Jessica Osborn [00:00:08]:
If you're someone who would label yourself as the best kept secret or the hidden gem in your niche and you would love to finally be able to step into a place where you're seen as a go to authority, but you just don't feel like that's quite you yet, you're not quite ready yet for whatever reason, then start, stay tuned because today's episode is just for you. Right, so today's episode we're talking about how to finally ditch the self doubt so that you can step into a place of authority in your niche. Now, as soon as I say that I know that the high achievers, people who really struggle with this concept of being seen as an expert are instantly saying, oh well, I just need to do more, I need more runs on the board, I need more years experience, more clients, more proof, more testimonials. You know, when I've got all this stuff that I don't think I've got right now, I'll have more confidence and, you know, and then I'll be seen as an expert and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. There's a whole lot going on inside our brains and our minds are literally almost trying to stop, stop you from stepping out into the light maybe because there's some feeling that it's not safe. And you know, if you come from Australia or New Zealand or even the uk, definitely it happens over there as well. We've got this strange cultural thing called the Tall Poppy effect where basically anyone who is seen to rise up, to be visible, to be seen to know something will was made fun of, was cut down, you know, and the media love to chop people down, just friends, family, anyone. So we grew up in this environment where it was something scary to do, to put yourself out there because you know that people are just out there waiting to chop you down, you know, oh, you've risen too high, you're out there, you're, you know, you're sharing some expertise.
Jessica Osborn [00:02:22]:
That must mean that you're really big headed and we need to make your head a bit smaller again. It sounds mental, doesn't it? Why don't we celebrate people who are brave enough to step out and share things instead of making fun of them, instead of trying to bring them back down to your level. But it is just the way that this society that many of us have grown up in works. So in the back of your mind, even though you know as well as everybody else that in order for you to sign good quality clients, in order for you to attract clients, then they need to trust you, how do they trust you? Well, you're seen as someone with authority. You know, you've got clear expertise in that space. You have a reputation, right? In order to have that reputation, then you need to have the clear expertise. Like, that's sort of what creates a reputation, that creates a knowing and that therefore creates authority. And that all sounds really logical.
Jessica Osborn [00:03:21]:
You're like, yep, I get it. I understand how it works. First, I have clear expertise, that is a specialization. Then I get a reputation for it, then I build that trust and I'm seen with authority and therefore I get clients. That sounds great, but the minute you ask someone who is a high achiever, you know, people who are highly intelligent to go, okay, let's do this, then, you know, what is your expertise? They're like, oh, but I'm not, I'm not ready to be an expert yet. And then all of these barriers start getting thrown up of the reasons why they're not ready yet. Because they look out and they see someone who is an expert and you think, well, I'm not like them. You know, let's look out there.
Jessica Osborn [00:04:05]:
Who do we think are the top experts? Throw a few names out there that we would all know. You know, the likes of Tony Robbins. Clearly he's an expert because he has a global enterprise. You know, whether you like him or not is irrelevant. You know, he is obviously seen as an expert. Simon Sinek, if we go into a more professional space with people and leadership, they're seen as experts. So you go, well, yeah, when I've, you know, got all of the, you know, I'm doing events and I've got all this stuff behind me, then I'll be known as an expert and then I'll have confidence and then I'll have all these things and I'll have the authority. Well, how do you think they became known as an expert? Do you think they just started doing events or speaking or writing books with no expertise, and then someone else told them, oh, you've got expertise.
Jessica Osborn [00:04:54]:
And so now you're known as it? No, of course not. Right. They actually got the confidence in their own expertise first. They put themselves out there with it and trusted in their own expertise. And because of that, other people could see it, other people could hear it and they on board, they were actually following them. So you don't get the confidence, you don't get, you know, the, you know, become an expert first and then become known for it. You become known for your expertise because you already are an expert because you're able to Share it. So what's stopping you from sharing it? Let's talk about that for a minute because let's just run through a really common scenario.
Jessica Osborn [00:05:41]:
This may feel familiar. So put your mind back to when you were starting your business. Maybe you're a bit like me and you decided that you're done with the office politics. You don't want all of the drama and whatever is going on there. You're sick of being someone else's lackey, building someone else's dream. You're like, no, I can work for myself. I know what I'm doing. I know that I've got expertise.
