smoothly, to say the least. From that on, again high visibility and low change impact ,and progress towards more ITIL processes  if the intention is to go ITIL. Your customer are actually those in your company and it is best to have an open communication with them and let them know what you want to achieve. You want the people who would ultimately follow your procedures to “buy in”.

At the end ITIL is a framework like may others. Take what could work for your organisation and the results you want to achieve, not because it has to be..

Fail quickly. Succeed incrementally.

What are the hidden challenges that businesses are at risks nowadays?

When I was asked this question here are the few bullet points that came to mind:

• Not having put in place controls that a good systems would have flagged.
• Certainly not understanding what IT can deliver, back to first point an automated view of you company essentials, money in the bank account, P/L review of your activities, where you are in your strategy, or the goals/targets are still worth pursuing (sales, marketing, customer satisfaction)
• Most importantly managing your growth by the right IT support.

Well most of the companies (SMEs) do not consider IT as an important support to their business activities and believe it is for the big ones. Nowadays IT can be more an opex point of view, rather than capex, linked to what technology can offer at lower cost. Organisation still need a good IT management strategy in place. Technology evolve and change. IT management good practices in an organisation would change at a lesser pace. Having the right IT management in place can overcome the challenges ahead. 
and I will provide you with a quote here from my upcoming book: 
“You plan it, set it and forget it. Set it and forget it. That’s the beauty that IT does for all of us”