When you decided to start your business you likely looked at your existing skills as key assets supporting your goal of entrepreneurship, as you should. My question to you today is, given your skills and business track record, do you consider yourself an expert in your field and is becoming an expert even a goal for you?
I know quite a few people who are running businesses selling their services and products and doing so quite successfully but I’m not certain all of them consider themselves “experts” in what they do and I think I know why. Positioning yourself as an “expert” in your field is to assert a level of knowledge and experience that is superior to your competitors. It’s also a public declaration to customers and clients that they can expect you to deliver the absolute best at what is offered in your segment of the market place.
For some people, articulating how good they really are is difficult to do. They consider it bragging and while they’re all for promoting their businesses there is a nervousness about crossing the line between good promotion and possible hype.
I say “get over it.” Hype is when there is nothing behind what you’re promoting. When you know what you’re doing and doing it well, asserting yourself as an expert is a way to build help your prospective customers to have a high degree of confidence in your/your business’ abilities. Keep in mind that ideally, you’re in business because you love what you do–being or becoming an expert in your field is a natural progression.
Getting There: Education and Training
Any professional with a successful track record is in a state of continual learning. For example, the most well respected doctors are typically learning from their patients, asking questions that lead to better patient care, comparing experiences, participating in continuing education seminars and taking an interest in their profession that leads to a level of satisfaction that benefits their patients.
If you’re a consultant, coach, publisher, copywriter, designer, programmer, virtual assistant, accountant, product manufacturer or any other type of small business owner, there are many areas of your business that you need to understand but what is most important is that you be considered a knowledgeable leader in your segment of the marketplace.
Your customers want to know that they are in good hands. They want you to be that “expert” that can solve their problems. If you think you’re at that point now that is excellent! If you’re not confident that you’re the expert your clients and customers expect now’s the time to take action to develop that level of expertise.
Accessing the education and training needed to make you and your business the success you’ve dreamed of is an exciting and exhilarating challenge that is truly a lifelong, satisfying journey. Markets are always changing and best-practices change right along with customer needs. There’s no way to keep on top of all you need to know unless you ensure that you have constant access to relevant and timely education and training resources.
Resources
Here are some ideas of the kinds of resources you can tap into to reinforce your knowledge base and strengthen your ability to provide the most competitive, high-quality degree of service/product delivery available in your market.
- Professional Associations or Mentorship Groups in your field: There are thousands of professional associations for just about every field of specialty in the marketplace. In addition to joining your specialized group/association where members operate businesses similar to yours, I highly recommend peer mentorship groups where you might meet business owners operating all kinds of businesses. The point of joining such a group is to get support and ideas to propel your business from a strategic standpoint. I highly recommend this solopreneur peer mentorship group.
- Use the Internet to access reliable resources to help encourage, educate and motivate you. Here at Small Business Study we have a free e-book that offers profiles on the entrepreneurial journeys of a few successful entrepreneurs that I think you’ll enjoy.
- Join a LinkedIn discussion group related to your area of expertise. The questions raised by members are often times the kinds of questions you might ask yourself about a particular issue or problem. Best of all LinkedIn is free!
- Read about your business passion! Venture onto Amazon and search out books that have been recommended by peers or experts you respect. If you haven’t the time to dedicate to a book right now, think about purchasing an audio version of your current book selection and listen as you work, en route to a client’s office or while waiting to pick up the kids from school.
- Participate in seminars and conferences. In-person events like this offer a concentrated opportunity to learn, interact with others who may be at the top of their field and generally enjoy yourself in one of those rare opportunities where you’re not locked up in your office or knee deep in work.
Let me know about your small business journey to becoming an expert in your field and leave a comment below.
