020: Five Steps to Becoming a Paid Authority [Podcast]

Did you know you are a teacher? Think about how many people you help day-to-day by giving advice, showing them how you do something, or just keeping them up to date with the latest political or Hollywood gossip. Either way you look at it, you are teaching and informing. What you teach is the only question. Did you know what you teach can be tremendously valuable? Read on. 

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Daily I encounter someone who is doing what they love. A recent example is Kelly Creel. She left the corporate world to start helping people in fitness. Her job was stressful and she found her workouts were the only way to keep her sanity. Now she spends her days helping others do the same. She could have assumed that everyone knew how to work out and get fit. Kelly could have stayed on the sidelines and refused to help others. But, she offered to help and now has a life doing what she loves.

What Could You Teach?

I can guarantee you that you have a unique knowledge or skill that others will pay to learn. You just have to find that one thing that they are uniquely gifted to do. The major hurdle for most, though, is figuring out what in the world they are good at doing. If you’re one of those people who has not yet figured out your calling, I have a game plan – a step by step guide. If you follow it, you’ll find your calling. Download the FREE EBOOK at the end of this post.  It’s free. Just read it, and do the work. Let me know how it goes.

What is an Authority?

Think about a subject you love. Now, who comes to mind? If it is cooking, you might think of Rachel Ray or Paula Deen. If time management you might think of David Allen. The authority is the  key thought leader. They are the authors, bloggers, TV hosts, consultants, shop owners, or other local experts. They are the one you look to as the expert in an area.

Five Steps to Becoming a Paid Authority

But the questions at hand are how do YOU become the authority and how do you get paid for your expertise. Here are some of the common steps.

1. Find your calling. Yes, we always come back here. We humans just take our calling for granted. We assume everyone knows what we know and that we have little to offer. You have to do the work and find something you love and know (or want to know). So, if you have no idea what is is, go do the How To Find Your Calling Exercise in the FREE ebook below.

2. Offer a seminar. Yes, you heard me correctly. Think of five key things you know (what do other people ask you on the subject) and then offer a seminar on the subject. For instance, one of my expertise areas is new business startups. So I might take the following questions and offer a seminar.

• What do you need to get started in your new business?
• How much funding do you need and how to get it?
• What licenses do you need and how do you get them?
• How do I know how much to charge for my products and services?
• How do I incorporate my business?

Now if you are a frequent reader of this blog, you know most of the questions above are the wrong questions. Yet, they are what people ask, so that is how I would lead. Then when I get them together I would tell them what they really need to do and how to do it while telling them why the above questions are the wrong questions.

What about you? What are the five points you would teach?

3. Record the seminar. Using a simple recorder or your Iphone, record the audio while you do the seminar. Based on the recording and the questions from the audience, develop an ebook, audio course, or offer another seminar with more information. This time you charge money for your advice and knowledge. You are now an expert.

This step is much easier to do than people  believe. Some people even sell products directly from Facebook. You can use almost free tools such as Gumroad to take payment AND DELIVER the product.

4. Begin blogging. Taking what you have learned, you could start blogging, podcasting, video casting, etc. It does not have to be complicated or cost money. Blogging is best done if you pay a little by setting up a site with BlueHost and then watching their video on how to get started. Doing podcasting takes a little more. But, perhaps the easiest thing to do is a video blog by setting up a YouTube channel. This is free!

The point is to keep offering advice and help to others based on what you know.

5. Listen, Learn, Develop. As you interact with people who consume your content, listen to their questions. This is material ripe for new products and services.

Examples:

Here are some prime examples of this kind of activity:

AskDrCallahan – This is our homeschooling company. We started this accidentally when our knowledge, need to teach our kids, and requests for help from friends intersected. We make money every month and serve families all over the world by doing what we know and what comes naturally.

PodcastAnswerMan – Cliff started podcasting and loved it. He become so good at it as a hobby, others asked for help. Now this is his full time job – podcasting and helping others to do their own.

Pat Flynn – I met Pat back in February and loved his story. He accidentally got into business helping others develop passive income.

Jeff Goins – Jeff is a blogger/author who just recently quit his day job to go full time as a blogger and author. He now helps others become authors.

Brian Rabon – Brian was a guest on a recent podcast and tells his story there.

OK – this list could be endless. Really it could. People making more than the average American salary while doing what they love and setting their own hours.

They are all authorities.

They are all teaching.

They are all changing the world one person at a time.

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If you are like me, you listen to podcasts when you are busy doing other things – like exercising or driving. The easiest way to do that is via a podcasting subscription such as Itunes. So, if you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe:

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FREE Ebook that helps you Find Your Calling