10 Skills Every Entrepreneur Should Learn in 2020

8) How to Learn (+Research)

Knowledge is not quite power. Applied knowledge is power

7) Video Making and Editing

            While this skill used to be a "nice to have", it is quickly becoming a must-have for all forms of marketing. Even if you "have a guy" that does your video, it is useful to learn the basics.

            Yes, you can probably learn this in school, and it is more outsourcable than others, but it's still a very useful skill to know as a freelancer, bootstrapping entrepreneur, or digital marketer.

            By 2020, smartphone video cameras will finally reach a quality that is good enough so that you don't need to carry a huge DSLR around. Video content and style matter much more, anyways.

            Books I suggest include How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck and Platform. 

            This Kiyosaki quote sheds light on one of the most odd characteristics I've ever in human behavior, and that is that people spend 80% of their adult life working for money, and base 99% of their daily decisions about money, yet never take any time to learn the slightest thing about it.

            More troubling is the fact that the information is now more available than ever and literally at our fingertips. Yet most people want to pass on the responsibility of their personal finances to their boss, their discount accountant, unrealistically optimistic real estate ventures, or the stock market.

            Whether or not you like it, money matters. A lot. Especially at the beginning. That doesn't mean money is everything, but it can empower you to control your environment and makes things happen.

            Your financial planner doesn't actually care about your finances, your plan, or you. Neither does the stock market or your retirement plan. Don't (you can't) outsource your financial education.

            Many people say "money doesn't matter" or something along those lines, yet they work 40+ hours a week for their entire adult lives. Earning money is costing you and most people you know tons of their precious resource (time), so clearly money most definitely DOES matter, or they'd all quit.

            Most people base their college majors, careers, industry, residence, city/state/country, amount of children, and most decisions in their adult lives, around money. So clearly, it's worth learning about.

            Some fantastic books to read if you want to learn about the most important subject on Earth to learn (marketing is 2nd) include Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Millionaire Fastlane, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, Unscripted, Rich Dad's Cash-flow Quadrant, and Wealth Can't Wait. 

            Even though these authors sometimes contradict each other, it is crucial to learn the rich mindset and how to think like a rich person, which is a big first step towards financial literacy. 

5) Copywriting

            Copywriting is the art of choosing the words for marketing materials. Many people have come to hate anything that resembles "writing", but effective copywriting skills can literally 2x-10x or more your sales, simply by learning to communicate with the right words.

           For one, copywriters provide you with much-needed leverage as hiring one copywriter to fix your sales script is often much easier and cheaper than training or hiring a new sales staff. Although these are common tactics, they are very time-&-money expensive, and are unreliable.

            While copywriting shows tangible benefits in business, many of its lessons carry over into daily life, in what would be considered "persuasion". Copywriting is about choosing which words to use to provoke people to take action. This means you'll learn about persuasion and  psychology.

           For more info, check out my previous post Why You Need to Learn Copywriting Today.

         Books I suggest include Cashvertising, Ogilvy on Advertising, Copy That Sells, My Life in Advertising, Scientific Advertising, Make Your Advertising Make Money, and The Boron Letters.

4) List-Building & Email Marketing

            Email marketing takes place when a visitor comes to your website and likes something you have to say. The magic happens when they give you their email address, usually in exchange for a digital (emailable) goodie, such as a checklist, report, newsletter, mini-course, and more.

            This list of emails will likely become your most important business and marketing asset. That list gives you a community you can market to at will, and that are in your market. You can send their web traffic to specific websites, and you can even rent or sell space on your emails.

            There are many email marketing providers, but I suggest ActiveCampaign or Aweber. 

            It is surprising how many people haven't heard of or simply don't employ any kind of email marketing, given how effective, widespread, and profitable it has proven to become.

            Regardless of the business you are in, or striving in, you will benefit from building and having your own email list of leads and customers. Many have even built entire businesses with it.

         Some digital marketing books that go into this and more include Launch!, The Digital Marketing Handbook, Dotcom Secrets, and Expert Secrets. 

            If you continue on your entrepreneurial path, then you will inevitably need to outsource some work or even hire people. As mentioned before, time is your #1 resource, so it makes sense that you would transfer labor to someone else's shoulders as soon as you could afford it.

            Some things are one-off jobs such as designing a logo, template, or writing assignment. But if they're good, you will likely require their services again in one form or another. And if they can't provide that particular service, they can often point you in the direction of their friend who can.

            Certain high-level tasks will require hiring such as call support staff, sales staff, social media posts & updates, receptionists, keyword research, and more, depending on your business needs. 

            Other tasks you could outsource include:photo & video editing, copywriting, blog writing & management, email marketing & management, posting & moderating comments, and much more.

            Some popular sites to find freelancer and virtual assistants include Fiverr, Upwork, Envato Studio, Freelancer, and more.

            Just remember that just because you can and probably should outsource many of your daily tasks (eventually) does NOT mean that you can be completely ignorant about those task skills. Plus diving deep into any of those tasks could birth an entire business or career of your own.

            If you're going to hire a financial planner, you need to learn enough about it to be able to ask the right questions and look for the right answers, so you know you're hiring a good one. The same applies to every other task you're thinking of outsourcing.

         Books I suggest are Virtual Freedom, The 4-Hour Workweek, and The Millionaire Fastlane.

            Google Ads. Facebook Ads. It's finally time to confront the beast.

            Most new entrepreneurs view paid online advertising as a magic bullet that solves all problems, if you only throw enough money at it. Unfortunately, that's not exactly how it works.

            The best thing about learning this skill is that the ad platform companies themselves offer educational programs which teach you how to better use their platform for more effective and efficient selling. These are the Google AdWords and Facebook Blueprint certification programs.

            All the information may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it's worth learning so that you know what you're capable of when targeting your audience. It's worth that week or two of studying the material to know how to segment, tag, and market to your customers and leads.

            Even if you already employ a freelancer or agency to handle your paid advertising, how will you know if you're hiring a good one if you don't know enough about it to ask the right questions?

            Your freelancer or agency has a standard procedure by design, which means their tactics don't change nearly as fast as these platforms release new features and segmenting options.

            Learning about paid online advertising will greatly benefit your entrepreneurial life since it directly contributes to generating web traffic, and even driving sales. Some marketers say paid ads are dead, while others say they will be the last ad model standing. Either way, learn it.

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