Business

CEO of 8-Figure Company Says You Don’t Need to Be an Expert for Your Business to Thrive — You Just Need This Mindset

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In 2025, the business world is defined by complexity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, automating tasks and outpacing human specialists across multiple fields. Recently, Workday laid off 8.5% of its workforce, totalling over 1,700 staff, due to AI. If you are a professional or an entrepreneur, the future can appear uncertain, if not scary. Yet, some entrepreneurs are thriving — not by doubling down on specialization but by embracing versatility. A McKinsey & Company study found that AI-driven automation could reshape up to 30% of hours worked across the U.S. economy by 2030, increasing the demand for adaptable, cross-disciplinary skills. This shift requires a new way of thinking: the mindset of what I call the “all-in-one entrepreneur”.

As the CEO of Builderall, a comprehensive marketing platform that has supported over two million businesses worldwide, I have my finger on the pulse of what the best-performing companies are doing to stay cutting edge. For too long, entrepreneurs have been told that success lies in mastering a single skill or discipline. The phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” has been used as a warning against being too broad in focus. But the full quote tells a different story:

“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” The message is clear: Versatility is an advantage. In today’s fast-changing world, the ability to connect the dots across disciplines is far more valuable than narrow expertise.

Table of Contents

Why specialization is losing its edge

For centuries, specialization was the gold standard of success. Adam Smith’s book, The Wealth of Nations (1776), highlighted how dividing labor into specialized tasks spurred economic progress, and this approach fueled the Industrial Revolution. However, the same forces that once made specialization so effective — efficiency and productivity — are now driving its decline.

A 2023 Goldman Sachs report estimates that AI could replace up to 300 million full-time jobs globally in the coming years. Many of these are highly specialized roles in fields like accounting, legal work and data analysis. Similarly, a McKinsey study found that 50% of workplace tasks could potentially be automated using existing technology.

Software engineering, once considered a rock-solid career choice, is already being disrupted. Tools like GitHub Copilot can now write code autonomously, reducing the demand for traditional programmers. The specialists who thrive in this new environment won’t be those who only know how to code — they’ll be the ones who understand how coding integrates with business strategy, user experience and product management.

Specialists aren’t disappearing, but specialization alone is no longer enough to stay competitive. The future belongs to those who can integrate knowledge across multiple domains.

The power of the “all-in-one entrepreneur”

Throughout history, the most game-changing thinkers weren’t specialists — they were polymaths. Consider Leonardo da Vinci, who combined art, science, engineering and anatomy, producing ideas centuries ahead of his time. Michelangelo was not just a sculptor, but also an architect, poet and military engineer. Benjamin Franklin was a writer, inventor, diplomat and scientist — his breadth of knowledge made him an influential force in history.

They thrived because they didn’t confine themselves to a single specialty — they saw connections others couldn’t. In business today, the same principle applies. The most successful entrepreneurs aren’t just great at one thing — they’re able to connect marketing with data, technology with business strategy, creativity with finance.

I saw this firsthand in my own career. I started as a designer, thinking that visuals alone could drive business success. But I quickly realized that I needed to understand development to bring my ideas to life. From there, I learned analytics to measure whether my designs were actually effective. That led me to marketing, because great design is useless if no one sees it.

With those tools in place, I could build revenue-generating businesses, so I needed to develop leadership and management skills to hire and scale. Then, after selling a few companies, I realized the power of finance and fundraising to take ventures even further.

I never set out to learn all of these things. Each new skill was a response to a challenge I faced. And over time, it became clear: The more I learned, the more control I had over my own success. This is what it means to be an “all-in-one entrepreneur.”

The costs of outsourcing your potential

Too many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of outsourcing what they don’t understand. It can be tempting to hire an “expert” marketing agency without knowing the basics of branding, delegate financial management without understanding cash flow or hand off tech decisions without knowing how they affect business operations.

