What are the Business Skills?

An imaginary office campus to visualize business

Are You Feeling Stagnant? Transform Stagnation into Intentional Growth

Stagnation is the quiet phase where growth pauses—not because of failure, but due to comfort, fear, or a lack of direction.

It often feels safe on the surface: deadlines are met, routines continue, and nothing appears broken; yet beneath that stability, learning slows and curiosity fades.

In this phase, effort turns into repetition and potential is gradually exchanged for predictability, making stagnation dangerous precisely because it disguises itself as progress.

With alertness and honest self-observation, these signs become a powerful cue to pause, reflect, reset direction, and transform stagnation into intentional growth.

How to Validate a Business Idea

Validating a business idea means checking whether people actually need and will pay for your product or service before investing too much time or money.

Start by clearly defining the problem you want to solve and identifying your target audience.

Talk to potential customers, run surveys, or observe how they currently solve the problem.

Next, build a simple Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or landing page to test interest, collect sign-ups, or pre-orders.

An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the simplest version of a product that includes only the core features needed to solve a problem and deliver value to users.

Analyze feedback, measure demand, and refine your idea based on real data.

Early validation reduces risk, saves resources, and increases the chances of building a successful business.

Sales:

Main objective of sales is revenue generation.

You will have to understand the business of the prospect.

See the Form 10-K of companies which is an annual comprehensive report filed by publicly traded companies.

See the POC(Proof of concept)

Identify the pain points.

Few types of selling : Social selling

Useful websites for buying or selling software and business services/products

https://flippa.com/
https://acquire.com/
https://empireflippers.com/
https://quietlight.com/listings/
https://www.microns.io/
https://www.escrow.com/ - Never buy or sell online without using Escrow.com

Understanding MRR: Monthly Recurring Revenue

MRR, or Monthly Recurring Revenue, is a key metric for subscription-based businesses that measures predictable revenue earned each month.

It helps startups and SaaS companies track growth, forecast cash flow, and make data-driven decisions.

By focusing on MRR, businesses can identify trends, optimize pricing, and understand the real value of their customer base over time.

Difference Between a Website and a Landing Page

A website is designed to provide complete information about a brand, business, or individual.

It helps visitors explore services, learn about the company, read blogs, and navigate freely.

A landing page, on the other hand, is built with one specific goal—to convert visitors into leads or customers. This could include signing up, downloading a resource, registering for an event, or making a purchase.

A website usually contains multiple pages such as Home, About, Services, Blog, and Contact, along with menus and navigation links to help users browse.

A landing page is typically a single page with minimal or no navigation, keeping users focused on a single call-to-action without distractions.

Website content is broad and informative, covering multiple topics and audience needs, while landing page content is highly focused and persuasive, centered around one offer and one action.

Websites often include multiple calls-to-action like Contact Us or Learn More, whereas landing pages usually feature one clear call-to-action such as “Sign Up Now” or “Download Free Guide.”

Websites are mainly used for brand building, credibility, and long-term online presence, while landing pages are used for marketing campaigns, advertisements, lead generation, and promotions.

Sell a Single Landing Page for $10K: High-Value Design That Converts

A well-designed single landing page with strong visuals, clear messaging, and optimized user experience can be sold for $10,000 or more—especially to startups, SaaS products, or high-value clients.

Clients pay for conversion-focused design, branding impact, and business results, not just the number of pages or code lines.

A single page that drives leads, sales, or sign-ups can be extremely valuable.

$100K for a single landing page is possible, but it’s usually for premium, highly specialized projects where the page drives significant business value.

Factors that justify such a high price:

Targeting high-ticket clients (enterprise, SaaS, finance, real estate)
Exceptional custom design, copywriting, and UX (User Experience)
Integration with analytics, automation, and advanced features
Proven conversion optimization that impacts revenue

How Indie hackers Stay Profitable?

They avoid VC(Venture Capital) pressure.

Key Principles

No burn
Low infrastructure costs
No sales team
No fancy office
Profit-first mindset

Margins often: 70–90% gross margin

Why Use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool

A CRM helps you manage customers, sales, and relationships in one place, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Note: Search on internet like "how to distribute my product" to learn more.

Marketing:

Main objective of marketing is lead generation.

Build trust with your customers.

Most clients are non-technical and are naturally attracted to clean, intuitive, and visually appealing UI design.

A strong interface builds trust quickly and plays a key role in shaping first impressions and purchase decisions.

Once a tweet goes viral, it attracts attention and visibility, which often leads to clients reaching out and new opportunities coming in.

Meetings

You can schedule a meeting easily using Cal.com by choosing a time that works best for you through a simple booking link.

