Never underestimate how much of an expert you are

Doubting yourself and your abilities is a rite of passage for many entrepreneurs. However, far too many entrepreneurs underestimate how much of an expert they are. Hiding their skills and knowledge from the world and playing small to avoid owning how great they are. 

But if you want to grow as an entrepreneur and business owner, you need to learn how to embrace how much of an expert you are. Here’s how you can get started with recognising that you are an expert in your field.

Know that it’s OK for you to be an expert!

One of the biggest things heart-based entrepreneurs struggle with is acknowledging their expertise. They know they’re good at what to do; they just have trouble vocalising it.

But it’s OK to see yourself as an expert, and it’s OK to be an expert! It doesn’t mean you’re saying you know everything there is to know about your niche or subject. It isn’t about putting yourself on any form of pedestal. You’re simply owning the fact that you’re good at what you do - and that’s a good thing!

Remind yourself of how much of an expert you are

If you’re struggling to see how much of an expert you are, find evidence to back up your expert status. Look at what qualifications you have and the training you’ve gone through. Acknowledge how many hours you’ve spent honing your skills and the in-house experience you’ve accumulated through your clients. Read the testimonials and feedback you’ve had from your clients. Share stories based on those achievements, as they’re going to help you own your expertise. 

[Check out 33 easy ways to add storytelling into your business, for some ideas on how you can use stories to help showcase your expertise.]

Know why you’re in business

As mentioned in my blog post How to ramp up your business confidence, knowing your why is essential to improving your confidence. It also helps you get out of your own way when it comes to accepting that expertise label. Because when you know why you’re in business and are focusing on that, you aren’t worried about being the expert. You’re simply doing what you’re good at, helping those who need you, and simply getting on with your business.

Invest in you and your business

Investing in those things you and your business need to grow is an essential part of being a business owner. As shown in The 5 things you need to invest in when starting an online business, investing in you is an essential part of that as it shows you think you’re worthy of investing in. This includes working on your mindset and those beliefs about owning your expert status. But it’s also about investing in the business tools and resources you need, so you can better showcase your expertise and provide the best level of service you can to your clients.

Work on boosting yourself

If you want to truly appreciate how much of an expert you are, work on boosting your confidence and self-esteem. Because mindset issues such as self-sabotage, imposter syndrome, playing small and even blocking the flow of money into your business all stem from lower confidence and esteem.

Doubting yourself and your abilities is a rite of passage for many entrepreneurs. It’s one of the 10 Ugly truths you need to hear about working for yourself. But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to be seen as an expert. If you can provide your clients with the help, support and solutions they need, they already see you as the expert who can help them. It’s then down to you to start seeing how much of an expert you are too. Because it’s only when you do that, you’ll be able to help even more people and take your business to the next level.