We've all heard the usual ones - coding, design, sales.
I'm interested if there are other overlooked skills that have given you the edge in launching a product? What is your hidden superpower (or what do you wish it was)?
Resilience
"the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties"
Chances are stacked against us and we are going to hear no many time.
roll with punches and keep fighting
Willpower. But it applies to everything. You can have the best personality... but if you don't have the willpower to do your job, then you can also quit directly.
Personally I'm great at starting things but sticking trough the tough times when things don't play out as planed - this is were you really see if you are working on something you believe in or if you maybe need a partner to help you trough.
Empathy. Soft skills are far-too-often overlooked, and for those in a leadership position, being relatable is one of the best ways to rally your team around a common goal.
I think it's the ability to persevere. Startups require a lot of technical abilities, but the emotional ride is very tough to cope with. You can go from elated to soul crushing disappointment in 24 hours. It's really easy to just give up.
Customer service. If you're bootstrapping, you're going to be doing a lot of hands on customer support. It's a great way to learn, but you'll need a thick skin and the ability to speak your customers' language
Resilience
"the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties"
Chances are stacked against us and we are going to hear no many time.
roll with punches and keep fighting
The startup emotional rollercoaster is real!
Personally, I think that being great at copywriting is overlooked.
Great copy can make early marketing work, help users navigate the early versions of your product and build a personality for the product.
Willpower. But it applies to everything. You can have the best personality... but if you don't have the willpower to do your job, then you can also quit directly.
Perseverance.
Personally I'm great at starting things but sticking trough the tough times when things don't play out as planed - this is were you really see if you are working on something you believe in or if you maybe need a partner to help you trough.
Management, or the ability to juggle many balls in the air.
When you can do this well you:
Empathy. Soft skills are far-too-often overlooked, and for those in a leadership position, being relatable is one of the best ways to rally your team around a common goal.
I was going to say empathy too. It's essential in a modern leadership role, imho.
Great point. Empathy also helps you really understand your customers and their challenges.
I think it's the ability to persevere. Startups require a lot of technical abilities, but the emotional ride is very tough to cope with. You can go from elated to soul crushing disappointment in 24 hours. It's really easy to just give up.
Very very true.
The know-how of How to participate and moderate a debate without turning it in to an argument
Customer service. If you're bootstrapping, you're going to be doing a lot of hands on customer support. It's a great way to learn, but you'll need a thick skin and the ability to speak your customers' language
Self awareness
Marketing from a data-science perspective.