It eliminates back-and-forth emails by showing real-time availability and confirming meetings instantly.

With a single shared link, both parties can connect smoothly and efficiently.

Personal Branding on Twitter and LinkedIn

Personal branding is about sharing expertise and creating trust.

On Twitter, share insights, updates, and lessons learned; on LinkedIn, focus on professional storytelling and thought leadership. Consistency and authentic interaction help grow your influence, opportunities, and credibility.

How To Get First Customers

Share progress on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn.

Post learnings, failures and metrics

People follow then become customers

Send 10 to 20 personalized emails per day

Communities - Indie Hackers, Hacker News, Reddit, Slack / Discord groups

SEO

Blue Tick on X: Building Trust and Visibility in Marketing

In modern digital marketing, the blue tick on Twitter acts as a trust signal that helps brands and professionals stand out in crowded conversations.

It reassures audiences of authenticity, improves content visibility, and encourages higher engagement from potential customers.

Used strategically, the blue tick supports credibility, authority, and long-term brand growth without relying on aggressive promotion.

Personal Branding is King in the Market

Social Media Agency: Driving Business Growth Through Digital Influence

A social media agency helps businesses turn online presence into measurable growth by aligning content, campaigns, and conversations with clear business objectives.

Instead of chasing likes alone, it focuses on building brand trust, generating leads, and improving customer engagement across platforms. By combining strategic planning, creative storytelling, and performance analytics, a social media agency becomes a growth partner that delivers real impact, not just visibility.

Tools

You can use browser extensions to save time when managing tweets on X by scheduling posts, auto-filling content, or quickly reposting and curating ideas, making social media management faster and more efficient.

Creating a Studio for Video Recording or Podcast

Creating a studio for video recording or podcasting involves setting up a quiet, controlled space with the right equipment for clear audio and quality visuals.

Start with a small room, use soundproofing or acoustic panels to reduce noise, and ensure good lighting (softbox or ring lights) for video clarity.

Essential equipment includes a good microphone, headphones, camera or webcam, tripod, and basic editing software.

A simple, well-planned studio helps produce professional content consistently without high costs and is ideal for creators, businesses, and indie founders.

Operations:

It deals with the value of money for client and happiness of the client.

No-Code Tools: Empowering Non-Technical Creators

No-code platforms allow individuals to build websites, apps, and automations without writing traditional code. These tools enable rapid prototyping, streamline workflows, and empower creators and entrepreneurs to turn ideas into functional products quickly—bridging the gap between technical and non-technical skills.

Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) typically takes around 1–3 months, depending on complexity, team size, and technology stack.

Here are some popular no-code tools you can explore:

Framer – to create interactive, high-fidelity prototypes and websites
Webflow – visual website builder
Bubble – web apps without code
Airtable – database + automation
Zapier / Make – app automation
Glide – spreadsheet to mobile app
Adalo – drag-and-drop mobile apps
Carrd – quick landing pages

Business assistant

A business assistant helps business owners and teams run smoother by handling daily operations, coordination, and support tasks so leaders can focus on growth and decisions.

What a business assistant typically does:

Administrative support: managing emails, calendars, meetings, and documentation
Operations support: coordinating tasks, tracking deadlines, and following up with teams
Customer support: handling inquiries, onboarding, and basic issue resolution
Data & reporting: preparing reports, tracking metrics, and organizing information
Research & planning: market research, competitor analysis, and presentation prep
Communication: acting as a bridge between founders, teams, and external partners

Design and development

Creating a visually appealing and effective landing page is heavily influenced by color choices, as colors affect readability, mood, and user action.

Animations can make a landing page more engaging and guide users effectively, but they should be purposeful, not excessive, to enhance UX (User Experience) and conversions.

Common products

Micro-SaaS (B2B tools)
Developer tools
No-code / productivity software
APIs, plugins, and browser extensions
Paid newsletters or communities

Examples:

Designing Landing Page
Creating MVP software
Invoice tool for freelancers
SEO tool for content teams
Internal dashboard for startups
Scheduling tool for consultants

Try to Ship the Project Fast

Shipping the project fast means focusing on delivering a usable and valuable version of the product as quickly as possible.

By prioritizing core features, avoiding unnecessary complexity, and releasing a minimum viable product (MVP), teams can go live sooner and start collecting real user feedback.

Fast shipping helps reduce time-to-market, validate ideas early, and improve the product through continuous updates instead of long development cycles.

How Indie hackers Run It Solo (Operations)

They stay solo by automating everything.