Jessica Osborn [00:06:05]:
It's really valuable that other people can benefit from. I can help so many people. So I'm going to go and work for myself. Sounds amazing. And you start a business, maybe you start either attending events or showing up even in groups, you know, introducing yourself. What is it that you do? Is the inevitable question. People will ask, so what do you do? And then you start babbling. Some answer, I do.
Jessica Osborn [00:06:36]:
You know all of these things. And as you're saying, you're realizing that you're speaking with too many words that's going on for too long, that they've disconnected, they've lost interest. And by the time you've tried to explain what it is you do that you know that they're only just being polite if they're actually still listening. Most of them have already tuned out. They're not listening. They really. They're just unclear. You know what it is that you do.
Jessica Osborn [00:07:04]:
And you're like, in your heart, you know it. When you see it from inside your own eyes, you see it so clearly. You're like, yes, well, it makes perfect sense. And I can help all these people. But the thing is that the other people aren't seeing it. And because you have so much expertise, so many different skills, so much experience, probably that you're bringing into this business, it is hard to explain it in a way that's really concise and clear. You know, someone said to you, say it in a few words. You're probably going to say something really high level and fluffy.
Jessica Osborn [00:07:37]:
Like, I remember this used to be a challenge. Even back in my work days, I'd try to explain what I did, and I ended up just saying to people, I do marketing, because it was easier. It was far easier to say one word. People think they know what that means. I'm like, yeah, you probably don't really get it. But anyway, whatever, we'll stick a label on it. And that was it. But when you're in your own business, that doesn't really work because when people are hiring you as a, as a coach or a healer, an advisor, you know, they're not going through your resume, they're not going through all of your experience and all the things that you can do.
Jessica Osborn [00:08:09]:
They're probably not even looking at your qualifications, to be honest, that they're looking at your headline. Do they get it? Do you sound like the person who can help them? I want someone to help me with my problem and then bang, they're saying, I like this person and I'm gonna, I'm gonna sign up. So the problem is when we're not clear on what that is, they're not signing up. They're actually not seeing that you're the person who can best help them to get that solution. And you're right in front of them in plain sight. They're not seeing it the way you see it. And this is a challenge, as I said before, you know, put up your hand. I see you high achievers because you have so much that you want to help people with that you're bringing into this business, so much experience, so much, so many skills, different types of expertise, that it either feels strange to just sort of cut parts of it off and zero in on something that feels like dangerous, like you're missing out on opportunities, you're leaving money on the table and that you're not even sharing with people all the things that you can do.
Jessica Osborn [00:09:28]:
So, you know, when that happens, you tend to either generalize into something that is just wishy washy and no one really understands, or having a giant long list. And you may have heard of the Dunnings Kruger effect. So this is where people who are very intelligent, who have expertise, often don't see themselves with expertise. They tend to underestimate their level of expertise purely because they know how much they don't know, because they've got to a level of understanding, of knowledge, of learning in their area that they kind of are very aware that there's still so much that they don't know. And so they're the first ones to say, I'm no expert. Oh, I'm just, yeah, I do this and I've got a lot of skills and experience. Experience. But they'll almost brush it off as just normal.
Jessica Osborn [00:10:30]:
Well, this is just normal. And I know because this is exactly what I used to do. I'm like, doesn't everybody know this? Isn't this just standard? Because you've lived and breathed it for so long, you Kind of downplay it. You don't see it as anything important or special. And the ironic thing with the Dunning Kruger effect is that the opposite is true. Someone who's very unknowledgeable and unskilled in an area will often very much overestimate their abilities in that area. They may think they know a lot about it because they don't know much at all. And they've got no idea how much they don't know.
Jessica Osborn [00:11:04]:
So to them, they think that they know a lot. Isn't it crazy how our human minds work? So the thing is, if that's you, if you are the person who has a lot of experience and you're sitting there thinking, well, you know, there's no way I could call myself an expert because I don't have enough. I'm not someone like Tony Robbins or Simon Sinek. It's like, wow. Well, they, they weren't them when they first put themselves out there as an expert either, that they were just normal people who decided to stand in their zone of genius, what I like to call in business jam, your expert zone. Like actually decide to be in it and speak from it and share what you do know. Because regardless of the fact, whether you believe it or not, other people don't have the same level of knowledge that you do. They don't have that level of expertise.
