Ever have an idea to try something but never actually did it?!
Maybe you had the idea to write a romance novel but never actually got to writing it.
Maybe you love to keep all the plants alive in your office, so much that your co-workers call you the plant whisperer, but you’ve never actually thought about doing anything more with it.
Maybe you’ve always loved jewelry and had the idea to make jewelry of your own, but never actually tried it.
These are all great ideas that could become a profitable business, but you worry that it won’t be a success because you don’t have the experience or credibility to convince people to support and buy from you.
The good news is that there is a way to appear like a credible resource even if you have limited experience.
The first step is to decide that you are credible. Let’s be honest, how can you expect others to believe in your dreams if you don’t even believe them?
Do you believe that you can help the people you are trying to serve?
There is so much power in our thoughts so if you say you are a credible source, then you are period!
The next step is to look for evidence that makes you credible.
This is where I come in. Below you will find both traditional and innovative strategies to appear credible while gaining experience.
Traditional Strategies for Appearing Credible With Limited Experience
1. Research the Field You are Trying to Enter Into
Before you decide to monetize your passion, do your research carefully. You must make sure that your passion is smart. Once you make this clarification, you can research what you need in order to appear credible and gain experience.
Let’s say you want to start a podcast about getting out of debt. You are currently paying off your student loans and credit card bills and are having so much success that you want to share it with others. You would first have to research how to start a podcast, how to stay consistent, how to find experts who also got out of debt, and eventually how to monetize it. You would have to research those in your niche to see how others grew their podcast.
Research can help you clarify whether or not you want to monetize your passion because you would have to plan out how you will gain experience, thus appearing credible to your audience.
Action Item: Do some extensive research on your passion. Download “Is your Passion SMART?” Checklist. Spend some time really understanding what you must do to gain enough experience in your passion so it becomes more than an idea.
2. Create Credibility by Planning Ahead
Once you’ve identified if your passion is smart, you can start planning ahead. Planning ahead is important when gaining experience. When done right, planning can help you to take the necessary steps to reach your goals.
For example, I researched extensively about blogging. I knew that I wanted this to be more than just a blog for me, but I want it to become a business. So I looked at my goal for this blog to become a profitable business and worked backward, figuring out what I have to do to get there.
In the process of reaching my goal, I am gaining experience in blogging by following what expert advice I found about different aspects of blogging (SEO, Affiliate Marketing, Time Management, etc.) while also utilizing my own strategies.
There are also other benefits of planning ahead:
- Less stress- pursuing your passion can bring on a lot of stress, but when you plan out your year, month, week, and day, you’ll feel more in control of your day-to-day life.
- Keeps you accountable- When you plan your day-to-day ahead of time it is easier to stay accountable. You know what you need to accomplish on a weekly and daily basis and can assess your progress based on the plan you created.
- Stay in the moment- planning ahead helps you to keep a present mind. By zeroing in on what has to be done in that week or day in time, you can see the progress that you are making towards your goal.
Action Item: You already know what you want to gain more experience in (and if you don’t, this post can help you). Now it’s time to make a plan.
Ask yourself:
- What do I want to do with this idea?
- Some ideas: blog, podcast, YouTube channel, write a book, open an online store
- What resources do I need to help me accomplish this idea?
- What experts can I use as a mirror to take my idea to a passion-based business/career?
- In the blogging world, Melyssa Griffin is a good expert to mirror regardless of your niche
- When do I want to accomplish this goal?
- This is important because imposter syndrome is real (I know I suffer from it all the time!). Making a plan to accomplish a goal with dates on the calendar will put you in overdrive and help you to push past your doubts to make your dreams come true.
Related Post: How to Discover Your Passions with These 15 Questions
3. Create Credibility by Showcasing All of Your Accomplishments.
I said you have “limited” experience, I didn’t say you have no experience at all!
Your accomplishments help you to build credibility. It shows others that even with your limited experience, you can be trusted and believed in.
“Think of Credibility as a bank account that already has deposits.”-
Kendall Summerhawk
Like I said earlier, you must first decide that you are a credible source, then you must find the evidence that proves it.
Let’s use wanting to write your first book as an example.
Think as far back as highschool moving forward.
Maybe you have loved Language Arts and you received a writing award from a teacher.
Maybe you wrote a proposal at work that your boss highlighted in a meeting because of how well written it was.
