Priya Florence Shah

Bestselling Author, Award-Winning Blogger, Storyteller & Poet

How To Become An Expert: Marketing Your Services To Become The Authority In Your Field

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Priya Florence Shah

[bctt tweet=”Becoming an expert is the best way to create the maximum amount of success in your business.”]

As a service provider or a consultant, you will be greatly appreciated by your clients or colleagues, but if you do not classify yourself as an expert, you can be wasting your time at trying to get an edge over your competitors. Becoming the leading authority in your field can help you do that.

Why Becoming An Expert Is So Important

People want to learn from an expert. Or else, why would anyone come to you? As an expert, you can allow yourself to grow your brand in the eyes of your customers.

In the internet marketing world, there are many people are trying to get into the business and make money from affiliate sales. But two of the top marketers, Kyle & Carson of Wealthy Affiliate, are perfect examples of the experts that you want to be like.

They have studied exactly how internet marketing works, and they did whatever it took in order to achieve success with internet marketing. Now they own the Wealthy Affiliate University, and they are helping thousands of people every day.

No matter what industry you plan to be in, you need to classify yourself as an expert, if you want to be successful.

People will look at you as a trusted resource with the right information to help them out and provide the solutions they need. In your industry, as long as you know people need your help, you can achieve long term success.

An expert is somebody who can easily turn readers into sales because of the trust and authority they have established in the eyes of their customers. The hard part is actually establishing yourself as an expert and that is what I aim to show you in this article where I will explain the steps to get there.

Here are some of the essentials to reaching expert status:

• Develop your knowledge base

You cannot become an expert at anything that you do not know or understand. In other words, you must gain the most amount of knowledge that you can possibly learn.

Grow your knowledge as best as you possibly can. The more you educate yourself, the more that you will be able to authentically promote yourself as the leading authority.

• Create visibility online

Connect with others via social networks and let them know about who you are. Grow your website in the consulting industry, and continuously advertise it in the world of social media.

• Speak in public

Public speaking in your industry forums and in outside forums also will show others that you know exactly what you are doing. Anybody who does public speaking automatically demonstrates expert status to others in their field.

Learning how to be an expert in any industry takes time and hard work. You need to make sure that you spend weeks to several months learning about your industry.

Once you know what you need to know, build your online presence and start doing some public speaking. Then you will start to be recognized as an expert in the industry, and people will look at you as a trusted resource.

© Priya Florence Shah

This is an excerpt from “Be The Expert How To Market Your Services To Become The Authority In Your Field“

Book Review: Dream With Your Eyes Open by Ronnie Screwvala

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Priya Florence Shah

Growing up in the Bombay of the 70s, I remember Ronnie Screwvala from his days as a theatre personality in Bombay. I recall seeing the ads for The Wiz, a production of his theatre company, Lazer Productions, in the newspapers of that time.

From playing Cassio in Othello to starting UTV, I knew nothing of his journey, until I started reading his new book, Dream With Your Eyes Open.

His book gives us both, a glimpse into his journey of entrepreneurship, and insight into Ronnie Screwvala, the human being – an enterprising, charming and very down-to-earth South Bombay Parsi gentleman with a “can-do” attitude that never quits.

I laughed out loud when he described a cobra scene that just went on and on in the first flop movie he produced.

I felt for him when he wrote about his failure in college and what he learned from it.

I could totally empathise with his distaste at the intrusion of mobile phones in personal communications, this being one of my own pet peeves.

To quote from his book, “Few things are ruder and quite frankly more arrogant than chatting on or tapping away at a phone and ignoring someone who takes time out of his day to sit with you one-on-one or in a group… Attentive and courteous communication breeds a healthy corporate culture.”

He goes on to discuss how he insists on parking mobile phones outside during meetings. I think if more companies begin to adopt this practice, it will greatly improve the quality of our personal communications. It might be a good rule to enforce at the dinner table too.

A very down-to-earth outlook is evident in his observations like, “A lively office culture doesn’t always come from big spaces… The concept of the top-floor corner office is archaic and reeks of an isolated top management team.”

One of the things he emphasizes for an entrepreneur is the role of communicating your message well, and the importance of using the method of communication that comes most easily to you – whether oratorical or email.

In Dream With Your Eyes Open, Screwvala takes us on a tour of his motivations, challenges, victories, failures and missed opportunities – from starting out as a manufacturer of toothbrushes to becoming a content provider for Zee TV, to his innings as an international movie producer.

Though not chronologically, he weaves in tales of his disruptive approach to the media industry, like producing the daily soap, Shanti, and going on to start Hungama TV with its hugely popular shows, Doraemon and (my personal favourite) Shin-Chan.

