Discussing models for wealth creation, Naval Ravikant states:
Learn to sell. Learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable.
Whether it be Wozniak and Jobs to Gates and Allen, Ravikant points out the common thread among successful companies in Silicon Valley: a deep understanding of both technology and sales.
These two domains are fairly broad. Selling in this sense encapsulates specific knowledge in human behavior, which could include inspiring others, marketing, or recruiting. Building, on the other hand, is the value-creation itself – from developing programs to leading operations.
I believe this complimentary specialization is useful to our own ventures, in high school and beyond – great things can happen when someone can create ideas worth selling and another (or even themselves) has a high ability to sell worthy ideas.
At the individual level, I’ve found this framework relevant to college applications – I’ve done all the “building” throughout my four years in high school, being involved in my extracurriculars, now I need to “sell” my profile to colleges, communicate my “value proposition” and fundamentally, my “why”.
So, as we embark on the next chapter of our lives, consider how you fall into these two categories, how you might bring value to others. Are your strengths in the technical or in the emotional? Which field would you rather pursue?
Or, is it both?
Great blog! I’m wondering though, do you think that selling and building are really all that is needed? Both seem fairly mundane, though perhaps I’m missing something.
I think it’s interesting to consider whether there’s something else besides selling and building that is the “secret sauce” to their success. Is there some other crucial component that Mr. Ravikant may be oversimplifying?
Alternatively, is it possible that the process of honing the selling and building skills is harder than it may initially seem? What are some of the challenges in terms of developing these skills? When do we know that we have attained mastery?
Overall, my question is: what is the differentiator between the entrepreneurs who attain success and those that have the right skills and preparation, but crash and burn nonetheless?