Jessica Osborn [00:11:56]:
And when you're sharing something that you think is so simple and so easy, they're often going, whoa, I didn't know that. Mind blown, you know, whoa, this is incredible. But you'll never know unless you start to share. So how do you kind of get into this place? Let's talk a little bit about the, the main fears that you have of why you're not ready yet. Why, you know, I've already explained why we need to be seen as an expert, because otherwise you're just going to be the same as you are right now in the sidelines, waiting, always finding more things that you don't know, more reasons why you're not yet an expert, could it be true? When you think about it, is anybody an expert that knows everything? Is that even a possibility? And I think you would know when you really consider that question. Even someone who's considered the top expert in the world on a certain topic, that they, if you ask them, do you know everything about it? They'd say, no, there's so much I don't know yet. And we know that to be true because there is a limitless amount of knowledge. There's stuff that Nobody knows yet.
Jessica Osborn [00:13:15]:
In every area. There's so much that we are uncovering. And you might think, well, hang on, let's try to find something where we do know everything. You know, can you think of any? You know, I'm even looking back to think, well, obviously things in the past, you know, we know everything about a certain event. You might believe that to be true, but only this week I saw on my scroll of the news feed very quickly, I don't tend to usually read a lot of the news because it's so doomsday ish. But a quick scroll of the feed said that they've uncovered some ancient tombs in Poland that are dated back to before the Egyptian pyramids. We didn't even know that they were there. And that's so old, right? There is.
Jessica Osborn [00:14:00]:
I cannot think of a single thing, and I'd love if you can let me know, but is there any realm of knowledge, expertise that you could think of where we already know everything, where someone out there knows everything, but it's just not you like, or maybe you think it is you? I don't know that that's interesting, right? But there is nothing science, absolutely. We don't know everything. We know. We're discovering things all the time. We're learning about our bodies. We're still learning about our br. And I think the top scientists would go, gosh, we're only scratching the surface. There is so much we don't know.
Jessica Osborn [00:14:38]:
We're learning about how people think. We're learning about food, health, housing, materials, the world that we're living in. We're constantly learning about everything. We're learning about parenting, we're learning about learning how to be a better learner, how to be a better teacher. Marketing, like, everything is always changing. I've done marketing for 25 years and I'm the first one to put up my hand and say, I am, no, I am not the top expert on any of it. Like, how could I be? It would be really hard for anyone, I think, to say that they are, because anyone who's at that level of knowing a lot about it knows that you blink your eye and there's something new, there's something that you haven't yet experienced or uncovered. A new way of seeing it, a new way of doing it, a new way of looking at it.
Jessica Osborn [00:15:30]:
So I think that we can all just take a deep breath, breathe out, and decide that Nobody is a 100% expert in anything. Therefore, we can all be experts in something if we've mastered our skills to a certain Level, if we have enough knowledge that we have more than the average person, then yes, you are an expert. You have a degree of skill, of knowledge and experience that is above the standard that most people would have out there. Then you are someone who can be and call themselves an expert in that we don't have to peg yourself on a ladder above and below people and decide how many people are above you or not and whether you then can call yourself an expert. Like just get over that. There is enough people out there who know far less than you to enable you to be seen as an expert. And I guarantee that if you're someone who's had enough confidence to start a business doing what you do, then you have confidence in your ability means that you, deep down, at least a part of you knows you have expertise. You do have it, whether you're calling yourself that yet or not.
Jessica Osborn [00:16:45]:
But hopefully you see that it doesn't come from anywhere else. There is no external validation. There is no point in time where someone will say to you, well done, tick the box, you are now an expert. Like, that's not going to happen. There is no course or judgment thing out there with someone telling you you are now an expert in something. You know, and I'd have to say ironically, and this is where a lot of people go to, they think, well, I need to do a course in. When I finish the course, I get a certificate and that then says I'm an expert. Oh, does it really? Like if you've just learned some stuff but you haven't been practicing it, I would actually say that, you know, trying to think of qualification makes you an expert.
