How Being 'Pretty Good' at Many Things Transformed My Career

They say the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But my career path chose the scenic route, weaving through communications, technology, finance, and back again – creating something far more valuable than any direct route could have offered.

My journey from public relations to tech entrepreneurship, through an unexpected detour in accounting, and back to tech might seem random at first glance. But there's a method to this apparent madness – what Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, brilliantly termed a "talent stack."

"If you want something extraordinary," Adams wrote, "you have two paths: 1) Become the best at one specific thing. 2) Become very good at two or more things." I accidentally chose the second path before I knew it existed. While my university classmates competed for internships, I took a different route - knocking on doors to find my own clients. 'Why search for one job when I could find multiple clients?' was my naive but oddly prescient logic. Back then, I had no idea about talent stacks or specialized generalists.

Following my gut, I launched a digital agency that eventually landed contracts with giants like Ericsson and Procter & Gamble. While others were creating basic employee newsletters, I was building data-driven internal campaigns that connected leadership with sales performance. I wasn't the best communications specialist or the most technical analyst, but the combination made me uniquely valuable.

This mix of skills proved crucial when I launched my first tech venture, a freelancer marketplace platform. Most competitors were solving a technical problem. I saw a human one. Freelancers needed stable income, companies wanted vetted talent. Understanding these different perspectives, not just the technology, led to our platform's success and eventual exit through acquisition.

Then came what might seem like my biggest pivot: diving into accounting. Many questioned this move, but I saw it as adding another powerful layer to my talent stack. While working with small and medium-sized businesses at Deloitte, I noticed how my previous experiences gave me a different perspective. I wasn't just crunching numbers; I was reading stories in the financial statements, understanding the marketing strategies behind the revenue figures, and seeing the technological gaps in their operations.

The modern workplace increasingly rewards this kind of adaptability. I've watched traditionally siloed roles dissolve into more fluid positions that demand cross-functional expertise. For instance, today's marketing managers need to understand data analytics, developers need to grasp user experience principles, and financial analysts need to comprehend the technical architecture of the systems they're evaluating.

Building your talent stack doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't need to follow a predetermined path. Mine grew organically through curiosity and necessity. When our agency clients needed digital transformation, I learned tech. When dealing with investors and selling my first startup, I realized business instincts weren't enough – I needed to master financial fundamentals too. Each new skill amplified the others.

This multi-disciplinary background became invaluable when I left my job as a senior accountant to launch new ventures. One moment I'd be discussing code with developers, the next crafting marketing strategies, then diving into financial projections to plan our growth. Understanding both code and cash flow meant I could balance technical possibilities with financial realities when planning new product features.

Later, when I started an e-commerce brand, this approach helped again. Instead of becoming a supply chain expert, I focused on understanding just enough to make smart decisions and manage manufacturer relationships effectively. I learned to identify quality control red flags, negotiate MOQ terms, and balance inventory forecasts with cash flow – not as a supply chain specialist, but as an entrepreneur who knew which questions to ask.

This pattern repeated across every new venture. Rather than trying to master everything, I'd identify the critical knowledge needed to make informed decisions and build strong partnerships. It wasn't about being the smartest person in the room – it was about being smart enough to connect the dots between different rooms.

But here's what I've learned about building a talent stack: you don't need to master everything. Following the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 rule), I've focused on gaining the 20% of knowledge in each area that delivers 80% of the practical value. For instance, when dealing with developers, I didn't need to become a master coder. Understanding the fundamentals of system design and basic programming concepts was enough to make informed decisions and earn the team's respect.

Being multilingual proved invaluable when managing our global supply chain. Speaking Portuguese, some Spanish and Japanese, helped me navigate manufacturer relationships in Asia and research for potential market expansions in Latin America. It wasn't just about translation; it was about understanding different approaches to quality, timing, and business relationships.

I've found that the key to effective skill stacking is maintaining what some call a "learning rhythm." Rather than intense bursts of study followed by long gaps, I dedicate regular time to expanding my knowledge base. This might mean spending my morning routine listening to tech podcasts, using lunch breaks to read financial news, or blocking out "exploration time" each week to experiment with new tools and technologies.

For years, I've captured and connected ideas across different domains through note-taking. Recently, I discovered this approach has a name - the Second Brain framework. What started as a natural curiosity has evolved into a methodical system for spotting patterns across marketing, tech, and business.

For those looking to build their own talent stack, I recommend starting with an audit of your current skills and the adjacent possibilities. What complementary skills would make your core expertise more valuable? If you're in marketing, maybe it's data analytics. If you're in technology, perhaps it's business strategy. The goal isn't to become an expert in everything, but to develop enough understanding to create unique value through combination.

Like compound interest in finance, each skill in your stack multiplies the value of the others. Each new skill you add doesn't just contribute its own value – it enhances the value of every other skill in your stack. When I brought my PR and marketing experience to accounting, I could help clients tell their financial story more effectively. When I brought my accounting knowledge to tech, I could design products with better unit economics from the start.

In today's AI-driven world, talent stacking isn't just helpful – it's becoming essential for survival. As AI and automation transform the workplace, the ability to operate at the intersection of multiple domains will become increasingly valuable. The future belongs not to the specialists alone, but to those who can bridge specialties, seeing connections and opportunities that others miss.

Remember, the goal isn't to become a jack of all trades, master of none. Instead, aim to be what I call a "specialized connector" – someone with deep expertise in one or two areas and enough knowledge in complementary fields to create unique value. In my case, technology and business fundamentals form my core, while communications, finance, and cultural awareness create my distinctive professional signature.

Your talent stack should look different from mine – that uniqueness is precisely what makes it valuable. The unique combination of skills you develop becomes your professional superpower, making you not just valuable but irreplaceable in an increasingly automated world.