How many times have you heard someone say: “I can’t start this project because I don’t know how”?
That sentence is where most dreams quietly die.
But here’s the truth: nobody is born with skills. They are not gifts we either have or don’t have — they’re practices. They are learned, stacked, and refined. Every expert was once a beginner fumbling their way through.
Imagine a kid who wants to start playing piano or any other instrument. They don’t have a clue. Maybe they have a good ear, maybe they can sing, maybe they’re naturally musical — but on day one, they don’t even know where C is on the keyboard. And then, after two years of practice, suddenly they can fill a room with music so moving it brings tears to your eyes. That’s exactly what I’m witnessing now with my 10-year-old daughter, Vita.
So, don’t you talk to me about “I don’t know how!” Go, learn, execute! I’ve lived this truth twice in very different worlds
The Radio Years
When I was sixteen, I was just a teenager with a band and a dream. We recorded one of our songs in a professional studio — a huge deal for us back then. Somehow, through persistence and a little luck, our local radio station started playing it. I was invited for a short phone interview with the DJ who hosted the chart show.
That single moment lit a fire in me. Soon after, I heard that a student radio was launching in my hometown. I didn’t hesitate — I jumped in. That was my first playground to practice the craft: learning how to use my voice, manage a soundboard, fill dead air, and keep a listener hooked. It was all rough, unpolished, but it was where the foundation was laid.
By the time I entered professional radio, I had already practiced enough to find my footing. And then came the big leap — the morning show. For almost two decades, I woke up with an entire nation, learning every day how to tell stories, entertain, and connect. Eventually, I moved into radio consulting, shaping shows and helping others grow into their own voices.
What started as a teenage phone interview became a career — built on stacking skills I didn’t have at the beginning.
The Wine Years
Fast forward to 2025. Today, I’m building something completely different: a digital wine platform, complex enough to rival entire tech startups. And here’s the twist — I’m coding it myself, with the help of AI.
If you told me years ago that I would be writing code to power a business, I’d have laughed. But … when I was a kid in 1984, I had a ZX Spectrum, and I taught myself BASIC, the primitive language of that little computer. That early curiosity planted a seed. Over the years, I had side projects where I worked closely with developers. From them, I learned how to structure a database, how to communicate technical needs, how to test for bugs, and how to think logically about systems. I wasn’t coding myself then — but I was learning the language of builders.
Now, with AI as a partner and those past skills stacked together, I can do what once seemed impossible. If I had to hire a big external team, this project would never have even started. But by persisting, adapting, and learning step by step, I’m coding the backbone of a wine business on my own.
The Bigger Picture
This is the secret most people miss:
• Skills compound. Each one you learn makes the next easier.
• Skills stack. Sometimes you need several together to unlock something new.
• Skills are accessible. In our world today, with AI, online learning, and open communities, the excuse “I don’t know how” is thinner than ever.
So don’t give me “I don’t know how.” Nobody does at the beginning. That’s the point. You learn, you persist, you build.
Because the bridge between your idea and its reality isn’t luck, money, or permission.
It’s the skill you’re willing to practice today.
👉 Reflection for you, my friend: What’s the skill you need to start learning now — the one that could unlock your next big idea?
