Develop Entrepreneurial Skills
Your Skills & Know-How Determine Your Business Success
Formal education does very little to provide us with the skills, thinking tools & grit required for entrepreneurial success. Level up by developing the right skills, learning strategic thinking and understanding the principles behind marketing & sales. Below is some of my best content on these topics, compiled from over 10 years of experience and more books than I can count.
There are 3 key aspects that level up your skills:
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Mindset
Think like an entrepreneur, develop a creative, problem-solving mindset and learn how to be strategic & precise in your decision making.
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Know-How
Gain the knowledge & insight about unconventional business success & how to succeed in a rapidly changing environment.
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Marketing Skills
Learn how to apply marketing & sales skills to everything you do. Nothing moves the needle more than good marketing.
Below are the most important articles I've published, to help you find the right tools, develop optimal habits and build laser sharp focus.
Productivity for Entrepreneurs
If you operate as a solopreneur or are bootstrapping (self funding) a business, your results are tied very closely to your personal productivity. The ability to get shit done effectively is a massive value multiplier for any entrepreneur. This is such an important factor, I've made this page for you to take a deeper dive into productivity.
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Entrepreneur Mindset
Learn how to think like an entrepreneur. Content in this section covers everything from grit & resourcefulness to strategic thinking, marketing know-how and mindset. Thinking tools & mental models are often overlooked, but they make a huge difference to your outcomes. Check out the posts below to learn more:
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More on Entrepreneurial Skills from the Podcast
We've taken a deep dive into skills & know-how in our podcast, in these episodes:
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Skills Are the Most Underrated Aspect of Business Success
A highly trained powerlifter can hoist an amount of weight overhead that an untrained person can't even budge if they get some of their friends to help out.
A competitive climber can effortlessly climb a sheer cliff on which an untrained person can't get a single foothold.
A lifelong dancer can playfully combine complex steps and moves - and have fun while doing it - to a rhythm and speed that has the average person helplessly stumbling over their own feet.
Do you see the pattern, here?
Think of a hobby, sport or physical skill that you've trained in. And think of the difference in skill between the amateur and the world-class best performers. That skill gap is immense, isn't it?
The same is true for entrepreneurs. The skill gap between a newbie and a "highly trained" entrepreneur is huge - and it makes all the difference in business success.
Why do I call entrepreneurial skill "underrated"?
Simple: because I see everyone chasing after tools, tactics, strategies and shortcuts. Sure, using the right tools in the right way matters. Just like the powerlifter may be using specialized belts and straps or the climber uses purpose-made shoes and chalk.
But it's not the shoes or chalk or belts that make the climber excellent and the powerlifter strong. And no amount of tools and accessories can close the gap between an amateur and a professional in a meaningful way. Only training can.
In other words: the skill gap cannot be bridged by anything other than skill.
Yes, It Can Be Easy...
The oldest advertising trick in the book is to identify something people want badly and then promise them that you have the secret to obtaining it easily.
You want six-pack abs? A happy marriage? More money? There's no shortage of companies who promise some quick-and-easy way to get all of that (and more).
Of course, the reality is that these products and solutions are usually either a downright scam or they simple over-promise and under-deliver.
The truth is, success as an entrepreneur can be easy... but the path there is long and hard. Just like a weightlifter can make lifting 200kg+ look easy and a climber can make scaling a sheer cliff look easy, you can get yourself to a point where building a profitable business comes easy to you.
But the only path for the weightlifter, the climber and yes, the entrepreneur too, is many long hours of disciplined training.
You build strength, experience and know-how over time, by "doing the thing". Lifting the weights. Climbing ever more challenging routes. Building websites, creating marketing content, trying, failing and trying again to get business projects off the ground, put together effective teams and so on.
Level Up
If I can summarize my approach to this in one phrase, it would be: "level up".
Level up your skills, level up your knowledge and gain the assets you need to become that highly effective, super successful entrepreneur. The longer you spend chasing shortcuts and trying to avoid the hard work, the longer it will take you to get there.
If you're ready to level up, ActiveGrowth has the content and guidance for you.