Tools They Use

Payments: Stripe / PayPal
Auth: Auth0 / Clerk
Emails: Resend / Postmark
Support: HelpScout / Crisp
Analytics: PostHog / Plausible
Infra: Vercel / AWS

Rule:

If a task repeats twice then automate it.

Research and Development:

Main goal of Research and Development is To launch new product or new service (to attract new customers).

Research and Development Tools :

Jira - Widely used for Research and Development and software development, especially in agile environments, helping manage sprints, issues, workflows, and team collaboration from concept to delivery.
Confluence - Documentation and knowledge‑sharing tools to centralize research notes, protocols, and collaborative records.

A Research and Development tool is a software or platform that helps organizations systematically manage, track, and enhance their innovation processes.

Accounts:

It deals with Accuracy, Compliance, and Reporting.

Accounting and Integrated HRMS + ERP Tools

Accounting tools help businesses efficiently manage finances, bookkeeping, invoicing, GST compliance, and financial reporting.

They streamline tasks such as ledger management, expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and tax filings, ensuring accuracy and compliance.

TallyPrime, a widely used accounting tool in India, supports bookkeeping, inventory management, payroll, GST compliance, and financial reporting, making it ideal for small to medium-sized businesses.

An Integrated HRMS + ERP takes this further by combining HR functions with core business operations like accounting, finance, inventory, and project management in a single platform.

This integration allows seamless management of payroll, employee data, invoicing, and financial reporting, improving accuracy, real-time data flow, and decision-making.

SAP Business One is an example of such a tool, offering both HR and accounting capabilities in one unified system.

Client Payments

You can accept payments from international clients via PayPal or Stripe, whether you’re an individual or an agency.

PayPal charges a small percentage fee on each transaction.

How They Register the Business (Legal Setup)

Most start as individuals, then formalize later.

Common Structures

Sole Proprietor – ideal for the initial stage with minimal compliance and quick setup
LLC / Pvt Ltd – suitable after generating revenue to improve credibility and limit liability
US LLC (Wyoming / Delaware) – popular choice for global SaaS businesses and international clients
Stripe Atlas or similar services – enables easy US company setup, banking, and payments

Why they delay company registration:

Validate the idea first before investing time and money into formal company setup
Avoid legal and tax complexity in the early stage to stay fast and flexible

Many reach $10k–$50k MRR before incorporating.

HR:

It deals with Recruitment, People development and Employee’s happiness.

Integrated HRMS with ERP Solutions Tool

An Integrated HRMS with ERP combines human resource management with core business operations in a single system.

It manages HR functions like payroll, attendance, recruitment, performance, and ESS, while connecting departments such as Finance, Operations, Administration, Compliance, and Management.

SAP Business One is an example tool that integrates HR processes with finance, inventory, and sales, ensuring real-time data flow, accuracy, and streamlined decision-making across the organization.

5 No-Code SAAS Startups That Are Making $100,000+ a Month

This SOP defines roles and daily work structure to ensure tasks are completed efficiently within an 8-hour workday (7 hours effective work time).

Employees focus on task execution (5 to 6 hours), collaboration (1 hour), timely updates, and quality delivery.

Team Leaders balance task execution, team coordination, workload planning, progress tracking, and issue resolution.

Managers handle planning, goal setting, cross-team coordination, performance review, and process improvement.

All roles must plan daily tasks, prioritize work, report progress, avoid unnecessary meetings, and use approved tools to ensure productivity without overtime.

Here’s a list of core business documents that every company should have templates ready for, to save time, maintain consistency, and ensure compliance:

Company Formation & Legal Documents:
- Memorandum of Association (MOA)
- Articles of Association (AOA)
- Shareholder Agreement
- Board Resolutions
- Director Appointment Letters
- Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
- Vendor Agreement & Client Contract
- Service Agreement / Freelance Contract
- Mandatory Registers (specific to Indian laws): Attendance Register (Muster Roll), Wages/Salary Register, Leave Register, Overtime Register
HR & Employee Documents:
- Employment Offer Letter / Appointment Letter
- Employment Contract / Agreement
- Employee Handbook / Policies
- Various Policies - Leave Policy, Internet and Email Usage Policy, Health and Safety Procedures, Grievance Redressal Policy, Social Media Policy
- Forms - New Job Application Form, Exit Interview Form, Employee Information Forms, Leave of Absence Forms, Employee Incident Report Forms, Timesheet Template
- Letters: Job Promotion Letter, Resignation Letter, Recommendation Letter templates
- Exit / Relieving Letter Templates
Financial & Accounting Documents:
- Invoices
- Payment Receipts
- Purchase Order (PO)
- Salary Sheet / Payroll Receipt Form
- Expense Sheet / Bank Reconciliation Format
- Expense Reimbursement Form
- Financial Statement Templates (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet)
- Tax Filings & Audit Reports
- Payment Terms / Policy
- Personal Bank Account / Current Account
Operations & Project Management Documents:
- Project Proposal / Statement of Work (SOW)
- Work Order / Service Agreement
- Client Onboarding Form
- Project Status Report
- Timesheet / Task Sheet Templates
Meetings & Corporate Documents:
- Meeting Minutes Form
Marketing & Sales Documents:
- Quotation / Estimate Template
- Sales Agreement / Contract
- Marketing Plan Template
- Customer Feedback Form
- CRM Tracking Sheets
Compliance & Regulatory Documents:
- GST / Tax Filing Forms
- Statutory Registers (Shareholding, Board Meetings)
- Safety & Compliance Checklists
- Audit Report Templates
Professional & Branding Documents:
- Letterhead (Optional but Professional)
- Company Profile / Business Plan

