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by pryelluw 2155 days ago
Lets take inventory of your skills. Reason is that making money is a skill you can learn. You probably have some of the ingredients you need to make it work, but are lacking other key ones. So, list away.
1 comments

Good point:

- Software engineering. I am a full stack developer. I can and do program things from embedded devices, to medium scale web apps, to front end stuff. My graphics skills are sub-par, but I do UX well and can whip up a software solution quickly or architect a complex system. Hardcore comp-sci is not my core skill set as I didn't study it, so I won't be coming up with the next great ML algorithm or factoring large integers, but I can do lots of non-trivial things well nonetheless.

- System administration. I grew up on Linux/BSDs and am pretty good at old school systems administration. I don't need to use Heroku to run my apps if I don't want to.

- Electronics development. I am not an electrical engineer but I studied physics. I have manufactured custom PCBs that actually worked and am pretty good with a soldering iron. One of the products I was working on in the past required a custom enclosure and a Wi-Fi connected embedded system that ran on batteries for several years. I designed and put together prototypes from scratch on my own for this, though the product ended up not taking off for other reasons.

- Leadership/management skills. I am good at organizing work and motivating people. People like working with me. I have led major projects in my career and feel like I can do that again. I would be happiest leading a team of 6-10 people if working in this role.

- Communication skills. I connect with people easily and quickly, especially in person. I didn't start out this way (if this was a thing where/when I grew up, my parents might have had me evaluated as autistic for my inability to feel empathy; I have swung way in the other direction with lots of work on myself over the years). I can often convince people to do things for me even if it goes against their self-interest. While I know I can do that, I am very cognizant of this ability and try to find outcomes that are win-win for everyone even if that means a worse outcome for me. I am good at negotiating (salaries, prices, contracts, etc.). I have no problem approaching a stranger, knocking on doors, asking for or offering help, etc.

- Interviewing skills. I am good at being interviewed (in my career I got many more job offers than been turned down). I am very good at interviewing others for jobs. I have almost always been able to tell who would fit in well and who wouldn't for any given situation.

- Writing/public speaking/teaching. I am a decent writer and a good public speaker. I am told that I am a very good teacher/mentor. People who I have taught in the past have all been very happy with the time and energy they spent in my classes and most have gotten very good at what I was teaching them.

- Photography. I am a decent amateur photographer. I mostly do boudoir photography with friends for fun, but can do portraits well. I have sold a few prints for several $100 each at a couple of art shows I entered on a whim, but due to the nature of what I typically photograph I don't think it has wide appeal.

- Mechanical, construction, plumbing, electrical. I am not a professional in any of these, but have done enough work on my vehicles and homes I've lived in to know what I'm doing. I fix my own vehicles routinely and have redone plumbing for a whole house and have done some electrical work.

- Woodworking. I'm learning how to do some woodworking, just for fun. I mostly make practical things, not art. For example, I built my own motorized sitting/standing desk from hardware store parts.

- 3D printing and small scale manufacturing. It's a hobby, but I'm pretty good at it.

Probably a few others I am forgetting, but these are the main ones.

Selling, which is the biggest skill you need to have, is clearly missing. Which explains a lot of your frustations.

I strongly suggest you read Way of the Wolf by Jordan Belfort. Best sales book there is. Go buy it right now.

Read it amd email me when you are done.

Will do. I have some sales experience though I never worked as a dedicated sales person. I've made cold calls that turned into paying gigs and I've done sales as an engineer: go present the technical aspects of the product and take potential customers from "who the hell are you guys?" to "how can I give you my money?". I also have a lot of negotiation experience and do quite well with that, but never a bad thing to get better at it.
Good, because you grasp the importance of my suggestion.

Emailing me to continue forward is also important. Otherwise you stay in the same place.