These are all accomplishments that make you credible. Take that credibility and run with it.
Take Action: Below is a list of credibility factors that you can analyze. Circle 2 or 3 and write it down. Use it as motivation to move forward in pursuing your dreams. Also, when someone says “What makes you think you can pursue (insert passion)? You have no experience in that area” you can shut them down because no one likes a Debbie Downer, and then hit them with your accomplishments.
- Awards
- Promotions
- Leadership training
- Leadership roles
- Skills and Expertise
- Proven Strengths
- Speaking engagements
- Media appearances
- Important project team
- Sports achievements
Remember, you have a track record even before you get paid to do what you love.
4. Create Credibility by Focusing on Transferable Skills.
This is a part of showcasing your accomplishments, but I felt focusing on skills that are transferable is very important, so it is its own tip.
Whether you choose to pursue your passion by finding your dream job or choosing to work for yourself, you can apply what you’ve done to your new area of interest.
Many tasks are similar even when the job title changes.
You need to be a team player who can communicate well and solve problems, whether you are an employee or work for yourself (they make for great bosses).
You might be thinking, outside of the obvious skills such as teamwork and effective communication skills, what skills can be considered transferable?
One of my transferable skills is the way I organize my work. When I worked as a teacher, we used Trello to know what deliverable was due to our principal or grade-team lead. We knew what assessments were coming up and what school-wide activities were on the horizon. It would be updated every week and would help us to know what had to be done in order to keep our workflow moving.
Now that I no longer work in that field, I realize how Trello helped to keep me organized and know what deliverables I had. So I utilize it to keep track of what I need to do as a blogger, podcaster, and YouTuber (coming soon).
Take Action: Review your resume to see how you can apply what you’ve done to your new area of interest.
5. Create Credibility by Utilizing Referrals and Testimonials.
This is another way to appear as a credible source and can help you gain more experience.
Let’s say you love baking cakes. It’s very therapeutic for you and brings you joy. You bake birthday cakes for your kids and other members of your family. Everyone asks “who made the cake?” and you confidently tell them you did.
You have been thinking about opening a baking business, focusing on making birthday cakes but you are worried if people will actually buy from you.
Did you know you can ask your family and friends for help?! You can ask them to write you a testimonial for your website and refer you to their friends to help get your business moving forward!
Action Item: Think back to when you helped others (both free and paid) by doing something you loved for them. Ask them to write you an honest testimonial or refer you to people they know (or do both!).
6. Continue to Learn.
I believe in continual learning, so this is a personal favorite. You can gain more credibility and experience by continuing your learning because you will be able to implement what you learn. You can find classes at a local community college (non-degree) or you can easily find an e-course online that will teach you all you need to take your passion from idea to profitable business.
You can also check with your job if they pay for continual learning courses. You might be able to further your learning for free!
The good thing is you take these classes in your leisure time and not feel pressured by the amount of time and effort it takes to see the results you want. You can insert the time and work into your plan that you created so that you stay on task and get it done.
Action Item: Do some research and find a class that fits your budget and time commitment. Make a commitment to learning something new and set yourself up for success!
You can download my Course Success Workbook to help keep you accountable.
7. Do Volunteer Work
Volunteering is an excellent way to gain experience in something you maybe passionate about. It can help you make contacts, learn skills and demonstrate your community spirit.
Let’s say you’ve taken up knitting and you have been knitting accessories, such as scarves, blankets, and hats so that you can get as much practice as possible. You realize that you love knitting blankets for newborns.
You can volunteer with a local knitting club to help you connect with other women who love knitting, learn new techniques, and also knit baby blankets for new moms.
It will help you build your credibility, while also giving back to your community.
It’s a win-win situation and you will love doing it!
Action Item: Do some research, finding a location where you can volunteer your time. Make it a goal to spend at least one weekend a month giving back while doing something you love.
8. Seek Part-Time Jobs.
I’m only including this pointer if you have the time. As mothers, it might be hard to pick up a part-time job with managing to have a full-time job and a family. If you do have enough time to pick up a part-time job (maybe you are a stay at home mom or a work from home mom and have a few hours to spare while the kids are at school) this would be a great way to gain experience.
Let’s say you know how to play the guitar, but it’s nothing more than a hobby for you. You have the idea to teach others how to play the piano but you would rather create an online course because you have access to more people and it still gives you the freedom of time.
