One of the biggest things that can often trip business owners up, especially those who are just starting out or who are thinking about started something new, is uncertainty surrounding how qualified they are to do whatever it is they are thinking about doing.
How can we know if we are expert enough? What are the criteria we should use to decide if we're really ready to start the next thing? Do we have actually enough experience and clout and value?
All of these are really common questions, which is why NJ and I are going to dive into cracking this nut so you can build confidence and move forward with decisive clarity when these kinds of questions pop into your head.
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Here's the deal: every entrepreneur at some point or another will most likely experience doubt surrounding whether or not they are qualified to be doing what they're doing.
It is one of the most limiting mindset beliefs one can hold as an entrepreneur, and will hold you back from being successful because it keeps you from being decisive.
If you’re scared that you don’t have enough value, then you’re not going to ask and you’re not going to make decisions, therefore things just aren't going to happen. When we allow this to happen, our lack of success isn't ultimately because we weren't expert enough....it's because we allowed ourselves to be indecisive and not do anything.
So bottom line: don't let your mindset keep you from DOING!
How to Know if You're Expert Enough
There are two things we often get worried about:
1) We question our expertise thinking we need to learn everything there is to know about something before acknowledging the value of what we have to give
2) We are scared to do things because we don't yet know how to do them
With regard to the first point, you have to decide for yourself how much learning and experience and expertise is enough to do what needs done? And you also need to recognize that ongoing education and refining of your expertise should always happen.
With regard to the second point, we can't let ourselves get stuck in a catch 22 of never doing something because we're afraid since we haven't done it before, which leads to us never starting, and continuing the cycle of never doing anything. You'll never be an expert in an area until you've actually done it!
If you want to be perceived as the expert that you really are about something, you need to own the belief that you know more about something than someone else, therefore you're able to speak about it with intelligence and authority. If you can do that, you've got something!
The Power of Positioning
Part of establishing yourself as an expert is learning how to position yourself as an expert. This involves strategic visibility and positioning of your knowledge.
You need to figure out where people are on the spectrum of your knowledge, and as long as there are people behind you on that spectrum you'll always have something to teach.
However, from the perspective of the life cycle of your ideal client, you want to position yourself so that you can be their expert for as long as possible. So start teaching several levels behind you if possible.
The Power of Influence
Something that's important when establishing yourself as an expert in a certain area is having a person with greater expertise than you in your close sphere of influence, like a coach or a mentor. Their knowledge will seep down to you which you’ll be able to take, own and trickle down to your people.
Having other people who are just one or two steps ahead of you, or even right where you are but with different experience and perspective, is also important. These can be your biz besties, accountability partners, mastermind members, etc.
Having people in your life like this can help you sift through your thoughts, ideas, concerns and fears to determine which may be valid and which aren't. These people will add value to your life and business by helping you build confidence.
Things to Remember
The bottom line is this: you need to know there is room for you at the table. Don't fall into the trap of comparing where you're at with where someone else is in a different point of their journey.
Start with what you've got and build from there. If you do that, and are decisive about it along the way, success won't be far off.
Referenced in the Show:
(Just FYI, some of these links may be affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using the links I may receive some love in return!)
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