Many entrepreneurs will enjoy reading the inside story of the takeover of Hungama TV and UTV by Disney followed by his exit from the media industry.

[bctt tweet=”True disruption requires urgency across the long term! ~ @RonnieScrewvala, Dream With Your Eyes Open” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”When you’re being disruptive, there are no half measures. You go all the way, or you drop out. ~ @RonnieScrewvala” via=”no”]

I was especially struck by his account of the exhaustive legwork he undertook to build his cable company, even going on door-to-door sales calls himself. It made me appreciate, even more, his determination to do whatever it takes to understand his customer and provide value to them.

He explains why success has more to do with preparation than luck and offers invaluable tips on learning to grow and scale a business – a section I found especially useful to me.

Tweetables from the book:

[bctt tweet=”Embrace failure. But understand that failure is a comma, not a full stop. ~ @RonnieScrewvala” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”Lose your best people and no amount of data or money will lead to success. ~ @RonnieScrewvala” via=”no”]

[bctt tweet=”Entrepreneurs don’t worry whether or not the world is flat. They’re too busy building businesses. ~ @RonnieScrewvala” via=”no”]

Some of the passages that impacted me the most:

I am skeptical about that age-old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Whoever said that didn’t understand the pleasure that comes from growing a business, pushing boundaries and crashing conventions along the way.

The twenty-first century – governed by technology, the democratization of the consumer base and access to information – is all about collaboration and winning, not killing the competition and taking it all as the winner.

In the twenty-first century, it’s all right to not be the first one to hit upon an idea. It’s fine to be a smart second or third, with a lot of insights from others.

Screwvala also has interesting views on that bane of all business meetings – presentations – and has a sharp word for critics, most of whom “have never created, or built anything” and “act as though they are experts in the room.”

“Let criticism and public failure strengthen you, not diminish you,” he says. “In the end, you’re not answerable to anyone but yourself.”

Dream With Your Eyes Open is a book that every entrepreneur (or wannabe entrepreneur) in India should read if they want to understand what it takes to build an empire. Many readers will find their most pertinent questions answered in the appendix, which is structured as a Q&A section.

On completing the book, my wish for Ronnie Screwvala is the very same one his mother expresses, “Why don’t you go back to theatre?” I guess I’m rather fond of remembering him on stage because it’s where I first heard his name.

However, his second innings seem to lie in being the owner of a kabaddi team, rather than on Mumbai’s stage. All I can say is that I’ll be watching his future ventures with keen interest.

Dream With Your Eyes Open is available at all major bookstores.

Why Independence Is Attractive In A Woman

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Priya Florence Shah

As a woman who’s experienced her fair share of personal tragedy and failed relationships, I feel very strongly that a woman should be completely independent of her man.

I don’t mean that you should never let a man do anything for you. Independence to me means being able to take care of my own needs in a healthy manner, with or without a man.

Independence promotes self-worth and self-esteem. It also gives you the confidence to walk away from unpleasant or abusive situations.

Healthy, secure men are attracted to independent, confident women. It’s insecure men that like women who are clingy and dependent. And that’s definitely not the sort of man you want to attract.

Being the “damsel in distress” will only attract undesirable behaviour from people around you, which is why a healthy level of independence is crucial in every woman’s life.

There are six forms of independence I believe every woman should cultivate:

1. Physical Independence:

I have seen codependent women fake illness (or choose to believe that they’re ill) to get attention and get taken care of by their family. Really, how empowering can it be to have someone else take care of all your physical needs?

Unless you suffer from a serious illness or disability, simple things like buying groceries, managing your bank accounts, and paying your bills are things you should be able to do for yourself, even if you live with someone else.

Take responsibility for your own health and well-being. [bctt tweet=”When you allow yourself to be a burden to others, you become vulnerable to abuse or abandonment.”]

2. Sexual Independence:

Learning to pleasure oneself can be very empowering for a woman. Men do it all the time, so there’s no reason why women can’t. If you can meet your own sexual needs in a healthy manner, you’ll never have to settle for one-night stands or relationships that are demeaning.

Because of conditioning by family and society, many women are not even comfortable with exploring their own bodies. False beliefs about sex and our own bodies can lead to sexual incompatibility and unhappiness in marriage.

For the sake of your marriage and relationships, learn to get comfortable with your own body. If you know how to pleasure yourself, you can help your partner pleasure you better.

