I used to believe entrepreneurship was about having a perfect idea.
Turns out, it’s mostly about having the right skills and learning by doing.
Over the last months, while building small products (like my Chrome extension for cleaning up LinkedIn job search), I realized that the most valuable skills aren’t taught clearly anywhere. So I wanted to share what I’ve learned—and hear from others too.
🧠 The skills that made the biggest difference for me
1. Problem Spotting (Underrated but critical)
Before code, before business models — comes this:
Can you notice real problems in your own life?
My extension only exists because I was personally frustrated with:
- Promoted spam jobs
- Repeated listings
- Low-quality posts
- Wasting time scrolling
Good products often start as selfish solutions.
2. Shipping Over Perfection
I shipped:
- With rough UI
- With missing features
- With bugs
And still got users.
Waiting to feel “ready” is the fastest way to never launch.
3. Basic Marketing (Even for developers)
You don’t need to become a growth hacker. But you do need:
- Writing clearly about your product
- Posting consistently
- Asking for feedback
- Listening to users
Your first users rarely come from ads.
They come from conversations.
4. Learning to Talk to Users
This one surprised me.
People will:
- Tell you what’s broken
- Suggest better ideas
- Explain how they actually use your product
But only if you ask and genuinely listen.
5. Comfort with Uncertainty
No roadmap.
No guarantees.
No validation at the start.
You build → share → adjust → repeat.
That loop matters more than any single skill.
The question I want to ask you
If you’ve built products, freelanced, started a company, or grown something meaningful:
What skills helped you the most on your journey?
Not textbook answers.
Real ones.
The ones learned the hard way.
Top comments (14)
I love how this breaks down the myth that you need a perfect idea to start something. It's so true that it's the skills you develop along the way that end up making all the difference.
Very well written!
Thanks a lot! 🙌 Really appreciate that!
Talking to users is only half the skill. The other half—the more reliable half—is learning to observe them without prompting. Users often miscommunicate, over-explain, or try to impress you. Their behavior, not their words, reveals the real product requirements.
That’s a great point.
I’ve noticed users sometimes describe what they think they want, but their actual workflow tells a different story.
Exactly. Behavior never lies.
Talking reveals stories.
Observation reveals systems.
Well said. Stories explain intent, but systems reveal truth.
I have a habit of creating stuff, and batlle with promoting it, this time i want to do it the right way and looking for suggestions
That’s super relatable. A lot of builders struggle more with distribution than creation. You’re not alone.
Good to know im not alone. So skills developers actually need is marketing
Exactly. Building is step one. Helping people discover and understand what you built is the real multiplier.
Been working in this space for a while now, and knowing your client, having a good relationship outside of work with them, definitely works more for me than any tech skills.
That’s a great point. Relationships definitely open doors.
Sounds good, Very helpful!
Glad it helped! Appreciate you reading 🙌
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