What skills should i get to start?

im a system administrator and have some ideas and small amount of money to spare.
Despite i am a tech guy, i actually have a problems learning programming(trying a few times with deplhi then with python). I understanding the basics like OOP, logic constructions and data handling, frameworks, can write a simple shell and python scripts etc. but just can't apply it to real world and honestly doesnt enjoy it. As a kid i am always been more interested in liberal arts so may be i just choose a wrong career.

So right now i just give up with programming and looking for skills i need to successfully manage a remote team. Obviously i should learn project management, HR skills, sales, marketing.
Recently i am figured out i dont enjoy administration anymore(5 yrs of experience) and more interested in management. I like technology field and won't leave it so i just trying to get a job as sales in IT company to a get a hands-on experience in selling IT stuff. Should i abandon technical skills(as we know they expire very fast) and move completely to learning management? What should i learn? Is it wise to leave a tech job and become a sales for example?

Any recommendation appreciated. I am from Russia, so only internet considered as valuable source for learning.

Management courses are designed to train middle management in large companies, they offer very little value for somebody who want to found a startup.

This goes for most of the skills you listed, you'll probably have a team of less than 10 (probably more like 3-5) people when you start - you don't need HR skills to manage 10 people, you also don't need much project management if those are smart people who can get things done (and if they are not you will fail anyway).

Sales and marketing are highly important, but the exact nature of those skills is completely different between fields (example: for a $40 software product sold on-line those are mostly SEO/SEM and maybe social media, for a $4,000,000 product it will be "traditional" salespeople who "hunt down" potential customers).

So my advice is - if you really want to do your own thing just do it, it will be difficult, it will be stressful and you will feel like you don't know what you are doing (but there's nothing you can do about it) - just keep your expenses to a minimum and be ready to change plans if your first idea doesn't work.

On the other hand, if you aren't very motivated to do your own thing and you just want a management job - try to get a management job at a large company, you will not have the motivation to "suffer" all the hardship of running a startup if all you want is a management job.

I just started to read "The E-Myth Revisited" http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285346818&sr=8-1 Which kinda deals with exactly this topic. How to start a business as a tech-guy. It is very interesting to read.

What skills should i get to start? 1) The single most critical skill, IMO, is time-management combined with advanced 'power-user' computer skills.

• Are you using AutoHotKey (or any macro program) to make everyday tasks easy and automatic?

2) I enjoy programming, and agree with you that it is not for everyone. In addition to management have you started to learn Internet marketing?

• Dive into social networks, but NOT just because everyone else is.

I think it's a great idea to try out a sales job to get some new experience. You also might look at a pre-sales engineer job, too, since it is a type of sales job, but leverages technical skills as well.

Andrew, If you have a clear idea for a Startup, then don't waste time on trying to acquire some skills before the start. Just do what should be done to start. Go That Way, Really Fast. You will learn a lot more this way. If you fail, you'll start again with more knowledge and experience. It is, if you want to start a business.

If you want to apply for a good job as an employee then yes, you should have certain skills beforehand to sell yourself successfully.

This depends on what you want to start. So go take a basic business class to see if business is even interesting to you. There are many people that do well with technical skills, many that do well with other liberal arts skills. In my experience enjoying what you do for work is a key factor in personal success. I suggest though you read more on job boards and job descriptions rather than a site dedicated to starting a business unless you have questions around that.
Luck