Jessica Osborn [00:17:30]:
It actually doesn't. When you look up expert in the dictionary, it says you have skills or experience. It doesn't say you've got qualifications in it. You know, anyone can read a book on how to ride a bike. That does not mean you can get on a bike and write it. You might understand the theory of it, you might have a, have some knowledge in it, but unless you've been doing it, unless you have tried it yourself and mastered it, then I don't think anyone could say that they're an expert in it. You know, just reading something that's knowledge, expertise is, is the lived, you have lived it. So maybe your expertise is in something that is knowledgeable, not a doing action such as business.
Jessica Osborn [00:18:13]:
You know, there are lots of things that people, you know, it's a thinking type of expertise, like psychology, like marketing. Well, I did psychology at university. I learned a lot about it. But I would Say that unless I have been practicing as a psychologist, I'm not an expert in psychology. I would have to have, you know, done the reps, done the yards in the real world, putting what I learned into practice and honing that skill to be an expert. So that may be you. Maybe you've done those reps. I certainly have done them in marketing.
Jessica Osborn [00:18:51]:
I've done 25 years of it, of building businesses, of brand building, of communication, online building websites. I've done my reps. Whether or not I've done more or less than someone else, I don't know. And it doesn't really matter, does it? So it's up to you. It is up to you to decide that you're ready. And the other thing that could be holding you back is, well, what if I've chosen the wrong thing? So this is the other major barrier for people who are, you know, high achievers, who've done a lot of things and are bringing a lot of years of experience into their business. Maybe you've been operating your business for quite a while and you've sort of been offering lots of different things and you're like, well, I like variety. I like who I'm working with.
Jessica Osborn [00:19:43]:
What is my expertise? I don't know. I'm like really struggling to figure that out. And usually the struggle is not that you can't choose something because that's just a decision. You can literally choose now if you wanted to. What's stopping you from making that decision is the doubt and the fear. What if I'm choosing the wrong thing? What if I choose something and that's not where the opportunity is and I actually end up breaking my whole business and I've got to quit and go back and get a job. You know, what is the worst case scenario that we're actually behind the scenes tapping into or leaning into? When you're thinking about that, what would happen then, really? What is that worst case scenario? And when you can bring it out and kind of recognize, well, why am I even thinking that? What does that mean? You can start to challenge those thoughts. If you're choosing an area of expertise now, does that mean that you can never change it? That that's always what you're going to be, that you're stuck inside a box, you are padlocked to it.
Jessica Osborn [00:20:54]:
There is no way you can break that padlock off. In fact, you've tattooed it all over your body. You can't get rid of. Like, that's not true, is it? You can just as easily look out there and see people, other people in your, you know, maybe in your industry who've been in doing this longer than you have, who have changed their expertise, they've changed what they're known for, they've stepped into new spaces, they may have evolved it. They might have pivoted completely. And I can think of many examples. I've met many people who have done that. And even when I think of myself, mine has sort of got more refined over time.
Jessica Osborn [00:21:34]:
So as I said before, you know, coming out of business where I was, you know, head of marketing communications, it was a very broad remit in my, you know, in my job, I had remit over the entire marketing communications department. There's a lot in there. So coming into business, it felt like I had narrowed it down a lot to say I helped online businesses with marketing strategy, how to attract clients, because there's a whole heap that I wasn't really bringing into that. Then I narrowed down further to be more about, you know, helping them to create premium offers, because most women I was working with were very much underestimating themselves, undercharging and, and undervaluing what it was that they were doing. So I, I refined it further. As you can see, that is a refinement, right? It's now a certain type of client that you're attracting with, you know, much more refined strategy on offers. And now in the last year or two, I have refined that even further into helping coaches and experts to create their signature program that becomes a sellout signature program. So that is an even further refinement because it's about the type of offer that makes them successful, that makes it easy for them to market.
Jessica Osborn [00:23:01]:
So it's still utilizing all of that experience and background, but it's now far more specific who it's for. It's far more specific on what it is that they're creating, how it. How I'm helping them get the outcome they're wanting. So that is a refinement. And then other people have had complete changes. You know, you hear the likes of Amy Porterfield. She started off in business as a Facebook ads expert, and then she pivoted into teaching online courses. So that, to me, is a pivot.
