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The Almanack of Naval Ravikant - The 2 "Unstoppable" Skills

Published 6 days ago • 2 min read

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Master These Two Skills and Every Door Opens

Hi Reader,

💡 Today's Niblit: In The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Naval identifies the two foundational skills for creating wealth: building and selling. Master both, and you become unstoppable because you can create value and communicate that value to the world.

🔑 Key Insight: Building means creating something of value — code, products, services, systems. Selling encompasses persuasion, marketing, storytelling, and deal-making. Naval puts it simply, "If you can do both, you will be unstoppable." Most people excel at one or the other, but competence in both multiplies your value exponentially.

Imagine two people. One is a brilliant engineer who builds amazing products but can't explain why anyone should care. The other is a master communicator who can sell anything but has nothing substantial to offer. Both struggle. Now picture someone who can build remarkable things AND articulate their value compellingly — that person has no ceiling.

This matters because the intersection of building and selling is where fortunes are made. Steve Jobs didn't just oversee great products; he sold the vision. Elon Musk doesn't just build rockets; he sells the dream of Mars. When you can both create and communicate, you control your entire value chain from idea to customer.

🦉 Nibble of Wisdom: "Learn to sell. Learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable." — Naval Ravikant

🛠️ Practical Tip: Audit your current skill set. Are you naturally more of a builder or seller? Then deliberately practice one skill from the opposite category this week — maybe write a sales page if you're technical, or code a simple app if you're in marketing.

🚀 Quick Action: Choose one thing you've built (a project, skill, or piece of knowledge) and practice explaining its value to someone in 60 seconds or less. Focus on the benefit to them, not the features you created. Do this with three different people today.

🔍 Further Exploration:

  • Research the concept of T-shaped skills and how depth in one area plus breadth in another creates exponential value.
  • Consider which famous entrepreneurs excel at both building and selling, and study how they developed the skill that didn't come naturally.
  • Think about how modern tools (no-code platforms, AI, social media) are making it easier than ever to develop both skills simultaneously.

🎬 Wrapup: Don't fall into the trap of believing you're "just a builder" or "just a seller." The magic happens when you can do both. Start strengthening your weaker skill today — your future wealth depends on it.

🔗 Links:

Building and selling in equal measure,

Tom "honing my T shape" Bernthal

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Niblits - little bites of big ideas

by Tom Bernthal

Get key insights from top books like “Atomic Habits,” “The Psychology of Money,” “Find Your Why,” “Never Split the Difference,” and more. You get practical tips and powerful ideas on productivity, personal growth, money, business, and beyond. Just 1-2 minutes a day unlocks big ideas and boosts your success. Subscribe to my Niblits newsletter and awaken your greatness within, one bite at a time!

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