It is a sad fact of life that nobody owes us a living, and more than that, aside of the people we owe money to, our ex-wives, our family and our dog, nobody cares much else about us either! 

It’s also the same for our business. Customers are fickle and will always put their own needs and convenience first before loyalty.  Just look at how many businesses have sprung up online to deliver our every need to our front doors, in the hands of a spotty youth with a crash helmet!  Where were they all before? And who were the suppliers we used to use before they came along?

It has been heart-breaking to see so many, otherwise healthy and successful businesses crumble because of circumstances totally out of their control. On top of that, so many people waking up to find that their jobs are no longer there.

There is not one industry that has not had to adapt, re-group and re-invent itself to be relevant to the new marketplace that is now emerging. One thing is for certain, no matter how much fresh paint you put on, it would be madness for your business to keep on doing what it were doing before and expect to get the same results. It won’t – the world has changed.

If you try to carry on as if nothing has happened, the chances are that you will be fast overtaken by those businesses who have already seen the new trends and have repositioned themselves to be ahead of the curve. Have you?  Nobody is going to do it for you.

During these past few months, lockdown has taken from us so many things we used to take for granted. Simple things like the freedom to travel, to meet our friends or clients, to go into work, and to go out to enjoy ourselves. Lockdown has been the same for everyone.  But no matter how this has impacted on us, there is one asset we have that we have probably yet to put to good use, and it’s one that could make a difference to you right now.

You have spent a lifetime putting regular deposits into your Bank of Knowledge if fact you probably have a very healthy credit balance by now. What better time than now than to make a withdrawal and put some of that knowledge and experience to profitable use?

Throughout all of this current crisis, the one commodity that has been most in demand for is Applied Knowledge. This is all the stuff you have learned by doing what you have been paid to do over the years.  I don’t mean the facts and data you have remembered, Wackypedia is bursting with that. Ask any question to Mr Google and he will have a hundred thousand answers for you in less time that it took to type the question. Information is everywhere, and is as cheap as chips. (as they used to say when chips were cheap!)

Applied Knowledge, however,  is where somebody has been presented with a challenge, an opportunity or task and they have researched how to do, made a plan, found it didn’t work, made another one, and made a mess of that too. But through perseverance, mistakes, catastrophes, and little wins, eventually succeeded. Probably much to their own amazement. 

If you were interested in the original problem, wouldn’t you want to know how they did it? Especially if you might be called upon to do the same thing?  If they wrote a book on how they did it, the mistakes they made, the problems they encountered, would that be something you might buy?

People look at books and think they are yesterday’s news, but in reality, people are buying more books now than ever before, but in different formats and from different places. They may listen to a book through their little white headphone on the train, but it is still as much of a book as if it were an eBook, a Kindle or a paperback.

So, let me ask you a question.  How many people have you helped over the year who said to you “You should write a book about this?”  If it is more than one, then maybe the universe is talking to you.

Our biggest asset is our knowledge and experience and other people value it, for one really good reason – they don’t have enough time to make all the mistakes themselves. What is inside your head can be turned into income. These days there are so many ways to do that and  to monetise your knowledge. 

The obvious way is to write a book and the modern way of doing it is to speak it, record it transcribe it and edit it. By talking it, you are creating your book at the speed of thought!  You can repurpose it as an eBook or a talking book, both separate products. You can become a professional public speaker by sharing your story and your insights on stage. Alternatively, you could create your own subscription-based YouTube channel. Then there are all of the possibilities that open learning programmes or webinars can offer. All of them, different ways to turn your knowledge into income.

So, if lockdown has closed some doors for you, or taken away the way you used to earn your money, why not become a Knowledge Marketeer?  What’s inside your head may be more valuable than you think!

© 2020 Chris Day –  Founder, Filament Publishing Ltd   07802 211587