Hey what's up, Ryan here and today we're going to talk about something that might be a new concept to you. But it is a life-changing and definitely, a career changing one if you can embrace it. The concept is that you are a consultant, a business of one.
YOU ARE A CONSULTANT
Before you call me crazy, let's take a look at the definition of the word consultant. A consultant is:
“A person who provides expert advice in a particular subject matter or area of expertise.”
I think we can say we do that don't we? So, yes, in fact, you are a consultant. If you embrace this simple fact, you will change the way you approach your work and your life.
If you really stop and think about what companies pay consultants for in addition to their advice, is results. Results such as increased revenue, faster processing times, taking waste out of processes, reducing inventory, basically anything that makes a company perform better, faster, more efficiently.
If you look at what you do for a living, you’ll discover you contribute in that same exact way. The reason you do, is because you are a consultant. Regardless of what department or organization you work in, you use your skills and your traits every single day to do something that improves your business in one way or another.
It doesn't matter where you work, there are metrics or goals or things that you're held accountable for. If you hit those goals and you meet your metrics, you improve the company in some way.
YOU ARE A BUSINESS OF ONE
Another way that I like to think of it is, really what you are is a business of one.
As a business of one your job is to sell your skills, your traits, your values to a company so make them more efficient. You do this by giving them your expert advice on your particular subject matter area.
As a business of one, one of the things that's going to help you secure a long-term contract, is your brand. This is why the discussion from yesterday's vlog is so important.
Another thing that's important for you to think about is a phrase that continues to come up over and over and over again on my podcast. It's usually reserved for a business but since you are businesses of one, I want you to think about this in the context of you and your career.
“Know, Like and Trust”
The essential premise behind this phrase is that for you and I to purchase from a business, we need to know, like, and trust that business. The same is true for you when it comes to your career.
BECOMING KNOWN, LIKED AND TRUSTED
For a company, who's hiring for a specific skill set or expertise, they need to know, like, and trust you. If they can, you become credible. When you become credible you are believable and trustworthy. The more a company knows about you, the more opportunity they have to like you and trust what you have to say.
This is why personal branding and digital branding is so important. Having your own website and creating content around your expertise helps companies know, like and trust you. So, be bold as Kraig Kleeman would say. Put out your thought leadership so people understand how you think, how you act, what your opinion is on your particular area of expertise.
These are the things that make companies gravitate towards you today and make them believe that you can do the job.
Take some time this week and reflect on the fact that you are actually a consultant, you are a business of one.
The more that you can wrap your head around that idea, that thought process, the better off you're going to be in your career. You're going to become more believable, more credible and you'll be able to get hired for those longer-term contracts which we all seek.
That wraps up the vlog for today. I've been Ryan. And I'm out.
