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I'm currently the technical guy and would love to learn how to also be the business guy - what do I need to do to develop those skills?

Getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn anyhting, so with technical topics, especially programming, I would just dive into projects and start coding, building things, and that's how I learned. In terms of business skills, what projects can I realistically undertake on my own that would help me develop those skills? Should I start a low-stakes business selling soap on Etsy or something? Is that adequate? Completely different ballgame from the corporate startup world - but would any of the skills from such a humble venture transfer to the larger stakes ones?

How might a technical guy become the business guy?



Read and understand the Gitlab handbook:

https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/


Are you serious? If so why? Could you elaborate about why one should read such a long text? Doesn't seem a clear answer to his Q


Very serious. It's an exceptional source of information about how to run a real-world, successful tech business.

And if you think that it is too much information to learn then don't be a CEO. Because you are going to be expected to know all of it.


You become a business guy the same way you became a technical guy!

Don't waste time selling soap though (unless you really love soap) - my best advice is to try to sell something you've made. It could be your time (as a consultant), or it could be a product.

I would suggest waiting to develop these skills until you know what product you want to bring to market as an entrepreneur. No sense in learning B2C growth hacking when you end up in enterprise sales (or vice-versa).




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