First, know what you do so well that there is no ambiguity about what you do. Ambiguity is uncertainty or inexactness of meaning or a lack of decisiveness or commitment resulting from a failure to make a choice between alternatives.
When someone asks you what you do for a living, for example, try and avoid vague and ambiguous statements like,”I am a business man/woman”. If you do make such a statement, qualify it by being more specific. In other words, follow that up by saying the specific business you operate. All businesses have products or services with specific identities. Being a business person is too broad a term to be left un-explained. Leaving it vague prevents you from truly being taken seriously by your audience. It also limits your reach to potentially relevant parties in your field(s).
Be proud of what you do or find something you are proud of so that when you are asked, you can mention your trade with clarity and confidence.
Further to that, learn to define what you do in precise terms so that you can properly introduce yourself to your target market or audience. Create a bio that clearly defines who you are and what you do.
Secondly, learn your trade. There is always room to learn and grow in any field. Learning is a life-long process. Have a teachable spirit and a desire to continually grow. Learning can be enjoyable, you just need to have a positive attitude about it. It should not be a burden to learn, especially if you are in a field you are passionate about. Whatever it is you need to succeed at; whether it is spiritual, physical or mental, you need to learn more and grow.
Never underestimate any trade or field-do not mistake knowledge for granted. In a new venture, take the time to learn from knowledgeable sources. There is a general misconception that certain fields are generally easy and therefore do not need much effort. I would like to think that whatever you do-even if it were smiling for a living-it needs further study and research. You need to know why you are choosing to do a particular trade. You need to define its space in the market. You need to take it seriously and value it!
Know and learn your trade!
To share a bit of my own personal experience, I am a trained graduate architect who fell in love with fashion design. I started designing clothes last year in January 2015. When I started, I made a plan but honestly had no clear idea as to what I was getting into. Fashion design and building design are both design fields but there were still many many things unique to fashion that I had no clue about. It was a whole new world. The more I designed clothes, the more I realized I didn’t know much and I needed to learn. I delved into learning about fashion as a profession and more importantly-as a business. I read articles, watched programs on tv, followed fashion houses on instagram etc- basically anything that I could learn from. I became a sponge soaking up any useful information and knowledge in my path. I did make mistakes along the way but chose to look at them as learning experiences and marked them as things not to repeat. A year down the road, I have grown and I am still growing and I am eager to grow more. I opened up my mind and heart to learning a new field I am passionate about. I have developed a great respect for fashion. My personal broadened view of it has helped me take it seriously-very seriously! I am committed to knowing and learning this trade.
-Keziah Elaine Ayikoru-
Keziah Elaine Ayikoru 