How can Entrepreneurs Establish themselves as Thought Leaders in their Industry?

First off, A HUGE shout-out to all entrepreneurs out there! Your efforts will convert - Keep hustling!

You started with big hopes, and probably have achieved so much already. You are on the path to achieving your dreams and weaving new ones each day. But now it’s time to take the industry by the storm!

As a novice entrepreneur or an established entrepreneur, you have heights to scale and dreams of achieving. You know all of this doesn’t happen by remaining hidden behind your business brand. Therefore you need to come forward and take the stage – establish your footing as an expert in whatever it is you do – be a thought leader in your industry!

But yes, please don’t be mistaken; it’s not simply fashionable to be a thought leader. In the digital world we live in; thought leadership is a sure-shot way to increase your reach, influence, and transform the lives of people you encounter.

The perks are endless; you meet creative individuals, leaders, and many new people with new experiences, score better opportunities, more excellent leads, and do a successful business. According to a survey conducted by Statista, 23% of clients claim that they consider the thought leadership of entrepreneurs or brands before choosing the most feasible one for themselves. They pay high importance to thought leadership.

You can achieve so much more by showing yourself to the world, taking your brand forward with thought leadership. So why not start creating a niche for yourself as an expert thought leader in the industry? Here’s how you can begin to portray what you do that is excellent and start your journey of becoming a thought leader in your niche

Defining the area of expertise

While defining your area of expertise may sound like limiting yourself, putting yourself and the experience you may have acquired into a box, it is not quite that. By defining, we mean finding that area where you are a master, a real expert who can help people excel.

Although it’s perfectly possible to have a rich experience in many diverse areas, sadly, when you have too many sites you have worked in and claim to have an understanding of, you are at risk of leaving the impression that you have a cursory experience rather than deep knowledge and expertise in the field. That’s how people see it. Unless you have a lifetime of work and a thick portfolio or resume spanning years to show people, you should try to be humble.

Call yourself an expert in a particular field, even if it’s narrower than you’d like it to be, because you would neither want to be seen as a generalist or a jack of all trades.

So, narrow down to your niche, a narrow field of expertise where you have carved a niche for yourself. However, don’t stop yourself if this field seems like a beaten path. There may be many like you in the industry. But the whole point of it is about what you can do as a leader. If you are an innovator, it doesn’t matter how many before you have walked the same path. Tell people what’s unique about you!

Building a solid background

You need to have a solid background of learning not simply to show people what qualifications you have but to show them what you have acquired in terms of knowledge, experience, and core understanding that make you a credible expert. Invest yourself, master your craft and build a solid background for yourself.

It’s also great to know and be familiar with the perspectives, thoughts, and stances of other leaders in the industry. It’s better for you. The more perspective you see, the better your visualization shall be, and consequently, the more nuanced and unique your approach in your niche. Besides, you don’t know what or who may inspire you to greater innovations!

As a thought leader, this will kind of become your job, to keep learning, keep growing, meeting new perspectives in your field. But to start with, begin by laying that solid foundation and keep building on it!

Building a personal brand

All the feathers you’ve added to your cap, wouldn’t you want to show it to the world? Why shouldn’t you! Your achievements, learnings, successes, and even failures that make you what you are, deserve to be seen by people. Portraying what you are, what you have achieved, and what you can help you establish your credibility as an authentic expert in your niche.

To position yourself as somebody possessing knowledge and expertise in a field or profession, you need a voice and a personal brand that speaks for you. You need to reach out to people, make them listen, tell them who you are and what sets you apart, and how you can help them achieve what they want to achieve.

Sharing your message

Did you know that 74% of the global B2B marketers don't have a way to attribute thought leadership that can affect sales? To be a thought leader in your industry, you need to reach out to people and share your message with them. You can use many different platforms and mediums to get the word out, like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You could be a blogger, podcaster, author, whatever suits the message you are trying to convey.

To share your message, we are going to echo the same thing as we began with, you don’t have to be a jack of all trades here, you don’t have to be master of every platform, you have to know how to effectively use one that suits you, your message and skills. Select the correct forum that allows you to do so.

Secondly, you need to keep doing so consistently. To maintain your presence, you need to create content always, not just in the beginning but all the way along! The content world is ever-evolving, so you have to keep evolving and create content that speaks your message to stay relevant.

Parting thoughts…

Becoming a thought leader can be a life-changing experience for you and a total game-changer for your business. If you aspire to become a thought leader in your industry and field of work, start working on your craft and becoming a real expert, simultaneously building your unique name and brand in the niche. If you have it in you, success will follow you. But, remember, it doesn’t happen overnight, you’ll have to burn the midnight oil to reach where you aspire to be, but when you do, it’ll all be worth it!