Jessica Osborn [00:23:31]:
There's a little bit of relativity between the two, but they are quite different. And anyway, there are two examples for you now. You can think of many more examples you can change. If you want to change, you can change it. That is the message. So you don't have to feel worried about choosing the right wrong thing. In fact, you're probably Going to evolve. You will refine it over time.
Jessica Osborn [00:23:53]:
You'll definitely figure out what your, you know, where is that space? Where is that sweet spot in the market for you? That is your true expertise. That is where you can have that confidence in yourself to show up with, talk about that expertise and actually create that authority. Now this is the real key because people go, yeah, I don't have confidence to speak on it. And I'm like, that is because you haven't found your expert zone yet. You will know you've got it because when you're in your expert zone, you know it so well. It's like, that is exactly what I do and for whom that you can't help to be seen and to show up with confidence because you're so clear. It's, it is like you're describing something that's directly in front of you. There's no wishy washiness.
Jessica Osborn [00:24:51]:
You're so clear on what it is. You're so definite. And that definiteness, that trust in yourself, that knowledge that, gosh, I can, I can help people. You know, now when I'm talking about signature programs, I'm like, I have got so many runs on the board with helping my clients over the last few years, five years or more, to create their signature offering. And ironically, I didn't even realize that that was my expertise at first. I was helping them to create a really profitable business model to attract, you know, more premium level clients. And that was how we were doing it, by making their offer work for them, being in that place where they had that level of expertise. And I just never kind of noticed that it was about having a signature program.
Jessica Osborn [00:25:36]:
And so when I got that clarity, like, yeah, of course, it's so much easier. What a better way to explain it, right? But I have 100% confidence in talking about it. Why? Because I've got the runs on the board. I've done it. I've got my own signature program. I've helped my clients create theirs. It's easy for me, it's simple and I've got so much I can say about it. It's easy, it's, you know, second nature.
Jessica Osborn [00:26:06]:
So that confidence comes from within you and you'll have it when you're in your expert zone. So how do you find your expert zone? Well, there, there is a three part process and I have, I did actually create a short video talking about those three parts. So I might link that up in the show notes for you and you can watch it. But it is something that I think a Lot of people don't get to. There are some people who never find it. They go through business for however many years. I've had clients who have been in business over 10 years, never feeling like they've really figured out exactly where their spot is. They're kind of doing things, they're working with people, things are like, you know, they're tapping along, it's okay, but it's not like, yes, this is the foundation for my growth.
Jessica Osborn [00:27:00]:
They've never got to that point where they feel that, where they feel ready to grow because they didn't get definite enough. They will. They weren't specific and they didn't find that place of power. So I developed a process that helps people to find it. And there's sort of three main areas that we look at that you combine together. And in the middle, you know, a bit like a Venn diagram with the three circles right in the middle, where they, where they interlink, that is where your Expert zone is. And most people will have attempted one or two of the circles, never all three, and usually not any of them to the depth that they need to go to. And it's just a fact, you know, I haven't yet met anyone who has done the work to the level that once they've, once they've been through it with me, they're like, oh my goodness, this is so much clearer.
Jessica Osborn [00:27:51]:
I have never felt like this before. And they're able to go out and speak. And I have them coming to me saying, guess what? I was at an event and people were walking up to me saying that they need to talk to me. They knew who I was and they knew what I did and they were really keen. They're like, I've never had that happen before. And so, you know, it's working. You get instant proof, instant evidence that it's working. Anyway, Cutting a long story short, I created this three part process.
Jessica Osborn [00:28:21]:
I call it my Expert Zone framework. And usually I teach it in inside my business JAM program, which is my, you know, larger program that helps people creating their signature program. However, I decided I would love to teach the Expert Zone to more people because it is, I could say there's one thing that makes a huge difference and this is the, the first step in the framework. It is the, the first domino to fall once you've got that expert zone. The other ones are so much easier to connect in to your strategy that I really love sharing it and I love seeing the results people get just from this one piece of the puzzle. So I decided to Create a challenge, a seven day challenge. So it's not too long, but it will have that depth. You will, by the end of the seven days, you will have asked the questions, made the decisions and got clarity on your expert zone so that you'll know what it is, how to talk about what you do and for whom.