Management:

Main types of Management are Strategy management, Functional management and People management.

Strategy Management: Planning and directing long-term goals to achieve sustainable business growth.

Functional Management: Managing specific business functions like marketing, sales, or operations efficiently.

People Management: Leading, motivating, and developing employees to improve performance and teamwork.

Business stability requires consistency in all 7 functions.

Set financial and functional Holistic goals for all 7 above.

Functional goals mean how many leads marketing has to generate per month or year.

Financial goal means How much budget is for hiring, etc.?

Business model strategies:

It should be Profitable and scalable (Anything Limited will not make it scalable.) Purpose without profit is charity.

Tips: A businessman should focus on sales and marketing and other things should be delegated.

80% effort should be in marketing and 20% in sales.

Whoever has a better frame controls the conversation.

You should control the conversation, not the prospect.

How you can control the conversation?

The person who asks the questions controls the conversation.

For example, in business or sales, if you frame the discussion around value and outcomes, you lead the conversation. If the other person frames it around price or objections, they control it.

So, frame = mental structure + context

And whoever controls that structure controls the conversation.

A lawyer can help you sign a contract by reviewing or drafting the contract, explaining the implications of clauses, and ensuring that the contract protects your interests.

If you are interested in business then you should work as a Sales Rep because after 1 or 2 years of experience, you will be interacting with the CXO community where you will get real-time business experience.

Who can be a prospect?

A prospect can be the person who is the key decision-maker.

You have to use LinkedIn more for prospecting.

Enhance courage: when you build the skill, then only you can start a business; not when you will have money, then you will start a business.

Without knowledge and skills, you can't create solutions.

Decision without data is gambling.

My learnings: You cannot run any business without quality resources, whether it is money as a resource or skilled human resources. Part-time resource will not be effective. Main asset of a company is its human resource. Building teams is an investment.

Business Opportunities

Building the same project locally costs clients more—our India-based delivery model offers a cost-efficient alternative.

Real websites and project collections made by indie hackers

References:

Churn

Churn is the rate at which customers stop using a product or cancel a subscription over a given period of time.

In business—especially SaaS—it’s a key metric that shows how well a company retains customers, because high churn means users are leaving faster than new ones are joining.

Freelancers

Freelancers are independent professionals who offer their skills or services to clients on a project, contract, or hourly basis rather than working as full-time employees.

They commonly work in areas like development, design, writing, marketing, consulting, and operations, giving businesses flexibility while allowing individuals to work independently.

Keep educating yourself from

Business meetup, Business Coach

Business courses and certifications help individuals build practical skills, industry knowledge, and credibility to advance their careers or grow successful businesses.

Jargon

Sales Funnel – Step-by-step journey that turns prospects into paying customers.

B2B – Business model where products or services are sold to other businesses.

B2C – Business model where products or services are sold directly to consumers.

Marketing Channels – Platforms or methods used to reach and acquire customers.

SAAS Marketing Channels – Digital channels used to promote and sell software-as-a-service products.

Forecast – Prediction of future sales or revenue based on data and trends.

Report – Structured summary of business, sales, or marketing performance data.

Prospect – A potential customer who may be interested in your offering.

LinkedIn – Professional networking platform widely used for B2B sales and hiring.

CRM Tool – Software used to manage customer relationships, leads, and sales activities.

Deal Cycle – Time taken to move a deal from first contact to closure.

Cold Calling – Reaching out to potential customers without prior interaction.

Voicemail – Recorded sales message left when a prospect does not answer a call.

Cold Emailing – Sending unsolicited emails to prospects to generate interest.

Handling Objections – Addressing concerns or resistance from prospects.

