What skills do I need to have?

There are many questions that have popped into my head when I continue thinking about which business to start and the strategies for that business to be successful. Questions like “How do I do that?”, “Where do I get that?”, “Do I need to be able to do that?” - all of which have led me to write about them in attempt to rationalize the problem solving approach.

The first question that I’d written down in this vein of thinking was - “What skills do I need to have?”

It started with the notion of development and technical know-how. Coming from an “employer-based” business background, most of my skills have to do with analysis and decision-making, which left a perception (at least to me) that I don’t necessarily have the means to produce many of the products or solutions that I’ve come up with. Getting started with a business is difficult - and even if it’s a good idea, how can I take these ideas from concept to creation?

The answer in my head first was - well, you need to build this. YOU need to be able to create this. YOU’RE not a developer, YOU’RE not an engineer - but somehow you’ve got to be able to create this.

I have the concepts in my mind, and I think the first goal would be to take those concepts and develop visualizations on what I’d like to create and how I’d like it to function.

For example: If I were to create a support application for gluten free restaurant safety, quality, and reviews - I know what I’d want it to look like, I know how I’d want it to function, and I know what the end goal of the application would be.

These concepts and ideas in my opinion are more important than my own ability to develop. The time to learn and develop this application versus using that same time with skills that I already have leads me to believe that I can spend my time better in refining the ideas, product, and processes. If I get too “into the weeds”, I’ll end up becoming a great developer - but at the cost of my skills being honed to develop instead of starting and growing a business.

I heard some advice recently that resonated with this question that I’d been struggling with. “The hardest part of starting a business is the process of finding out how to take the next step”. It feels entirely true to me. These concepts are only good if they become tangible - and they’re no good sitting around only on paper.

So at this point I’ve learned one thing - hire what you aren’t capable of doing.

When I think of hiring though, it sounds like a real investment and commitment. Is there any way to do this without starting a payroll?

"The hardest part of starting a business is the process of finding out how to take the next step” - This really sinks in after a while, and immediately after thinking through my first question, the second naturally falls into place.

The average starting salary of someone coming out of undergrad in 2023 is around $50,000. Guess what? I don’t have $50k to spend on myself, let alone someone else.

So how can I employ services at an affordable rate to try and get a concept into a tangible reality?

In business school, we learned about taking a concept ahead of already successful businessmen and venture capitalists. “ Present your ideas! Get Funding! Take out a loan!”

As someone who is already working through student loans for perceivably the next 10 years of my life - a loan is the VERY last thing that I want to take out, especially with the high risk involved with a concept. High risk - and there’s some in-between step that has to exist even if I were to pursue a future loan with more confidence in a product.

Michael Masterson didn’t go into detail on the “in-between”, but I believe that this thought process is an essential part of refining the product. A product isn’t just the deliverable to consumers, but it is also the process of ideating and creating that product from start to finish.

So, while it may seem simple - I’ve had to go through some mental exercises this week to figure out how I could start from a concept.

I’ve learned a few things:

1.) I don’t need to have all the skills to develop my product.

2.) I DO have to understand that this is a natural part of starting a business

3.) I DO need to continue and expand my networking capabilities to find people that CAN help me with my products/services at a reasonable cost

It’s all a part of the journey!

-SZ