by Tenns Reid, Bliss & Faith
Leadership is one of the things that will contribute to your success in your niche before pretty much anything else. Being a leader makes you stand out, be trusted, and be seen as an expert. People will only follow those who they feel are genuinely leading them to a good place. It takes work, time, and effort to build that kind of trust and set that type of precedent with people, but it’s crucial to being successful. If you’re trying to establish yourself or your brand as an authority in your niche and become known and successful for doing what you love, there are some key things that you can do to facilitate getting there.
Teach
Teach what you know! When you teach, you position yourself as an expert and authority in your niche. Your target market will come to rely on you for information and resources, and as a trusted individual who is providing valuable information. When people see you as an expert, they trust what you’re putting out, and in building that trust you begin to establish the crucial relationships needed to connect with your target market. Once these relationships exist, they will be more likely to support and share what you offer.
Listen
Listen to what your audience or market is saying. Many times, people tell us exactly what they want from us, we just need to listen to be able to give it to them. Your audience appreciates you more when they can see that you listen to them because it shows that you value them. When they feel valued and as if you’re making content or a product or service directly for them, they are grateful, because you’re solving a problem. In being a leader in your niche, its crucial to be tuned into the needs of those in it and provide a solution for them
Challenge
Go above and beyond! Don’t stay in the same place, challenge yourself to do better. Take things to the next level by putting in max effort and pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. When you do this, you harness your creativity, and don’t settle for this. Leaders never settle for less, as they are always pushing themselves to do better. They’re not about being comfortable, because the excitement of the challenge is what keeps them going and gives them motivation.
Serve
Leaders serve. Your job as a leader is to serve, point, blank, period. When you serve you’re putting your audience or market first and making what you’re doing about meeting their needs. You take care of them because, at the end of the day, you want them to take care of you. It’s a give-and-take relationship, but it’s your job to establish it. Relationships thrive off of serving one another, and they can’t exist without it. When you serve your audience you further build a relationship with them, building trust. Trust and serving is a the root of being a leader. People will follow (or support) you when they trust you, and you build it through serving.
Innovate
Bring something new and fresh to the table. People will have more respect for you and will be way more interested in whatever it is that you do when you introduce something new and different to the market. It is human nature to love new things, I’m one who doesn’t love getting a new car and smelling the new car smell. I’ve yet to come across one person in my life that didn’t like something new and wasn’t excited about it. When you’re innovative, you raise people’s expectations of you. You want people to expect amazing things from you, that they can’t get anywhere else.
One important thing to remember when it comes to establishing yourself as a leader in your niche is that it takes time. It will not happen overnight, and that’s okay. Continue to do the things to position yourself, be consistent, and most importantly provide value! When you do all of the above and the three aforementioned, you will be well on your way to being a leader.
What are you doing to establish yourself as a leader in your niche? – What are some of the methods you employ to set yourself apart and build authority and trust?
Not sure where to start with being a leader in your niche? I can help you get started with a one-on-one coaching session to help you organize your thoughts and ideas. Get started here!
Tenns Reid is the voice and one-woman-show behind the branding, design, and coaching boutique, Bliss & Faith.
She helps fellow busy and creative female solopreneurs and entrepreneurs who are passionate about blogging and business bring their brands to life! Her goal is to provide a resource to help them reach their goals, embrace their passions, and strive for success. She is committed to educating, informing, and sharing with those who want to achieve their dreams.
Tenns holds a degree in Business Management with an emphasis in HR and a minor in Sociology. She has worked in many industries including Retail, Restaurant, HR, & the Military, which has given her a wealth of knowledge and experience. In being a Brand Stylist, Business Coach, Designer, and Blogger, she is able to combine both the creative and artistic side of her brain, with the technical and analytical side. Tenns loves learning, researching, and solving problems and is so happy to be able to do a job every day the marries so much of who she is, while being able to help others and make a difference in their lives.
