One of the biggest things I see holding people back in their business is the feeling that they’re not an expert, so they don’t have anything of value to share. Yes, authority and expertise build trust, but they’re not everything when it comes to building your business. There’s a lot to be said for being able to relate to your target audience and it’s so much easier to do that and build a strong relationship when you are just a few steps ahead of them.

I know a lot of experts who are so far ahead of me in things that I find them more than a little intimidating and hard to relate to. They don’t remember what it’s like to be a beginner and a lot of the times they take for granted what they know.

By the same token, I also see a lot of people throwing up courses and teaching everything under the sun whether or not they have a clue what they’re doing. They’re definitely not letting not being an “expert” stop them from sharing what they’re learning.

Here’s the thing. Your readers, subscribers, and customers don’t need you to know it all. They simply need you to be a few steps ahead of them. They need you to be able to explain what they should do next on their journey towards the end goal. You don’t have to have reached that goal yet. All you need is a good plan and more experience than they have. 

Don’t shy away from doing what you want because you don’t think you’re an “expert”.

All this to say that you shouldn’t shy away from doing what you want to do because you don’t consider yourself an expert. And this is especially true in the low-content niche. You don’t have to have a fine art degree to create decent coloring books. You don’t have to be able to draw from scratch to create decent journal templates. There are enough tools, templates, and training available today to show you how you can create pretty much anything you want. All you have to have is the vision and the motivation to find the answers.

And when you’re building your community, there’s a lot of value in sharing your own journey. It’s okay for you to be part of your target audience. In fact, it’s better than okay because you know their pain and the problems they face. It can help you create more authentic content. It helps you find the best possible solutions for someone in your situation. You can create products and training programs that address the important issues your customers face. You can share the products and services that have helped you along the way. You can make a difference and help them move forwards while you continue on your own journey.

You have something of value to add that a true expert can’t share. You can give your community feedback and ideas based on what you’re experiencing right now. You can share what is and isn’t working for you. Most importantly you can be a source of inspiration and motivation as your target audience watches you work towards the same goals and aspirations they have.

The last thing I have to say is if you want to do something like this, be open, honest and transparent with your audience. You can do a lot of things to build the “know, like, and trust” factor but if you’re not honest about what you know or how much money you make (if you’re into sharing that) it’s also just as easy to lose it. And once you lose your audience’s trust, it’s hard to get that back again.