Sales Pitches – Persuasive presentations aimed at selling a product or service.

Sales Rep – Person responsible for selling products or services.

BDR – Business Development Representative who qualifies and generates leads.

Business Development Manager drives growth by acquiring clients and closing revenue-generating deals.

Account Executive (AE) – Sales professional responsible for closing deals.

VP of Sales – Executive overseeing the sales team and revenue strategy.

Discovery Call – Initial conversation to understand a prospect’s needs.

Follow-Up – Continued communication after initial contact to move deals forward.

Networking Chats – Informal conversations to build professional relationships.

Personalized Email – Customized email tailored to a specific prospect.

Client Relationship Manager – Person or system managing ongoing client relationships.

Sales Cycle – Complete process from lead generation to deal closure.

Upselling – Encouraging customers to buy a higher-value product.

Cross-selling – Selling related or complementary products to customers.

Pain Points – Specific problems faced by customers.

Demographics – Statistical data about customer characteristics like age or location.

Psychographics – Insights into customer attitudes, interests, and behaviors.

Problems – Challenges customers face that need solutions.

Solutions – Products or services that solve customer problems.

Schedule Meetings – Setting up calls or meetings with prospects or clients.

Leverage – Using advantages or resources to improve outcomes.

Tactics – Short-term actions used to achieve business goals.

Techniques – Specific methods used in sales or marketing execution.

Behaviour – Actions and responses of customers or teams.

Strategy – Long-term plan to achieve business objectives.

Building Rapport – Creating trust and connection with prospects.

Registration – Process of enrolling users for access or services.

Signup – User action to create an account or start using a service.

DM (Direct Message) – Private message sent via social platforms.

Q and A – Question-and-answer session to address doubts.

Aha Moment – Point where users realize the true value of a product.

Closing Percentage – Ratio of deals successfully closed.

Closing Skills – Ability to convert prospects into customers.

Client – Individual or business purchasing services.

Customer – Person or organization that buys and uses a product.

Competitor – Business offering similar products or services.

Guides – Educational content to help users understand a topic.

Whitepapers – In-depth authoritative business documents.

eBooks – Digital books used for education or lead generation.

Certifications (ISO) – Official standards proving quality and compliance.

Use Cases – Real-world applications of a product.

Case Studies – Detailed success stories showing product impact.

Testimonials – Customer feedback praising a product or service.

Success Stories – Documented examples of customer achievements.

Demo – Live or recorded product demonstration.

Buyer’s Journey – Stages a customer goes through before buying.

Brochures – Printed or digital promotional materials.

Newspaper Ads – Traditional advertising through newspapers.

Websites – Online platforms representing a business.

Banners – Visual ads used for promotion.

Posters – Printed advertisements for brand visibility.

Business Stationery – Branded materials like cards and letterheads.

Personal Branding – Marketing oneself as a professional brand.

Consistency – Maintaining uniform messaging and actions.

Podcast – Audio content used for branding and education.

Proposal – Formal offer outlining services and pricing.

Records – Stored data related to business operations.

MVP – Minimum Viable Product built to test an idea quickly.

Vision – Long-term goal of a business.

Mission – Purpose and core objectives of a business.

Venture Capitalist – Investor funding high-growth startups.

Counteroffer – Alternative proposal made during negotiation.

Tech Sales – Selling technology-based products or services.

Tech Sales Coach – Professional guiding tech sales skills.

SAAS Sales Mentor – Expert advising SAAS sales growth.

SAAS Sales Coach – Trainer helping teams improve SAAS sales.

SAAS Sales Training – Structured learning for selling SAAS products.

Sales Methodologies – Frameworks guiding sales processes.

Sales Skills – Abilities required to sell effectively.

Remote Sales – Selling products without physical meetings.

Subscription Service – Recurring payment-based business model.

Customer Experience Architect – Professional designing customer journeys.

Business Owners – Individuals who own and operate businesses.

Founders – People who start a company.

Entrepreneurs – Individuals who create and scale businesses.

CXOs – Senior executives like CEO, CTO, CFO.

Relationship Skills – Ability to maintain strong professional connections.

SOP Documents – Standard Operating Procedures for consistency.

Hacker House – Shared living space for builders and startups.

Coworking Space – Shared office environment for professionals.

Indie Hackers – Independent founders building profitable products.

Side Projects – Secondary projects outside main business.

Portfolio – Collection of work or projects.

Agency – Business providing services to clients.

Agency Letterhead – Branded document header for official use.

Full-Stack Entrepreneur – Founder who handles tech, marketing, and business.

Distribution - Process of delivering a product to target customers efficiently

Bootstrapping - Building a business using own funds only