Critical Systems for Success

Setting yourself up for success as an expert or practitioner, especially where self-employed, requires that you understand the critical systems and tools that will help you to get found, get consumers, and build authority in your field.

If your chosen career path is to work in an employed role in an existing organisation, you might also consider some of these systems – because they’ll open doors in the future, if and when you decide to move on.

Firstly, in this increasingly digital era, you need to have a website. You can think of your website as a sort of ‘shop front’ for your expertise. It should show people who you are, what you do, what kind of problems you solve, and why you do what you do.

There are so many platforms available to you that enable you to set up a website quickly and easily, and in some cases, for free! A great place to start is to look at some of these platforms that are suited to beginners, and often come with easy to use templates that are perfect for experts or practitioners:

• Squarespace
• Wix
• Showit
• WordPress

You might start the process by registering a domain – which could be either your name or a name that best describes what you do. Don’t overthink this, it’s something that you can always update or change in the future – and the key is to get started.

Your website is the perfect place to attract consumers who might want to work with you. There are some key pages of your website that will get you started, with a summary of what to include on each of these set out below:

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When you’re thinking about your website (or your ‘shopfront’), you may also need to consider additional software tools, like a booking system (try something like Calendly or Simply Book), a payment system (like Stripe), and a means of capturing consumer information, including their name and email address, so that you can stay in touch (like Mailchimp).

We’ve previously talked about the numerous social media platforms available to you, on which you can disseminate your knowledge in meaningful ways. You might like to link to these profiles from your website – with buttons taking your audience to your Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook channels to learn more about you.

At this point, you might be feeling as though all this technology is going to be difficult to navigate, and slightly prohibitive. But remember, the internet is full of tutorials, free courses, and instructional guides to help you along. There are also websites like Fiverr and Upwork which provide directories of tech-savvy freelancers who can help you at a relatively low cost.

Having a website is essential. Take some time to join Facebook groups, forums, and seek out mentorship to help you upskill – and remember to go at your own pace. Done is better than perfect!

What do you think?

The process of building a website could help you to craft your message, refine your niche, and communicate your reasons for wanting to become an expert in the first place. Use the Comments section below to share some ideas on how you might do this.

• What do you think will be the most rewarding part about having a website that showcases you and your expertise?
• What might be the challenges for you and how could you tackle these?

Share your thoughts with other learners on this course.