How to Monetize Your Expertise When You're Just Starting Out

At the Dynamic Women Podcast's seventh anniversary celebration, listener Paula Kent asked me: For women who are going in a new direction, a career direction or following a new passion, what is one high-impact action they can take to monetize their expertise in the initial stages of building their audience?

It's a great question, and one I see come up all the time in women transitioning from career to business, from one business to another, or even after a break from business. They're like, "Shoot, I need to monetize right now. How do I do this?" Or they're in that building stage, still researching, still developing, but they need to pay the bills because they also have subscriptions, tools, or a coach for the business.

So how do you bring in the money? Here's what I tell my clients.

Ask Yourself: What's Fastest to Cash?

The first question I often ask my clients is: What's fastest to cash?

It's not creating a podcast. It's not writing a book. Those are longer-game activities. If you need money now, you need to think simpler and more immediate.

Go really, really basic: What's something that your friends, family, or network already come to you for that maybe seems really easy for you, but you could charge money for?

For some women it might be:

• Baking
  
• Home organizing
  
• Gardening
  
• Mentoring based on the knowledge you have
  
• Writing
  

What skills do you already have that people are already showing you there's a demand for?

This is what I hear all the time: "But, that's nothing. It's so easy for me." Well, yeah, but it's not easy for other people. How can you now package it so other people can access it and pay you for it?

Get Specific: One Problem, One Person

Take it a step further. What's one specific problem that you can solve for one specific person?

When you put that out to people, it's going to be much easier for them to either say yes themselves or say, "My friend needs you. My friend needs what you’re offering."

You don't have to wait for a huge audience. You just have to look at who you already have in your network.

My Story: 30 Sample Sessions in 30 Days

When I started coaching, I was literally two days in, and I put out a challenge: 30 sample coaching sessions in 30 days.

I put it out to my community. I said, "I'm doing this challenge, and if you want a sample session, please let me know. But only do it because you want to actually have coaching, not because you feel bad for me or you want me to complete my challenge."

This was unpaid, but I had I talked about continuing with coaching at the end of each call. I ended up doing 32 sample sessions in 30 days and had about 15 clients sign up. That was not the purpose. The purpose was to get really good at sample sessions, but I was very happy with the result of clients.

When I asked people what had them hire me, they said things like:

• "I've always admired how confident you are, and I wanted to learn that from you."
  
• "You're so organized."
  
• "You have presence when you walk in a room, and I knew you could help me."
  
• "I just love your energy. And I wanted to give coaching a shot."
  

It was really interesting because it also gave me feedback on how I could market myself, since these were the things people said. Then I started having stories to share: "This client had xyz problem, and after coaching had xyz success."

I just started with a few.

Simple Ways to Start

You're not necessarily going to do 30 sample sessions, but you still have to find the people and make an offer. Think about what you can start simply with:

• A masterclass
  
• A strategy or consulting session
  
• A small group program for a small amount of time
  
• A coaching program
  

Don't underestimate what comes naturally to you. Think outside the box. Could you edit essays for high schoolers for $50 an essay? Could you offer writing support to people in your network? Whatever it is, please don't underestimate what comes naturally to you. That is fastest to cash, really.

Already in Business but Need a Cash Infusion?

If you're already in business and just need an infusion of cash, look at the people who were interested in your offers but didn't say yes. Ask yourself: what was stopping them?

• Was the price too high?
  
• Was the commitment too long?
  
• Was the timing not right?
  

Can you circle back to them now and say, "I have this new offering," highlighting that it's more within their budget, takes less time, or delivers faster results? Maybe it's an immersive one-day offer.

Always be thinking: What's the low-hanging fruit? What can I offer them right now?

The Bottom Line

Having clarity on who you can help, what problem you solve, and what result you create is more important than having a massive audience. Focus on that first, and the monetization will follow.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series, where we feature another burning question from our anniversary celebration. You don't want to miss it.

Can’t wait? 

Listen to the full Dynamic Women podcast episode here.

Or watch the full YouTube Video here.

Until next time, stay dynamic!