A lot of people ask me for the single most important skill a startup founder can have. And I keep on saying the same thing. That skill is the art of sales. As a founder, you will be in a perpetual loop of selling. 

When we talk about selling, the majority of people think of selling to clients. But that is not just all. But of course, as a founder, you will need to sell to clients. That is the only way your startup will earn any sort of revenue. You need to convince a client to part with their money. For a client to do this, they will have to be convinced that you are in the best position to solve their problem. So sell to clients. 

A startup founder will also need to sell to employees. Let's be honest, working at a startup, especially one that isn't venture-backed is tough work. Many employees would rather work at legacy companies where the job security is greater, and the work is shared among a large workforce. 

So convincing people to work at your startup is the mark of a great founder. You will need to sell to them the vision. The employees will need to understand that this is greater than the salary. This is especially true especially when trying to make key hires in senior positions. 

You will also need to sell to investors. Investors are always bombarded with pitch decks from founders. For every 10 pitch decks, less than 1 are funded. In 100 pitch decks that the investors look out for, they will invest in less than 10. 

The logic for investors to back a startup is simple. They will have to believe that the startup can make them substantial returns. So as a founder, you have to sell this vision to them. You have to convince them that your startup will give them those returns. 

So if a startup founder had to master one skill, it should be selling. Sale to customers, to employees and to investors. And this isn't a one-time job. It is a loop that a founder will do all the time, every day. .