This creates blind spots that can lead to costly mistakes. For example, an entrepreneur who’s great at product development but doesn’t understand marketing may struggle to reach an audience. A marketing-savvy entrepreneur who doesn’t grasp financial metrics like customer acquisition cost (CAC) or lifetime value (LTV) might overspend on campaigns that don’t generate profit.

The “all-in-one entrepreneur” avoids these pitfalls by learning just enough to make informed decisions and lead effectively. But with so much on your plate already, how is it possible to learn so many things?

How to embrace the all-in-one mindset

Adopting the “all-in-one entrepreneur” mindset is about progress, not perfection. You don’t need to master every skill overnight. Instead, focus on immersing yourself in each area enough to build a foundational understanding. My secret to this process is what I call “learn-sourcing”: hiring experts not just to do the work for you, but to do it with you.

With “learn-sourcing,” you gain practical experience while getting expert support. By collaborating with professionals, you learn the “why” behind the work, pick up their strategies and develop the confidence to make informed decisions.

Here’s how you can use “learn-sourcing” in the most critical areas:

1. Learn finance by working with a pro. If you don’t understand your numbers, you don’t understand your business. Hire a bookkeeper or financial consultant and review your financials with them regularly. Instead of mindlessly outsourcing, ask them to walk you through profit margins, cash flow and break-even points in real time.

2. Learn marketing by running your own ads. Even the best product fails without the right marketing. Instead of handing off marketing to an agency, bring in an expert to set up campaigns with you. Learn how to craft messaging, define targeting, and analyze performance, so you can make informed marketing decisions instead of guessing.

3. Learn leadership by hiring a coach. Scaling your business means scaling your ability to manage people. Work with a leadership coach or mentor, but don’t just take advice — shadow them in real leadership scenarios. Observe how they handle team communication, conflict resolution, and company vision and apply those lessons to your own business.

Note that some vendors will be uncomfortable with this arrangement. That’s okay; it means they are not the right fit for you. Initially, it might be harder to find people who can work this way, but I’ve found that the ones who embrace it are more confident in their ability. As an added bonus, talking through the different steps actually helps them to do a better job.

The future of business demands more

Being an “all-in-one entrepreneur” isn’t about knowing everything — it’s about knowing enough to connect ideas, solve problems and adapt to whatever comes next.

Don’t just outsource — “learn-source.”
Don’t just hire experts — work with them.
Don’t just stay in your lane — expand your skill set.

The future doesn’t belong to specialists. The future belongs to those who learn faster, think bigger and do more.

Intellectual Insider

+ posts

A blog which focuses on business, Networth, Technology, Entrepreneurship, Self Improvement, Celebrities, Top Lists, Travelling, Health, and lifestyle. A source that provides you with each and every top piece of information about the world. We cover various different topics.

Business

13 Jobs Without College or AI: Salaries Can Start at $70k+

As the cost of a college education continues to climb, with average tuition and fees seeing a 60% jump between 2000 and 2022, some young adults wonder about the return on such a significant investment — and how rapid advancements in AI might impact their entry-level job prospects.

Big Tech companies, including Google, Meta and Microsoft, recruited fewer recent graduates in 2024 than they did in previous years, per a recent report from venture capital firm SignalFire. The firm’s head of research, Asher Bantock, told TechCrunch that “convincing evidence” points to AI as a major contributor.

Of course, tech roles aren’t the only ones at risk of automation: McKinsey & Company estimated that between 400 and 800 million individuals across occupations could lose their jobs to AI by 2030.

Resume Now, a resume writing service company established in 2004, set out to find the top jobs that don’t require a college degree, are “AI-resistant” and offer starting salaries of $50,000 or more.

Resume Now’s report, which analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, honed in on 13 promising roles — all of which are growing faster or much faster than other jobs on the market.

According to the data, several trade professions led the list in terms of median pay: forest fire inspectors ($71,420), flight attendants ($68,370) and lodging managers ($65,360).

“Careers requiring significant human interaction, manual dexterity in unpredictable environments and complex problem-solving in real-time” emerged as those least susceptible to AI’s rise, the research found.

