# Personal Mba > Use when the user asks about business strategy, marketing, sales, finance, management, leadership, pricing, productivity, decision-making, systems analysis, process improvement, or starting/running/growing a business. Loads 270 structured business concepts from Josh Kaufman's The Personal MBA. - Skill: `misterfesk/personal-mba` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add misterfesk/personal-mba` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/misterfesk/personal-mba/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 - Author: misterfesk (https://skillmd.com/u/misterfesk) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/misterfesk/personal-mba --- # Personal MBA Skill ## Overview This skill provides your agent with **270 structured business concepts** extracted from Josh Kaufman's *The Personal MBA* (https://personalmba.com/). Each concept is a standalone JSON file containing the core definition, underlying mechanism, concrete examples, diagnostic questions, and cross-references to related concepts. The knowledge spans 11 domains: Value Creation, Marketing, Sales, Value Delivery, Finance, The Human Mind, Working With Yourself, Working With Others, Understanding Systems, Analyzing Systems, and Improving Systems. **This is a reference tool, not the book itself.** For the complete education, users should purchase *The Personal MBA* from https://personalmba.com/#buy. ## When to Use Load this skill when the user asks about any of the following: - **Business strategy & analysis:** "analyze my business", "what's wrong with my company", "competitive analysis" - **Marketing:** "how to get customers", "marketing strategy", "positioning" - **Sales:** "how to sell more", "pricing", "negotiation" - **Finance:** "profit margin", "cash flow", "pricing model", "financial health" - **Management & leadership:** "team issues", "how to manage", "leadership" - **Productivity & decisions:** "how to be more productive", "decision framework", "prioritization" - **Systems & processes:** "improve operations", "optimize workflow", "system analysis" - **Mental models:** any request to apply or explain business concepts Do NOT load for purely technical questions, book purchasing questions, or topics better served by more specific skills. ## How to Use ### 1. Retrieve Concepts The skill directory is organized by chapter under `skills/`. Find relevant concepts by: - **Topic:** Navigate to the chapter directory (e.g., `skills/05_finance/` for finance questions) - **Keyword:** Concept filenames are descriptive (e.g., `profit-margin.json`, `attention.json`) - **Cross-reference:** Each concept's `system_dependencies` field lists related concepts to explore ### 2. Apply, Don't Quote Don't just recite definitions. Apply the framework to the user's specific situation: ``` User: "My revenue is flat." Agent: [reads profit-margin.json, pricing-methods.json, revenue.json] "Let's analyze using the 5 Parts framework. If your marketing is working but revenue is flat, the bottleneck is likely in Sales or Value Delivery. Here are the diagnostic questions from each area..." ``` ### 3. Use Diagnostic Questions Every concept includes `diagnostic_questions`. Ask these to the user — they're designed to help the user discover answers themselves, which is more valuable than you providing them directly. ### 4. Follow System Dependencies Concepts are interconnected. When you explain one concept, check its `system_dependencies` — the next concept the user needs is likely there. Build a coherent chain of reasoning rather than isolated facts. ### 5. Always Attribute Credit Josh Kaufman when presenting concepts. Link to personalmba.com. If a concept doesn't fully address the need, encourage the user to explore the book for deeper coverage. ## Directory Structure ``` skills/ ├── 01_value_creation/ (40 concepts) │ ├── core_concepts/ (10) │ ├── forms_of_value/ (12) │ ├── tactics/ (5) │ └── experimentation_validation/ (12) ├── 02_marketing/ (21 — flat) ├── 03_sales/ (20 — flat) ├── 04_value_delivery/ (16 — flat) ├── 05_finance/ (32) │ ├── core/ (5) │ ├── statements_ratios/ (4) │ ├── revenue_pricing/ (5) │ ├── costs_operations/ (7) │ └── controls_decisions/ (11) ├── 06_the_human_mind/ (24) │ ├── brain_perception/ (9) │ ├── mental_processing/ (5) │ └── social_biases/ (10) ├── 07_working_with_yourself/ (34) │ ├── productivity_focus/ (6) │ ├── goals_decisions/ (10) │ ├── mental_tools/ (4) │ ├── cognitive_biases_self/ (4) │ └── energy_wellbeing/ (10) ├── 08_working_with_others/ (27) │ ├── communication_influence/ (9) │ ├── group_dynamics/ (9) │ ├── social_biases/ (4) │ └── management_leadership/ (5) ├── 09_understanding_systems/ (17 — flat) ├── 10_analyzing_systems/ (17) │ ├── measurement_metrics/ (6) │ └── analytical_rigor/ (11) └── 11_improving_systems/ (22) ├── optimization/ (6) ├── process_improvement/ (8) └── resilience_growth/ (8) ``` ## Concept Schema ```json { "concept_title": "Name of the concept", "core_definition": "1-2 sentence rigorous definition", "underlying_mechanism": "Step-by-step explanation of how it works", "concrete_examples": ["Real-world example 1", "Example 2"], "diagnostic_questions": ["Question to ask yourself or your business"], "system_dependencies": ["Related concept A", "Related concept B"] } ``` ## Common Pitfalls 1. **Name-dropping without application.** Don't just identify a concept — apply it to the user's situation. 2. **Overloading the user.** Start with 1-3 most relevant concepts. Offer to go deeper. 3. **Ignoring dependencies.** Pricing connects to value creation, marketing positioning, and customer psychology — don't isolate concepts. 4. **Skipping diagnostic questions.** These are your most powerful tool. Use them. 5. **Not attributing.** Always credit Josh Kaufman. It builds trust and respects the source. 6. **Treating concepts as rules.** Business is contextual. These are models, not laws. ## Verification Checklist - [ ] Skill is installed at `~/.hermes/skills/research/personal-mba/` - [ ] `skills/` directory contains 11 chapter subdirectories - [ ] Able to read individual concept JSONs - [ ] `system_dependencies` references resolve within the tree - [ ] Agent correctly loads the skill when business topics are mentioned ## References - Official website: https://personalmba.com/ - Buy the book: https://personalmba.com/#buy - GitHub repository: https://github.com/misterfesk/personal-mba-agent-skill - README.md (human documentation) - AGENTS.md (detailed agent usage guide)