103: Skills For Each Stage of Entrepreneurship

Top Skills Entrepreneurs Need at Each Stage

You don’t need every skill right now—you need the right skill for the stage you’re in. In this episode, I map the journey from Founder → Farmer → Tinker → Chief and show you the two keystone skills that unlock growth at each step, plus quick drills you can run this week.

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• Founder: It’s you against friction. The superpowers are resilience and work ethic—shipping V1s, selling before perfecting, and turning chaos into cash. I share daily habits that keep you moving when everything feels uphill.
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• Farmer: Consistency beats heroics. Here the wins come from focus and a practice mindset. We install a simple weekly scorecard (traffic → leads → show → close → ARPU → churn), build 10-minute SOPs, and kill “new idea whiplash” with a monthly change window.
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• Tinker: Your machine runs; now you protect attention and capital. The keys are an investor mindset and patience—delegating <$100/hr work, measuring Effective Hourly Rate, testing small, and only scaling what beats baseline.
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• Chief: At scale, outcomes are powered by people. Become a connector who goes first—over-introducing, sharing platform, and compounding goodwill. We’ll add simple rituals like “5-Intro Friday” and a give-first calendar.
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You’ll leave with a field guide to identify your stage, the two skills that matter most right now, and a 30-day plan to practice them. As a bonus, I’ll point you to templates (scorecard, SOP checklist, EHR audit, and intro scripts) so you can start today.

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/