Read on for Resume Now’s full ranking of the top 13 fast-growing, higher-paying and AI-resistant careers for high school graduates:

Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
Flight attendants
Lodging managers
Electricians
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters
Industrial machinery mechanics
Chefs and head cooks
Hearing aid specialists
Personal service managers
Maintenance workers, machinery
Insurance sales agents
Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
Security and fire alarm systems installers

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

Intellectual Insider

+ posts

Business

Chuck E. Cheese Is Opening an Arcade Concept for Adults

1751485629 chucks arcade and pizzeria in kansas city mo

Kids’ eatery and birthday party staple Chuck E. Cheese is opening an arcade concept for adults featuring the company’s classic games, new technology, and its famed animatronic characters, according to a press release.

The concept, which was announced on Monday, caters to adults longing for childhood nostalgia and those who grew up going to Chuck E. Cheese restaurants. The 10 Chuck’s Arcade locations will open in eight states, including the one-of-a-kind Chuck’s Arcade and Pizzeria in Kansas City, Missouri, the company notes, which features a full menu.

“Chuck E. Cheese has spent decades mastering the arcade experience — it’s in our DNA,” said David McKillips, CEO of Chuck E. Cheese, in a statement. “Chuck’s Arcade is a natural evolution — an opportunity to extend our arcade legacy into new formats that engage both lifelong fans and a new generation through a curated mix of retro classics and cutting-edge experiences.”

^{Chuck E Cheese Statue and Retro Games at Chuck’s Arcade in Buford, GA. Provided by Chuck E. Cheese.}

Chuck’s Arcade locations are now open in major malls in St. Petersburg, Florida; Trumbull, Connecticut; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Victor, New York; Buford, Georgia; El Paso, Texas; Nashua and Salem, New Hampshire; and St. Louis, Missouri. There are “more locations on the horizon,” the company said.

Each arcade is “overseen” by an animatronic character from Chuck E. Cheese’s of the past, which will now stand “watch as a nostalgic nod rather than performing.” Some locations will have retro-themed merchandise, according to the press release, including logoed apparel, toys, novelty candy, and classic prize redemption items.

^{Merchandise Counter at Chuck’s Arcade in Buford, GA}

Although the company says the concept was “created for adults and lifelong fans,” it doesn’t say that kids aren’t allowed, per se, as most are located in malls. Check your local location for more information.

Click here for the full list of Chuck’s Arcade locations.

The rest of this article is locked.

Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

Intellectual Insider

+ posts

Business

The Dumbbell Investing Strategy: Balancing Risk and Safety

Ever since I left my day job in 2012, I’ve used a form of the dumbbell investing strategy to grow my wealth while protecting against large losses. It’s a framework that’s helped me stay invested during uncertain times—especially when I felt the urge to hoard cash or sit on the sidelines.

If you’re in a situation where you know you should take some risk, but you’re also worried about losing money, the dumbbell investing strategy is worth considering.

Table of Contents

What Is the Dumbbell Investing Strategy?

The dumbbell investing strategy involves allocating a roughly equal portion of your investable assets into high-risk, high-reward investments on one end, and low-risk, capital-preserving investments on the other.

If you’re operating with a 50/50 risk split—like I suggest in my post about when to stop taking excess risk—you’re already applying a version of the strategy. It’s especially useful when you’re uncertain about the macroeconomic environment or your personal financial situation.

Why I First Embraced the Dumbbell Strategy

The most uncertain times in my life were:

Graduating from college without a written offer from a Wall Street firm
Leaving my career at 34 and wondering whether I had made a huge mistake
Becoming a father in 2017 and questioning whether our passive income was truly enough

Each time, I wanted to invest in my future and my family’s, but fear held me back. So I deployed the dumbbell investing strategy after I retired and when I became a father to give myself the psychological permission to take action. Because the longer you avoid taking any investment risk, the more likely you are to fall behind.