While teaching how to play comes naturally to you, there may be some limiting beliefs around other aspects of creating an online course, such as what to teach, how to structure your lessons.
You might get an in-person part-time job to gain the experience you need to feel comfortable enough to teach online.
Take Action: Again, only if you have the time, find a part-time job that matches up with your passion. Spend as much time as you can dedicating your time and effort experiencing doing what you love. You will be able to make extra income and gain experience at the same time.
9. Network Vigorously.
Take every opportunity to network. It’s a great way to get more experience and also help you feel comfortable in the new space you are entering. You can do this a few ways:
- Don’t be shy about your dreams. Let people know that you have an idea that you want to turn into a business. They might be able to direct you to someone who can help you (or they might be able to help you themselves).
- Professionals working in the field are an important resource. You can look at what they’ve done to accomplish their goal and mirror your career after them.
- Attend networking events where you can make new contacts. For example, if you are thinking about blogging, go to a blogging conference and network with other bloggers in your niche.
- Join groups on social media like Facebook and LinkedIn and reach out to anyone whose profile looks interesting. They might be able to become a mentor of yours.
Action Item: Look at my tips above and pick one or two, so you don’t overwhelm yourself.
10. Be Willing to Start Small.
This is easier said than done but is very important. I tend to have tunnel vision and can see far in the future. I often have to bring myself back to the present and not think as big as I normally do.
Aim to get your foot in the door. Get your blog started even if it’s just your friends and family reading it. Get your T-shirt business started even if it’s just people you know buying from you. The point is to just start.
It’s okay to be a beginner. Even when you feel like you are not a credible source or have limited experience, know that it is okay.
Remember that everyone started from the bottom at one point.
Take Action: Take a step back and analyze your dreams from your desired outcome to the very beginning (you should have done this when you made a plan), and just start. Don’t worry about the bells and whistles, don’t try to make it perfect just good enough, and just start.
Innovative Strategies for Appearing Credible With Limited Experience
1. Start a Blog
I’ve mentioned starting a blog as examples a few times, but this is a great way to appear credible while gaining experience. You write about your chosen passion, increasing your writing skills. It is a great opportunity to showcase the knowledge and insight that you already have. It also is a great way to increase your knowledge by researching what you don’t know.
This is the main reason I started my blog. I knew I wanted to help other mothers find their passion and purpose and turn it into an online business through a coaching business and e-courses but I had to figure out how to give value to my audience first and show them that I am the expert they would love to work with.
Let’s be real, would you hire me if you didn’t see results first? Probably not!
While helping people see what they can do with their talents is my Zone of Genius and I’ve helped family and friends, it would take a lot to convince a complete stranger that I can help them without them seeing what I have to offer.
So that is where GiannaDiggs.com came into play, this is my way of serving others.
If you have an idea but have no idea how to reach your audience, blogging is a perfect way.
2. Take advantage of social media.
This is a great way to identify people you want to mirror (model) your career after and see what they are doing that is helping them to be successful in their chosen field of passion. You might already have connections that can help you to connect with them and pick their brain.
Social media is also a great way for your tribe to find you. If you want to be a health coach for instance, what you post on social media could convince someone that they should work with you. Now you have a client, thus increasing your experience.
3. Multimedia.
Technology makes it possible for anyone to appear to be a credible and experienced source.
Use videos, photographs, and audio to set you apart from the pack.
Starting a podcast, YouTube or Vimeo channel, and showcasing professional photos on your website and social media can help you to appear credible in the eyes of who you are trying to serve.
Through your podcast and video channel, you can present yourself as a credible source because of the value you are giving to your audience. You are sharing with them valuable information that will help them with whatever problem they are trying to solve.
And in the process, you are gaining the experience you need that makes you the credible source that everyone wants to work with.
Action Item: Look at each innovative strategy and try to master one. You can start a blog first and then once you feel like you’ve mastered it, start a podcast or YouTube channel. Remember that everyone learns differently, so you can reach more people by offering different ways to digest your content.
Know that you are credible even with limited experience. Say it out loud “I am a credible source.” Add it to your affirmations daily.
Don’t let your limited experience stop you from achieving your goals. Network, get creative and be persistent. We all have to start somewhere.
You have what it takes and I believe in you! Let these strategies guide you.
Remember, you will only see results if you take action.
Let me know in the comments below what strategy you’ve tried and the outcome.
Okay love, see you in the next post
Peace,
