Forget MBAs! Anupam Mittal Reveals the Only 2 Skills You Need to Be a Successful Entrepreneur

Muskaan Kapoor

01 May 2025 — 3 min read

Anupam Mittal Shares the Only Two Skills You Really Need to Become an Entrepreneur

“What skills should I build as a student if I want to be an entrepreneur?” This is a question Anupam Mittal, Founder of Shaadi.com and Shark Tank India judge, is often asked. His answer, shared in a recent LinkedIn post, was simple yet powerful: Master the ability to sell and the ability to build.

While there’s no single playbook for entrepreneurial success, Mittal believes that these two skills are non-negotiable, not just for founders but for anyone who wants to be successful in a fast-changing world.

Selling: The Most Underrated Superpower

According to Anupam Mittal, the ability to sell is about much more than moving products. It’s about selling your vision, your ideas, your dream — first to yourself, then to others.

“You’ll need to convince people to join you, convince investors to fund you, convince customers to try you… and sometimes, convince yourself to keep going,” he explains.

This means learning to pitch, persuade, hustle, and repeat. Mittal is clear that sales isn't something to shy away from, it's the foundation of survival in entrepreneurship.

He reminds us, “Sales isn’t sleazy. It’s survival.”

Whether you’re raising funds, recruiting talent, or attracting users, if you can’t sell your story, your journey becomes a lonely one.

Building: The Power of Focused Problem-Solving

The second superpower Mittal highlights is the ability to build, not necessarily by coding, but by becoming obsessed with solving a real problem. This includes staying focused on one goal for a long period, even when everyone around you thinks you’re wrong.

“It’s being okay with being misunderstood,” he writes.

It also means staying committed when progress is unclear and momentum seems stalled. The ability to keep building in such conditions, Mittal says, is what makes you unbeatable.

Entrepreneurship isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon that demands mental resilience, sharp execution, and patience, all of which come from a builder’s mindset.

Skills Beyond Startups

What makes Mittal’s advice more relatable is that he doesn’t restrict it to startup founders.

“🎓 Students — these are life skills, not job titles.
👨‍💼 Professionals — being able to sell and build can unlock every door,” he writes.

In today’s world, where career paths are no longer linear, these skills serve anyone, whether you’re launching a side hustle, managing a corporate team, or switching industries.

These two skills, once developed, offer the ability and confidence to thrive across roles, industries, and economies.

Start Now, Not Later

Mittal closes his post with an important reminder: “There is no ‘right time.’ You start Learning. You Start Selling. You Start Building. The rest will follow 🚀”

This reflects his long-held belief that action beats perfection. Instead of waiting for the ideal plan or moment, just start. Learn by doing. Improve as you go.

This aligns with another post he had shared earlier, where he spoke about career growth and skill-building for the modern workforce, covered here on StartupTalky. He has consistently engaged his audience with practical, real-world advice drawn from his own entrepreneurial experiences.

To sum up

If you’re looking to build a career, whether as an entrepreneur or not, focus on mastering just two things: Sell with purpose. Build with obsession. That’s the starting point, and as Anupam Mittal says, “The rest will follow.”