Why I’m Deploying the Dumbbell Strategy Again in 2025

Today, I’m more financially secure than in the past. But I’m also a lifelong investor, and right now the market gives me pause. Between tariffs, new legislation, stretched valuations, elevated interest rates, and AI hype cycles, I’m not rushing to load up on the S&P 500 at 22X forward earnings.

Still, I believe in dollar-cost averaging and that the market will be higher over time. But when uncertainty is high, the temptation to hoard cash increases. The problem? By the time certainty returns, the easy gains have often already been made.

Take the March–April 2025 tariff-induced selloff. If you waited for resolution, instead of buying the dip, you would’ve missed out on a 20%+ rebound. The best returns tend to go to those who act when others are frozen.

This is why, rather than stop investing, I’m leaning on the dumbbell strategy again.

The Conservative End of My Dumbbell

As the person responsible for our family’s financial well-being, I feel constant pressure to deliver a good-enough lifestyle, if not a great lifestyle. Every dollar saved or invested in risk-free income is a step closer to peace of mind.

My ultimate goal is to generate $380,000 in gross passive income a year, up from about $320,000 currently. That $60,000 gap is what I’m methodically trying to close by the end of 2027.

With Treasury yields still above 4%, I saw a great opportunity to lock in solid returns with no risk. So I deployed capital into a mix of short-term and longer-duration government bonds.

On one end of my dumbbell, I purchased:

$100,993.74 in 3-month Treasury bills yielding ~4.45%
These will mature soon, and I’ll continue to roll them into similar duration or longer-term bonds, depending on interest rate trends

Over the next 12 months, this position alone will generate roughly $4,450 in risk-free passive income, reducing my annual deficit to about $53,550. Passive income progress feels wonderful!

Dumbbell investing strategy - Conservative Party with $100,000 in Treasury Bills

The Aggressive End Of My Dumbbell

Now that I’ve shored up the conservative end of my dumbbell investing strategy, it’s time to swing to the aggressive side.

I could simply invest another $100,000 into the S&P 500, which I normally allocate around 70% of my public equity exposure to. But the S&P 500 feels expensive today, and I’m already heavily invested. Instead, I want to put capital toward what I’m both most interested in—and most concerned about: artificial intelligence.

AI is already disrupting the job market, and my biggest worry is that it will make spending a fortune on college an increasingly poor financial decision. Entry-level jobs are at the highest risk of being automated or eliminated. As a parent of two young children (8 and 5), this concern weighs heavily on my mind.

To hedge against a potentially difficult employment future for them, I feel it’s imperative to invest in the very technology that might harm their prospects. Ideally, they’ll learn how to harness AI to boost their productivity, or even join an AI company and build wealth of their own. But those outcomes are uncertain.

What I can do now is invest directly in the AI revolution on their behalf.

Investing In Artificial Intelligence

As a result, I’ve invested another $100,000 in Fundrise Venture, which holds positions in leading AI companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Databricks, and Anduril. If AI ends up eating the world, I want to make sure they have a seat at the table—at least financially. I’m also investing additional capital through closed-end venture capital funds as they call capital. I’m also investing additional capital through closed-end venture capital funds as they call capital.

My hope is that owning a basket of private AI companies will compound at a much faster rate than the S&P 500, given these companies are growing much faster. But of course, there are no guarantees.

Financial Samurai Innovation Fund investment

The Dumbbell Investment Strategy Is Best for Deploying New Cash

The dumbbell investing strategy made it easy for me to invest a little over $200,000 in cash from my home sale. Allocating $100,000 into T-bills gives me peace of mind that, no matter how bad the economy or markets get, at least half of my investment is completely safe and earning risk-free interest.

Meanwhile, if AI mania continues, I have $100,000 positioned to ride the wave higher. Both allocations make me feel good—and how you feel about your investments matters. The more confident you are, the more likely you’ll stay invested and keep building wealth by investing more. That’s why, if I receive another influx of cash or want to redeploy existing funds, I’ll likely continue growing this dumbbell strategy.

