David C. Baker - The Business of Expertise: How Entrepreneurial Experts Convert Insight to Impact + Wealth

COURAGEOUS THOUGHT LEADERSHIP INSIGHT

THE
BUSINESS

OF
EXPERTISE

RockBench Publishing Corp.
Nashville, TN, USA

SAN 855-5559

Bulk Orders
www.rockbench.com

Copyright 2017 David C. Baker
All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition, 2017

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017902572

ISBN 13: 978-1-60544-060-6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

+ + +

for everyone who wants to know

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOUNDATION

CHAPTER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I've come to understand that this is the only section where I can say anything I want. Normally, the folks who expect to be here only register emotion if they arent; everyone else skims the names to see if they made it, finally, and if not they simply ship the book back to Amazon in disgust. I think Ill try to surprise a few of you.

Mom and Dad: Ive come to appreciate your impact on my life a bit more now that youre gone and we dont focus so much on how weve disappointed each other. You trusted me, let me do anything I wanted, and always believed in me fiercely. I am more grateful to you as the years pass.

Aunt Julie Barnhart: Even though you werent my actual aunt, you redefined the dorm mother concept and fostered my early love of learning. Especially in the 5th grade.

Stan Udd: The first graduate school professor who wasnt (generally) afraid of where the truth might lead.

Jim Eisenbraun: You embraced critical thinking in a larger historical context, wherever it led. So many conversations about language, archeology, history, and religion. Ill never forget your encouragement before the thesis defense.

Cam Foote: You are entirely responsible for planting the seed for this advisory work over the decades, and I can never thank you enough for that early shove out of the nest.

Competitors: I love you folks. Your research and insight makes our collective world better, and Im grateful to be in your company.

Clients: Goodness. Some of you have been victims, but most of you have been part of something better from our work together, and all of you have taught me so much. I am energized by your passion and inspired by your discipline. Many of you should be writing more.

Audiences: Some of you should quit asking stupid questions, but in general I live to help you and keep reexamining what I think. Youve inspired my fear of looking incompetent up front.

David Maister: Do you have any idea how touched I was that you wanted to use a little of my work? Your writing prepared so many of us.

Blair Enns: Your friendship and collaboration on my life and work is enormous. I feebly reference you a few times here, but the truth is that I dont know where my thinking ends and yours begins. Weve spent so much time on trails and stages and beaches that our thoughts run together. Thank you, sir.

Sons and daughters(-in-law): Im pretty much over people on an individual basis, so the fact that I love being with each of you is rare for me. You are each so easy to love and you make my life rich and exciting.

Addie Gray: Youre a crazy, crazy girl. I cant wait to take you on trips to see the world and get inside your head.

Everly Leyden: I miss you. Three weeks was so short and intense, but Im relieved that you are no longer suffering. I still cry uncontrollably at odd moments when Im driving alone on back roads.

Emerson Marie: My goodness. Youve latched onto our hearts with such open arms. Every day is a new surprise for all of us in your audience.

Julie: Knowing you since I was 15 and living with you all these years is a rare privilege. You keep my head from spinning off into crazy-land and your warm and ever-changing love softens my heart to be human again.

www.expertise.is

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Discarded cover design comps
All hard costs to produce the book
How the book unfolded, with pictures
Breakdown of hours, from start to finish

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Genuine expertise has become

more valuable than ever and

in this smart and timely book,

David talks frankly about how to

leverage your own expertise into a

sustainable business. This book is

essential reading for entrepreneurs

in any field.

Daniel H. Pink

author of DRIVE and TO SELL IS HUMAN

FOREWORD *

Hi David,

So sorry I have to say no to writing the foreword, but please dont take it personally because Im saying no to absolutely everything! Im years behind in my own projects, so Ive vowed to add nothing new to my life until my already-started things are finished. If you are interested in some more thoughts on this, search for my article on Saying no to everything else.

Also, Im not an entrepreneur anymore, so dont feel qualified to say anything about it. As I wrote recently, you have to keep earning your title or it expires, and its been years since I started a company.

Im honored that you asked, though, and I wish you the best. Lets stay in touch.

Derek Sivers
http://sivers.org

* Ive long admired Dereks thinking and decided to ask if hed write the foreword. He declined, but his response illustrated how experts frequently say no to opportunity so that they can dig deep with a laser focus. I asked Derek if I could print his refusal as the worlds first not written by foreword.

PREFACE

Expertise. Proficiency. Competence. I think we generally know what these words mean. And of course we know what an entrepreneurial business is, too.

This work is meant to address that narrow overlap between entrepreneurship and expertise. The intended reader is the expert who wants to move the needle on behalf of their clients and create wealth for themselves in the process. These are advisors of different types, but usually in some fee for (expert) service context like the professional services.

The book is written for that narrow overlap between two segments.

I greatly admire craftsmen and technicians who often work with their hands, but this book is designed for those who work with their minds, primarily.

The journey is broadly philosophical when we examine the role of pattern matching, but it gets down in the weeds when we take a deep dive into the tasks of crafting your positioning and then applying your expertise.

I am hoping that this book will:

• Inspire you to narrow your focus with greater courage,
• Urge you to articulate more concise points of view, and
• Steer you to greater clarity about who you are as a professional and how you help your clients as a guide.

The primary beneficiary of every book is the author because for me, anyway clarity comes in the articulation and not after it. If I didnt write, Id never know what I actually believe, and I hope reading this will inspire you to write for the same reason.