Let’s get into it.

Anyone can now have the best engineer, copywriter or marketer at their fingertips just by opening the ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini app.

At this point the model doesn’t even matter (for general purposes), they will all likely outperform you on any given task unless you’re a PhD or post doc on a somewhat specific topic that LLMs haven’t studied thoroughly yet. But that time will come sooner than later (2027 they say?), so my point still stands.

And considering that only around 0.1% of the population has a PhD (Source: OECD, 2022), which entails around an extra 10 years of studies after high school, beating the model is and will be an extremely hard endeavor.

You don't need to be in the top 1% at one thing. Be in the top 20% at five things, and stack them. Not even 5, the compound effects start at mixing barely 2.

Code + Design = The Builder. Someone who can make things that actually look good. Ships products, not prototypes.

Code + Marketing = The Growth Hacker. Someone who can build the funnel and the tool that optimizes it. Automates what others do manually.

Design + Marketing = The Brand. Someone who can make it look right and get it in front of people. Controls the entire perception.

Want the triple combo too? Code + Design + Marketing = The One-Person Startup.

Sprinkle in strategic thinking (mental models, etc.) + data (factual decision making) and your path to $1M ARR is as clear as glacier water.

Now let’s do an inversion exercise and take individuals that are deep at one skill:

Design: Can make a product look world-class but can't get a single person to see it. Spends 40 hours perfecting a landing page that gets 12 visitors.

Code: Can build anything but it looks like it was designed in 2009. Ships a powerful tool that nobody trusts because it looks like a scam.

Marketing: Can get thousands of eyeballs on anything but has to outsource every single deliverable. Knows exactly what would convert but can't build or design it without hiring someone.

Data & Analytics: Can tell you exactly what's wrong with the funnel but can't fix any of it. Writes a brilliant report that sits in a Google Doc while the numbers keep dropping.

Strategic Thinking: Can see the whole chessboard but can't move any of the pieces. Has the perfect plan and zero ability to execute it without a team.

Learn a new skill for 20 hours and you’ll know more about that topic than 80% of the population.

Sounds cool, sounds nice. But how do you actually get there? The math is quite simple:

You don't need to block out a weekend or sign up for a bootcamp. Two hours is one less Netflix episode and one less doomscroll session.

Put them back to back or split them up, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're spending them on deliberate practice, not passive tutorials. Build something. Break something. Fix it. That's how 20 hours turns into a real skill and not just a vague sense that you watched some videos.

You probably have an idea, but this will help you make the right choice.

If you want to figure that our, take this 5 question, 30 second quiz:

What's your missing skill? (+ FREE resource guide for you to learn it)

The real flex in 2026 isn't knowing one thing deeply. It's being the person in the room who can prototype it, design it, get it in front of people, measure whether it's working, and decide what to do next. Use the tools that popped on the last step of the quiz. Not affiliated, just based on my personal experience.

That's your entire action plan. No course to buy, no masterclass to sign up for. Just 2 hours, one skill, and the discipline to actually start.

What do you want me to cover next? Just reply to let me know. This newsletter is built on what you actually need.

If this was useful, forward it to that friend. Yep, the one that just popped into your mind.

Stefano (@stefano_martell on X)

Co-Founder, The AI Leverage by Bestapps.ai

PS: AI Tool worth sharing