“I’m not an expert. Nobody would listen to me! And no WAY would they buy my book/workshop/video course/SaaS app…”
The world is a funny thing.
You can think — no, know — that The World Works This Way. You’ll know it, in your bones. Total certainty. Your whole life. Forever…
…right up to that golden moment when you take a little leap of faith, try something new, and the world responds in a way you didn’t expect. And everything feels different.
And you realize you were wrong the entire time.
And you will never be the same again. Because the world has changed.
I’m using all these italics because there’s no other way to convey the sheer immensity of this ex perience until you’ve experienced it, so I’ve got to settle for a little emphasis.
My Twitter friend Greg “knew” that no one would want his advice.
But he vowed to Ship in Six!, and so he did: he shipped Refactor Your Sleep, an email course specifically for developers with insomnia.
And he wanted to be able to turn that into a book. It’s just that he “knew” nobody would buy it.
He took the leap anyway.
Today I met Greg for a coffee down here in Norfolk, and he told me, “Somebody just pre-ordered my new book!”:
That sale — his first sale! — was easy.
Even though Greg “knew” it wouldn’t happen easily, if ever, because of How The World Works.
Well… this morning, he woke up in one world. Tonight he’s falling asleep in another.
The world itself didn’t change, of course.
The first signup. The first sale. It’s magical. It’s the moment that the work you did on faith becomes real and you finally know — not think, know_ — that it’s all possible.
You can’t understand how magical this is until it happens to you.
Nearly everyone worries about their “expertise.”
I came to Norfolk to talk to a room full of smart, successful, capable consultants. Naturally, I came to spread the product gospel. Consultants can really kick ass with books, workshops, etc. because products A) rock at lead gen and B) are a natural extension of consulting, which is to inform, lead and serve the client.
And yet all the questions after my talk boiled down to:
“But… what could I teach? Who would buy that from me?”
Give these guys and gals a confused client and they’d OWN it. But say: “Tell it to your word processor” and suddenly they are emptied of confidence and full of doubt.
They “know” they have to be A World Renowned Expert™ to do write a book, record a video course, teach a workshop, build an app. You know, that very same job they already do day in, day out when they give their clients hands-on help.
There is no magic fairy that taps you on the shoulder & says “YOU’RE AN EXPERT™ NOW!”
You don’t need to be An Expert™ to reach back and help the people behind you. And there will always be people behind you.
And you don’t need to be An Expert™ to share what you’ve learned with your peers, either.
And guess what? Even people who are “ahead” of you can’t know everything. That’s a simple fact of physics. Nobody is An Expert™ on everything. You will know and do some things better than them.
And if you can guide, inform, support, and lead an INDIVIDUAL…
…you can turn that power into a book, a workshop, or a screencast series. Or an app! Or a service!
It’s just consulting — aka helping — in another form. That’s it. It’s that easy.
If you can help people with your words and presence, you can help them with a product.
That’s what changed Greg’s world today.
And that’s the same world-shaking transformation so many of our students & Ship in Sixers & Year of Hustlers have felt.
Wouldn’t you like to experience that shift for yourself?
Forget being “An Expert™” and focus on doing things that help people.
Right now — yes, now! — take a piece of paper and a pen and make a list of all the people you’ve supported, educated, led, helped, and served (worked for) in the last six months:
- A list of newbs – the people “behind” you, not yet peers, who want to learn to do what you do and have what you have
- A list of your peers – coworkers, fellow people in your industry, fellow people in your audiences who are at a similar level to you
- A list of clients or bosses – the people who hire you to do your thing, who have you helped and how?
- A list of your “betters” – the people who are in other ways more advanced than you, but in some areas not as knowledgeable, comfortable, or skilled as you are
No, seriously. This is not a joke. Break out a pen and do it. I promise you, it’ll be worth your time.
Every person on that list is someone you could help with a book or a workshop. Times a hundred. Times a thousand.
Because while you are a human being and have only 24 hours in a day… a product?
A product never has to rest or go on vacation or eat lunch. A product can go on helping people while you’re asleep, or sick, or busy.
So forget what you “know” you “need” in order to be “worthy.”
Focus on the power you already have… to help the people you already know how to serve.
Your future self will thank you.
Ready to change your world?
Take that leap of faith and find out for yourself how awesome it feels.
My Ship in Six Challenge will help you get off your ass, plan, prepare, execute, finish and ship.
Take the challenge. Enroll now:
Scope, chunk, motivate, execute, and finally launch your project!
Join our challenge to get 6 weeks of rules and tricks from our personal playbook, along with personal stories and case studies to help you get that thing you've been wanting to finish, shipped.
When you subscribe, you’ll also get biz advice, design rants, and stories from the trenches once a week (or so). We respect your email privacy.
NB: Greg actually took the Ship by September Challenge, which was the predecessor to Ship in Six. All the great parts are the same — and the less-than-perfect parts have been wildly improved!