FBC – 336 – The best way to learn a new skill

Today, we are going to talk about the best way to learn a new skill and avoid all the pitfalls that usually plague your learning curve.

There is a critical concept that you need to master in order to learn ANYTHING effectively and confidently.

You are going to discover it in this episode.

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I wanted to talk to you about a big mistake that a lot of marketers will make. So a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs will actually make this mistake.

OK, so we're talking here about success. Just the same way you have a career path, right? You join a company and then there are a few levels before you're managing like a whole department or you own your own company and stuff like that. And it's the same thing when you become an entrepreneur.

Because the problem is that with the amount of information that's available on the Internet, you can see pretty much everything and nothing at the same time. You can see how there is dropship, there is affiliation, there is selling your product. And then there is, I don't know, like building an app and blah, blah, blah, becoming an influencer and all that stuff.

And it gets really, really confusing for a lot of people. And some of these things are actually too advanced for them to worry about it at that specific point. Right. So just like when you're learning a new skill, you need to start with the basics.

It's the same thing in business. So you need to be able to start with the basics and have something called a career success path that takes you from one step to the other. Right. In a lot of different fields, there are some requirements that you need in order to be able to get to a certain stage.

So stage one. So when you're learning how to drive, the first day they're not going to put you on the highway and say well, that's it, my friend. Let's go.

They would teach you the basics. So you'll go in the parking lot. They will teach you how to steer, how to use the gear stick, how to use this, how to use that. And then afterwards, once you're comfortable enough, then you going to move to an actual part of town where you have like streets that are not too busy.

The best way to learn a new skill

So once you master this and you know how to park, you know how to spot where the vehicles are coming, you get a little bit more comfortable. Then you are going to move to busier streets. And then afterwards, eventually, you may move to the highway.

And then afterwards, once you've done the highway and all the parking and all that stuff, then you're ready to go and get your license. This is how it works.

And it works the same way in business on line. I think the biggest problem is people. They’re learning and getting ahead of themselves, you know, if you know the expression, don't get ahead of yourself because worrying about how you're going to get on the highway when you've never driven a car is unnecessary stress that you're putting on yourself.

It gets confusing and stuff. And you need to take it step by step and only worry about the step you're at right now. And when you're studying anything, you need to understand this. It's very easy to see what other people are doing. Some people were like a lot more advanced than you. And you're like comparing yourself to them and stuff like that. We all do it. I do it as well.

But you need to remember something, dude. There are some steps in there, some milestones, and I'm just not there yet. I shouldn't be worried about this. Now, let me worry about the part where I'm concerned now.

OK, so whatever it is that you guys want to do, don't get too caught up in the advanced stuff. You're going to update the code like this and blah, blah. And I'm like, dude, you don't need to worry about that now. We can worry about that stuff later. Please just do something that gets you out there quickly and that doesn't confuse you too much because that type of complexity is going to delay your actions.

And you need to have the right expectations as well. The worst thing is that you have the wrong expectations. So if you are going to do something and you think it will take a week, and then realistically it takes six months. And because you just thought it was going to be a week, then you're like disappointed and just give up.

OK, so you need the time to acquire the skills. But it's not just the skills, it's the repetition as well. You need to see enough scenarios to understand the mechanics of a concept. You need a lot of practice before you can say I mastered this.

At the start, usually it's quite fast. Your learning curve is fast because you didn't know anything and now you're learning all this information. So you'll go from zero to 50, like very, very quickly. And then afterwards, acquiring all the skills will take more time because you need repetition. And at that point, a lot of people feel like you're not making any progress because they're not making progress as fast as they were in the previous step and they will just give up.

OK, so don't be one of them. So that's the message that I have for you today is please understand, you know, when you're just starting out, don't worry about the really, really advanced stuff. There are different milestones, different steps that you are in, phases that you have to go through. And they're essential to the whole learning process.

How I Actually Learn A New Skill Without Wasting Months

You keep starting new skills and quitting them, and you blame your discipline. It is not your discipline. It is your method. For years I collected courses like trophies, watched them at double speed, and retained almost nothing because I never did the one thing that makes learning stick. I never used it fast enough.

The concept that finally unlocked it was closing the gap between input and output. Learn a small piece, then immediately do something real with it, before the next lesson. That single loop turns passive watching into actual skill. The people research at HubSpot Research keeps showing that applied practice beats consumption by a wide margin, and my own results say the same, loudly.

So now I cap the input and force the output. One lesson, one messy attempt, then repeat, and I let the mistakes teach me faster than any tutorial could. The skills and career pieces at HubSpot echo this, that reps under real conditions build competence that theory never touches. I break down my exact learning routine inside my Substack, and I demonstrate it on real projects across my growth playlist. Stop collecting lessons. Start shipping bad first attempts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to learn a new skill as an entrepreneur?

The fastest approach is focused practice combined with immediate application. Instead of consuming endless tutorials, spend 80% of your learning time actually doing the skill. Research by Anders Ericsson shows that deliberate practice with feedback loops accelerates skill acquisition by 3-5x compared to passive learning methods like watching videos or reading books.

How long does it take to become competent at a new business skill?

According to Josh Kaufman, you can become reasonably competent at any new skill in approximately 20 hours of focused practice. The key is breaking the skill into sub-skills, practicing the most important ones first, and removing barriers to practice. Most people overestimate the time needed because they confuse mastery (10,000 hours) with basic competence.

What common mistakes slow down the learning process for solopreneurs?

The three biggest mistakes are: trying to learn too many skills simultaneously, spending too much time on theory before practicing, and not getting feedback on your progress. Solopreneurs often fall into “tutorial hell” where they consume content without applying it. Setting a clear learning goal and deadline creates the urgency needed to actually practice.

How can busy entrepreneurs find time to learn new skills?

Block 30-60 minutes of dedicated learning time each morning before checking email or social media. This “first hour” approach leverages peak cognitive performance and eliminates scheduling conflicts. Studies show that consistent daily practice of even 20 minutes produces better results than occasional marathon learning sessions of several hours.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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