Jessica Osborn [00:29:26]:
They will get it, they'll get what you're saying, they'll understand it and they'll also know why you're the one to help them, which is obviously the thing that drives sales. Right, so would you like to join me and do this together? You know, over seven days you're going to get a daily lesson with some questions, things to think about. They'll be really short, you know, 10 minutes or under. Those lessons, just one per day, so really easy to fit in. Can probably do a bit of your thinking and making decisions. After you've listened to it, you're like off doing the rest of the stuff for your day. You know, it's going to be easy for you to do. I'm going to be actually teaching this live with you.
Jessica Osborn [00:30:13]:
So in a group where you can drop in, ask questions, I'll give you feedback, you can sort of put in what you're thinking and, and ask for feedback. You know, how good is that? How often is it that you've gone, I think I'm doing this right, but I'm just not sure. And you've just always got that level of doubt. Well, now you get to ask, now you get to ask the question and put it out there and go, what about this? Is this clear enough? Is this specific so that you can get that external viewpoint though, that external pair of eyes? And I've done this so many times with so many people. I'm really, really great at helping you to refine it and showing you like where it's not clear and what is clear. So you can have that. We're going to do some live sessions where I'll be there with you, we'll be chatting, you can get some coaching. If there's anything that you're really getting hung up by, anything that's really holding you back, we break through.
Jessica Osborn [00:31:13]:
Those help you to feel confident in the decisions that you're making and that's it Sounds pretty easy. Right? So if you're keen on joining me for this challenge, do not delay because it's live, which means there's a start date. It's starting on the 4th of August. Put that in your calendar. 4th of August, we are starting live. Just seven days. If everybody needs a little bit extra time. We might take a break over the weekend and follow it up the following Monday, Tuesday, because I don't want to leave anyone behind.
Jessica Osborn [00:31:46]:
So it will only be seven days of actual content and we'll be doing it starting the 4th of August. And it's going to be just so much fun. Like this is not hard, it's actually just decision making, a little bit of clarity. But I'm going to take you through the steps that you haven't done before. I'm going to take you to those levels of clarity that you've never, never got before. Because when you go through this process, the expert zone process, you cannot help to get specific and that, that gives you the specificity, gives you clarity, which gives you confidence and that means you can start talking about it. So join me in the what I've called the Niche Buster seven Day Challenge. Link is below in the show notes.
Jessica Osborn [00:32:31]:
Head over there now. Now, I do have something special for you as a listener of She's a Business Podcast and clearly you're still here listening now, so good for you. That means put in the code stbcode. So it's a coupon code. I will have that written in the show notes for you as well. But pop that in and it's going to give you a special discount for being a listener of the podcast. So that's exciting. You head to my website in order to sign up.
Jessica Osborn [00:33:02]:
So jessicaosborn.com Niche Challenge all one word there, go through to the sign up. Now put in the code STB for she's the business and then STB and the word code. So that's the code STB code. It will give you a discount and you're getting a process, the framework that usually costs thousands of dollars to access in my one to one coaching programs or in Business Jam, you're going to be getting it for under a hundred dollars, so tiny fraction. You'd be absolutely mad not to do it. If you're currently not clear on what your niche really is, if you don't think that you're describing it clearly, you've got any doubt in mind that you're, you're not being crystal clear, then this is for you. If you think you've outgrown the niche that you've been in, you're ready to sort of level up, maybe step into that new place, the expert zone space where you have more authority, then this is for you. And if you think you need to pivot, if you're at a point in your business now where you're like, well, I've started off here, but I'm ready to pivot to a different space.
Jessica Osborn [00:34:21]:
Absolutely. This is a great thing for you to do. Let's get you clear in just seven days on what takes most people years to figure out. So I am excited. I literally can't wait to do this with you. It's probably one of the most favorite things to teach. And, you know, we usually spend quite a lot of time on it inside business jam. So let's do it.
Jessica Osborn [00:34:44]:
I we're going to get it done in seven days. It's going to be lots of fun, really exciting. You're going to be surprised just what a difference it makes to you and your business by the end of the challenge. So join me for that challenge, links in the show notes, and I'll see you in there. Bye.
