Money First or Skills First?

Ben Arthur

Ben Arthur

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Early on, I chased money. Quick wins, shortcuts, anything that promised fast results. Some of it worked short term, but nothing lasted.
What actually changed things for me was slowing down and building real skills. Once the ability was there, money followed much more naturally and consistently.

That said, I also think skills without action can turn into overthinking. At some point, you still have to step into the market and test yourself.

Curious how others see it. Did you focus on cash first, or did you invest in skills and wait it out?
 
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I leaned toward skills first, but I think the balance matters. Skills give you leverage long term, but without actually applying them, they do not turn into anything real. What worked best for me was building a solid base, then moving early enough to get feedback from the real world and adjust. Cash comes faster once both pieces are in place
 
MapleForge said:
I leaned toward skills first, but I think the balance matters. Skills give you leverage long term, but without actually applying them, they do not turn into anything real. What worked best for me was building a solid base, then moving early enough to get feedback from the real world and adjust. Cash comes faster once both pieces are in place
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That’s a really solid way to look at it :) Skills alone don’t mean much until you put them into play. Getting real-world feedback early and adjusting is usually what makes things click and speeds everything up.
Fang Yu said:
Sales, learn how to sales and making money become easy
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Hard to argue with that :D Once you know how to sell, everything else gets easier. :)
 
Start it with whatever you have. If you have skills then go for money or vice versa.
 
Ben Arthur said:
Early on, I chased money. Quick wins, shortcuts, anything that promised fast results. Some of it worked short term, but nothing lasted.
What actually changed things for me was slowing down and building real skills. Once the ability was there, money followed much more naturally and consistently.

That said, I also think skills without action can turn into overthinking. At some point, you still have to step into the market and test yourself.

Curious how others see it. Did you focus on cash first, or did you invest in skills and wait it out?
Click to expand...
No one makes money chasing money first
And the idea of skills been the first is actually from the fact that value equals reward
The reward for the value given per time per moment is what can be called money

But money itself can be anything as it's just a medium of exchange
 
Jason Starkey said:
Good point, the balance of both is important. I have tried both ways starting with chasing cash, then building skills with no cashflow
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Yeah, trying both really gives clarity. Balance seems to be the part most people figure out only after testing both sides. :)
1SEOWarrior said:
Start it with whatever you have. If you have skills then go for money or vice versa.
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Exactly. Starting with what you already have beats waiting for the ‘perfect’ setup.
medialounge said:
No one makes money chasing money first
And the idea of skills been the first is actually from the fact that value equals reward
The reward for the value given per time per moment is what can be called money

But money itself can be anything as it's just a medium of exchange
Click to expand...
Well said. Value comes first, money is just the outcome. Seeing it that way removes a lot of confusion. :)
 
quynhuyen said:
Skills must always be one step ahead if you want to have a sustainable game.
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Agreed. Skills are what keep you in the game long term. Tactics and platforms change, money comes and goes, but solid skills let you adapt and stay relevant instead of starting from zero every time. :)
 
I relate to this a lot. I went through a similar arc—chasing cash early on because it felt urgent, then realizing most of those wins were fragile. When I started investing in real, transferable skills, things became steadier and way less stressful.


That said, I like how you framed the balance. Skills without action really can turn into a hiding place. I’ve seen people (and done it myself) keep “preparing” when the real growth only came from putting something out there and letting the market give feedback.
 
I feel it's mix of both! I had skills but had no money to start my own business. I had to work as employee for almost 2 years to collect the initial investment i needed to start my bootstrap. But by the time i was done with money, the industry needed new skill sets! So having both at same time increases odds for success in my opinion!
 
ArthurSchmidt758 said:
I relate to this a lot. I went through a similar arc—chasing cash early on because it felt urgent, then realizing most of those wins were fragile. When I started investing in real, transferable skills, things became steadier and way less stressful.


That said, I like how you framed the balance. Skills without action really can turn into a hiding place. I’ve seen people (and done it myself) keep “preparing” when the real growth only came from putting something out there and letting the market give feedback.
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Exactly. Early cash wins often don’t last, and that creates stress.

Skills matter, but without action they become an excuse to stay stuck. The real progress starts when you apply, get feedback, and adjust. Balance is everything.
adwaitk007 said:
I feel it's mix of both! I had skills but had no money to start my own business. I had to work as employee for almost 2 years to collect the initial investment i needed to start my bootstrap. But by the time i was done with money, the industry needed new skill sets! So having both at same time increases odds for success in my opinion!
Click to expand...
That’s a very real scenario and it happens to a lot of people.

Money gives you a runway, skills give you leverage, but timing matters too. Industries move fast, so the best approach is building skills while earning, then updating them as you go. Having both in motion at the same time definitely improves the odds.
 
i think chasing money first teaches you fast, but its usually unstable and stressful. skills first gives you confidence and options, but you still have to actually try and fail in the real world, otherwise its just theory
 
If you have money you can get skills by learning yourself. For online task you need money first to learn skills and through offline you can learn skills and earn money. Depend on nature of work.
 
Skills first, but skills without action are useless.
Build real ability, apply it early, and money follows naturally.
 
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