Soul Proprietor: Just add water = instant expert!

Some popular business wisdom goes something like this: establish yourself as an expert as soon as possible.

The theory is that if people see you as an authority (even if you are not one), you’ll have instant credibility and that is supposed to translate to more dollar bills in your biz.

If you are indeed knowledgable about your work, you are an expert so you should wear that title proudly.

But if you lack any real life experience, you may want to take a minute before you start declaring yourself a master.

I recently listened to one of these so-called experts bungle his way through a class on metaphysical businesses. He could barely describe what kind of actual work he did (he was some vague sort of coach), and then, the real kicker: he didn’t even have a website up yet. (A bit of research and it was easy to discover that this person also did some questionable crowdfunding to bankroll a trip to a business conference. That effort failed to raise any money, by the way.)

Think about that for a moment. This is a person who is being asked serious questions about killing it in business. But he’s not a success by any stretch.

This is wrong on so many levels.

One, his advice was not based on legitimate experience or success in his field.

Two, he sounded like a bumbling fool.

Three, he was being asked for his opinion on business and it was obvious the host didn’t do their due diligence to make sure this person really knew what he was talking about (or even had a functional website).

I had to turn the show off because I couldn’t stomach listening to this “instant expert” giving out his dubious advice to an audience who may not have been able to know the difference between someone who understands their craft and a phony, tough talking windbag. (Just because someone tries to speak with authority doesn’t mean that they are one.)

You are always going feel better about your business if you are open and authentic about your areas of expertise. You do not have to put on airs or proclaim to be anything but yourself. And sometimes that means admitting when you don’t know something or are just starting out.

Being honest about your experience creates trust with your clients but it also allows you to feel good about your work.

Ignore the experts who tell you to call yourself an expert even if you aren’t one (or don’t feel like one).

Instead, just continue to do your very best work and show up for your clients with integrity and love.

Truth does far more to earn respect than declaring yourself a master and expecting it.

Blessings!

Theresa