The dumbbell approach works best when you have new money to invest or idle cash sitting around during uncertain times. However, rebalancing an existing portfolio into a 50/50 split between risk-free and risk assets is a different matter. Your broader asset allocation should reflect your age and stage in life. A 50/50 allocation might be appropriate, but large rebalancing moves can trigger tax consequences you must consider carefully.

Example Of Using The Dumbbell Strategy To Get To An Ideal Overall Net Worth Allocation

For example, suppose I already have a $1 million investment portfolio and inherit $200,000 in cash, bringing my net worth to $1.2 million. At 45 years old with 10 more years of planned work ahead, I’m comfortable taking more risk. I’d be fine investing 90% of my net worth ($1,080,000) in risk assets and starting a side business to pursue growth opportunities.

If my original portfolio consisted of $980,000 in risk assets and $20,000 in cash and bonds, I could easily apply the dumbbell strategy by allocating $100,000 of the new cash to municipal bonds and $100,000 to stocks. This would bring my total to $1,080,000 (90%) in risk assets and $120,000 (10%) in risk-free investments—perfectly aligning with my ideal 90/10 allocation.

Conclusion: A Simple Framework for Peace of Mind and Growth

The dumbbell investing strategy offers a clear and practical way to deploy new cash, especially during times of uncertainty. By allocating capital to both low-risk and high-risk assets, you gain the emotional reassurance of safety while maintaining exposure to upside potential. It’s a flexible approach that can be tailored to your financial goals, risk tolerance, and stage in life.

Whether you’re investing an inheritance, reallocating proceeds from a home sale, or simply sitting on excess cash, the dumbbell strategy provides structure without sacrificing opportunity. Best of all, it helps you stay motivated and confident—two essential ingredients for long-term investing success.

So the next time you find yourself with idle cash and decision paralysis, consider the dumbbell approach. You just might sleep better at night while still building wealth during the day.

Readers, have you ever considered using the dumbbell investing strategy during times of uncertainty? What potential flaws or additional benefits do you see with this approach? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Balance Risk and Reward With a Free Financial Check-Up

If you’re sitting on new cash or reevaluating your portfolio during uncertain times, a second opinion can make all the difference. One smart move is to get a free financial check-up from a seasoned Empower financial advisor.

Whether you have $100,000 or more in taxable accounts, savings, IRAs, or a 401(k), an Empower advisor can help you spot hidden fees, unbalanced allocations, or overlooked opportunities to improve your risk-adjusted returns. It’s a no-obligation way to stress-test your current strategy—whether you’re building a dumbbell portfolio or considering a full rebalance.

Clarity brings confidence. And when it comes to investing, confidence helps you stay the course.

The statement is provided to you by Financial Samurai (“Promoter”) who has entered into a written referral agreement with Empower Advisory Group, LLC (“EAG”). Click here to learn more.

Go Beyond Stocks and Bonds: Passive Real Estate Investing with Fundrise

A classic dumbbell strategy includes bonds and equities—but don’t forget about real estate. I like to treat real estate as a hybrid: it offers the income stability of bonds with the potential appreciation of stocks.

I’ve invested over $400,000 with Fundrise, a platform that allows you to passively invest in diversified portfolios of residential and industrial properties—many in the high-growth Sunbelt region. With over $3 billion in assets under management and a low $10 minimum, Fundrise has been a core part of my investment strategy, especially when I’ve had cash to redeploy.

Want exposure to the next wave of innovation? Fundrise also offers Venture, giving you access to private AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Databricks. As mentioned earlier, I’m heavily focused on AI’s transformative potential and want exposure not just for returns—but for my kids’ future too.

With a dumbbell strategy, it’s not just about balance—it’s about positioning yourself for both security and growth.

To increase your chances of achieving financial independence, join 60,000+ readers and subscribe to my free Financial Samurai newsletter here. Financial Samurai began in 2009 and is the leading independently-owned personal finance site today. Everything is written based off firsthand experience.