8 Proven Steps To Getting Paid For Your Knowledge

Everyone loves to give advice, but not everyone gets paid to do so. Nowadays the evolution of technology has opened up the world in more ways than we could imagine. We’re able to connect with others in more ways than before thanks to the advancement of mobile technology. And because of social media, we’re also presented with the opportunity to connect with just about anyone and anywhere, so long as they have an active internet connection. Many startups have taken advantages of these technological advancements and created side hustles and ways for the average person to earn more money during their free time. Uber, Airbnb, and Postmates are a few examples of startups that have taken advantage of the gig economy blossoming.

But the gig economy doesn’t have the potential earning you’re looking for. What if you’re an expert in a special field and wants to get paid millions of dollars a year for your knowledge instead? Luckily for you, there’s a proven path to get there. It’s not an easy path, otherwise, everyone would’ve taken it. And it’s certainly challenging. But if you have a specialized knowledge that you believe others would pay for, then follow these eight steps to getting paid for your knowledge.

1) Write A Book

The easiest and the best starting point is to write a book and have it published on Amazon. Amazon has an incredible program that lets just about anyone become an author without going the route of pitching to publishers. Being an author is a great starting point for getting paid for your knowledge because it establishes you as an expert in the industry first and foremost. You may or may not make a profit from book sales, however, the benefit of establishing credibility and trust early on has compounding interest for years to come.

2) Be A Guest Contributor

Although this would be trading your time for barely any pay, it builds a reputation as an author. You’ll want to start guest contributing on small blogs, eventually working your way to local publications, and eventually pitch yourself to write in large national publications to gain notoriety and further reinforce yourself as an expert. Being a guest contributor won’t exactly bring in the dough or help pay the bills, but combined with writing a book, you’re establishing a strong portfolio when it comes time to selling and getting paid for your knowledge.

3) Build Your Brand

Now that you’re a published author and a highly recognized expert in a specific field, it’s time to build your brand. We suggest getting a professional website developed, getting a logo designed, and setting up your social presence in order to look appealing. This process might cost some money since you need to hire a professional designer to help you with all your design needs. But if you’re on a budget, don’t worry we’ve compiled a list of amazing free resources you can use with a few spare hours on the weekend.

Free resources to build your brand:

1. Canva: Design your logo and anything else graphic design related
2. Crello: Design cool flyers and animated social posts
3. Powtoons: If you want to make animated videos
4. Squarespace: Free (or really cheap) website builder
5. Trello: Great project management tools. Also can be used to manage your brand, content, leads, etc.

4) Develop A Mastermind Group

Make friends with other experts in your field whom you could also learn from. Develop a mastermind group of experts who share a common interest as you and expand your group. Having a mastermind group that meets regularly will further enhance your knowledge and broaden your horizon as you’ll be making friends with the right people. To build your own mastermind group, first, you have to attend a lot of events in your area to find others with similar interests. Once you have a least a few people who share common interests with you, create your own event or group to gather and discuss specific topics related to your field of expertise. Encourage your members to also invite like-minded individuals to expand your mastermind group.

Be sure to stay connected with everyone and keep your relationships alive. You’ll need your member’s help later!

5) Seek Speaking Free Engagements

As your reputation continues to grow and your group gains new members, you can begin seeking out speaking engagements. Start small at local networking events, schools, or local clubs that may want you as a free speaker. You might not make much from the free speaking engagements, but they will build confidence and hone your public speaking skills. And the ability to speak and present your ideas well will be crucial in getting paid for your knowledge.

6) Seek PAID Speaking Engagements

Don’t be shy, you’re definitely worth it. Now that you’re an official speaker, author, well-published writer, and fully certified expert in your field, you can begin seeking paid speaking engagements. The amount is entirely up to you. It’ll take a bit of hustling to get your name into the hat, but if you did a great job with the previous steps, people will be seeking you out instead at this stage to speak. You can also tap into your network of masterminds to explore other avenues to find speaking opportunities.

7) Offer Consulting Services

You can offer your consulting service much earlier if you so choose. We left it at this step because of the more experience and reputation you have, the more you can charge. If you’re just starting out, you’ll likely have to do a lot of free work to build your reputation. Meanwhile, if you follow the other six steps first, you’ll already have built that reputation and following by this point. At this point, you’re probably well known within a small community, have your own mastermind group, a small following on social media, and a lot of credibilities. You can now update your website to offer consulting services in your field of expertise.

8) Create Online Classes

Now that you’ve established yourself as a reputable person, you can start creating online courses all over the internet. Websites like Udemy and Coursera offer a free and easy way for prospective teachers to create an online course, upload it to the platform, and have millions of people buy into it. You’ll get a cut of the sales once a student purchases the online course. And the material you’ll be using can be directly from the book you’ve written or knowledge you’ve gathered throughout the course of establishing your brand. With a well created online class and a strong reputation to back it, students will flock to you in no time.

Try to create your class on multiple platforms to increase your stream of passive income. This is where you start to reap what you’ve sowed. Consulting may make a lot of money, but if your online class hits the top of the chart, you’ll easily rake in six-digits per month from passive income. It might have taken a few steps to get here, but it’s well worth it.

How to Get Started

Don’t let these steps intimidate you. It takes time and commitment and has been repeated countless times with great success. With a little bit of perseverance, better work habits, and self-motivation, you’ll be a published author in no time. And with a little more determination, you’ll be able to generate passive income and finally getting paid for your knowledge.