3. Financial Independence:

Many women still expect a man to be the provider and a source of security. A man who has a home and car is seen as a better match than one who doesn’t. But like us women, men want to be loved for themselves, not for what they can give us.

If you depend on a man financially, you’ll always be at his mercy, willing to tolerate abusive or disrespectful behaviour because you cannot fend for yourself. [bctt tweet=”Relationships built on a foundation of neediness are doomed to fail, or be unhappy for one or both people.”]

Unless a woman is taking care of kids and the home – a job in itself – she should not be financially dependent on a man. At the very least, she should be educated or capable of using her skills and talents to stand on her own two feet, should her man pass away or leave the relationship.

Being financially independent boosts your self-worth, and gives you the freedom to make better choices in relationships. You’re less likely to tolerate disrespect or abuse if you know you can take care of yourself.

4. Emotional Independence:

This is the ability to deal with emotional issues and problems on your own. If you are emotionally needy and clingy, you’ll attract insecure men. Neediness will not only attract potential abusers, but will also drive away a good man looking for a strong, independent woman.

If you’re having trouble learning how to meet your own emotional needs, I recommend you read the book “Inner Bonding: Becoming a Loving Adult to Your Inner Child” by Margaret Paul. It helped me heal some of my deepest wounds and learn to depend less on others for my emotional needs.

5. Spiritual Independence:

A good man wants to be with an independent-thinking woman, someone who has her own opinions, not one who agrees to everything he says.

Being an independent thinker means having the courage to stand by your beliefs, speak your mind, and follow the path that feels right for you. It makes you less likely to attract a man who is controlling and tries to dictate what you should think, read or believe in.

Independence is attractive because it gives a woman the freedom to make better choices and enter a healthy, authentic, inter-dependent relationship on her own terms.

[bctt tweet=”Independence is attractive because it gives a woman the freedom to make better choices “]

6. Social Independence

Harsh Shrivastava suggested I include this point, and I agree. “Women should have their own network (including online) of friends, advisers, guides, mentors, and even mentees – of both genders,” says Harsh. “A woman should not depend only on relatives or her man’s friends, but have her own set of people to lean on and learn from and have fun with.”

5 Essential Factors Women Lack That Sabotage Their Success

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Priya Florence Shah

If women have such excellent leadership abilities, then why aren’t more women in leadership positions? This is because the unique challenges of women in leadership are not always easy to overcome. Here are the 5 essential factors that women need to succeed as leaders.

1. Self-Esteem

This is simple enough to understand. In a world where women are encouraged to follow feminine pursuits and treated as less capable than men, lack of self-esteem is almost an epidemic in women.

“Women systematically underestimate their own abilities,” says Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg in her TED Talk. “Men attribute their success to themselves while women attribute it to other factors.”

[bctt tweet=”Even high-achieving women lack self-esteem in one or more areas of their lives.”]

The lack of belief in oneself causes us to self-sabotage at crucial points in our lives, resulting in lost opportunities, abandoned plans and underachievement.

2. Self-Worth

Self-worth is the belief that you deserve the best that life has to offer. Many cultures teach women that it is virtuous to be self-sacrificing and give up our own needs to support the needs of our spouses and children.

Our lack of self-worth shows up in many ways – in how we abuse our bodies, allow our needs to be undermined and ultimately, in giving up the choice of having the career or business of our dreams.

3. Assertiveness

A woman’s lack of assertiveness comes from being brought up to be “nice” and “non-argumentative.” We teach our daughters that it is inappropriate to speak their minds or ask for what they need.

“Women do not negotiate for themselves in the workforce,” says Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg. This makes it hard for women to ask for a raise or a promotion when she starts a career, and makes her reluctant to ask for bigger fees or charge higher prices in her business.

4. Mentors

No one can grow in business or a career without having mentors or role models. The “old boys club” ensures that men get the mentorship they need in and out of the boardroom.

For women, however, the lack of strong female role models and women in leadership positions makes it much harder for them to get the guidance, coaching and mentorship they need within the organization.

5. Support

Although women are earning high salaries, many of them are still expected to manage the roles of wife, mother, cook and maid when they get home. Few spouses or families are supportive of their need to work long hours or travel on business.

“Women do three times the amount of childcare than men. As a society, we put more pressure on our boys to succeed than our girls,” says Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg.

The lack of support at home results in many women giving up their aspirations to grow in their careers, forcing them to underachieve and pass on promotions and raises.

This article is an excerpt from the ebook “Women In Leadership: Feminine Leadership Traits That Will Help You Shine In A New World” available on Amazon Kindle. Download it and learn which feminine traits will give you an advantage in your career and business in a new world.