Every single person has self-doubt and insecurities at some point in their lives but that doesn’t mean you have to sink under the weight of those insecurities. Instead of suffering in silence, take an action step to dig yourself out of that hole.
Engage with others on social media , be it facebook group or Instagram.
Write a blog post.
Post inspirational quotes.
Each of these tasks will help your business move forward while focusing your attention on your expertise instead of swallowing in self-loathing.
Hold yourself back from comparing yourself to others.
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” and you don’t know how many hurdles that other expert had to jump to reach their success.
How to Ignore the Negative Self-Talk and Embrace Your Expertise
First thing first, THINK of what you have done in the past..
What do you think about when you hear the word “expert”?
Do you picture a professor with certification or degree or do you picture yourself?
What makes you hesitate about putting your picture under the Expert heading?
Just think about your own experiences and your education, and you have clients, think about your training and your clients’ result .
If you are a blogger , think about your blog posts, your research, and your continuing education.
Do you think the average person signs up for specialized training? Regular people may do lots of reading about certain subjects they find interesting but they don’t necessarily call themselves a coach or an expert.
They don’t have the same passion you have for helping others or for learning every last detail of your specialty.
An interest, yes, but not necessarily a passion.
Let me break it to you:
If you have paying clients, you’re an expert.
If not , its time to find one.
Embrace Your Expertise
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of “expert” is “a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area.”
Notice how there’s no mention of degrees. There is nothing that says you have to have a Master’s or Ph.D. or any other letters after your name to be an expert (excluding the medical profession, of course).
In other lines of work, you’ll find that years of work experience often trumps formal education simply because not every life experience can be taught from a textbook.
The same can be said about the coaching business. You will find coaches who have gone through the certification process while you find other coaches who are successful business owners with no certification but who have learned lessons through their experience.
Of course, your credibility will grow if you become a certified coach and if your audience sees that you’re constantly learning and taking classes but when you’re just starting out, don’t be afraid to embrace your expertise and working experience because you definitely know more than your tribe.
You have done the research.
You have offered your expert advice to help others online.
You have a deep-rooted passion for your specialty and for helping your followers.
YOU are an expert.
Create an Online Class to Solidify Your Expert Status
Your followers want more from you, especially if they can’t afford your one-on-one coaching prices yet, so creating an online class is just one way to offer your expertise to the masses.
Stop Analysis Paralysis and Take Action
How many times have you thought of ideas for building your business only to get caught in the “analysis paralysis” that seems to plague solopreneurs?
You know the vicious cycle: You get a great idea, you get excited for it, but then weeks later you still haven’t started it and you’re losing steam.
Or, worse yet, you see a competitor who just launched a similar product and you talk yourself out of following through on your idea.
First of all, if there are competitive products based on similar topics, that’s a good thing. That means there’s a market willing to pay money for your information. You are also a unique individual who has unique talents and a unique way of speaking to her tribe, so why not put your own spin on a similar product?
Smart business owners will do some research, however, before starting the production process, primarily to cover their bases and include all the information their audience is craving.
Review your audience’s pain points and struggles. How can you address those in your product? Can you present your product differently than the competitors’ products?
What’s missing from their products that you can provide in your product? If you’re not sure how to answer these questions, simply ask your audience via email, survey, or social media. People love voicing their opinions so ask them!
Enlist Your VA for Maximum Productivity
Acting on your intuition when a product presents itself is vital to keeping up your momentum and avoiding analysis paralysis. Assign a simple task to your VA, such as creating a production timeline (and save it as a template for future products) or conducting the market research.
Ask your VA to stir up some buzz on social media (without giving away too much, of course) and let your followers chime in about what they want to see from you.
In the meantime, you start creating a product outline and brainstorm where you’ll get the content (ghostwriter, expert interviews, past content that you wrote, etc.)
Taking at least one action step each day will prevent you from stopping dead in your tracks and thinking there is no way you can compete with others. That’s negative self-talk that you need to battle and overcome.
Reciting some positive affirmations or meditating can help dispel that negative self-talk.
Need Some Validation? Ask in Your Mastermind Groups
Sometimes we need that extra kick of positive energy to get started or keep going, so if you need that boost, approach a couple of members in a mastermind group or other business friends you trust to get their opinions. Before you ask, however, be prepared to accept some constructive criticism.
Not everyone will love your idea but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing. Maybe they will suggest some added topics or suggest a different format.
Weigh their opinions and feedback but don’t let those opinions alone curtail your production activity. You understand best of all what your audience needs and which course format they will prefer.
Give Up the Excuses; You Really CAN Teach an Online Course
Have you looked at your competitors recently to see what they’re doing in their business?
Don’t compare yourself to them because that will wear on your self-esteem but simply look at their websites and take note of what packages and products they offer.
Do they offer anything different from you? Do they have a variety of packages and products at differing price points?
Do they have a signature product?
It’s important to take note of these things because you want to stay competitive in your pricing and in your offerings.
Never copy someone’s idea exactly but you can certainly take a similar theme and create your own product with your own spin or unique twist.
I’ve mentioned before the importance of creating multiple streams of income so now it’s time to examine if you have enough streams to build a profit.
Do you have any extra streams of income? How much are you making from each stream? If the answer is zero to either question, it’s time to get working to make the most of your time.
Time is Money, So Focus!
What do your followers want from you?
Do they want an online course or do they want a group coaching program?
Which one do YOU feel most comfortable producing? You will never please everybody so do your market research, go with your gut about which one you want to do, and then take action steps to get it done.
If you can write a how-to article or record a step-by-step video, then you can teach an online class. You certainly need to prepare and it may be stepping out of your comfort zone but it IS possible to find yourself teaching a class (or multiple classes) about a topic that lights up your passion.
If you have built your business around this passion, then this online course could easily become your signature course.
Have you heard of Dave Ramsey? He’s built himself a nice empire based on his financial expertise, specifically how to get out of debt and how to manage money. Take a look at his class offerings.
You’ll notice that each class he offers goes into different levels of detail. Notice, too, how he has classes for the same topic but geared towards different markets: parents and kids. He also has business offerings.
Keep in mind that these were not created overnight and Dave Ramsey has quite the team of producers working for him; but it IS possible for you to grow your business in a similar fashion, provided you focus your time and you’re passionate about your topic.
If your self-doubt takes over, try meditating, journaling, or simply getting outside in the fresh air to clear your mind and refocus on your WHY.
Why do you want to create an online course? Who do you want to help?
Are you the best suited expert to help your audience?
Turn that negative self-talk into positive talk to keep your momentum moving forward.