Who’s going to believe me?

Do you remember asking yourself that when you first started out? I do.

Decades ago, I was establishing a business as a curatorial advisor. (Translation: helping museums develop exhibitions.)

I had art degrees and experience at a leading Midwest art center, and I knew I was a skilled researcher and writer. But this was New York City. My internal monologue of doubt wouldn’t stop.

I wanted to grow my visibility and reputation. So, I started learning all I could. That’s when I discovered the two paths to credibility.

The credibility duo

Establishing credibility is essential for solopreneurs to gain visibility, trust, and authority. It helps attract clients and opportunities and sets a solo business apart in a crowded market.

Let’s examine both.

Build, baby, build

Building credibility involves trust and authority. You earn these by doing consistent, high-quality work and by engaging professionally. Here are some ways to do this:

✅ Create high-quality content
​This might include detailed blog posts or articles showing your expertise. Or, engaging videos and infographics that simplify complex ideas. You can also publish whitepapers or ebooks emphasizing your knowledge and experience.

✅ Showcase your achievements
​Time to brag, professionally. Highlight awards and share success stories. Create a portfolio of case studies and your best work. Gather and publish client testimonials and reviews.

✅ Network
​Visibility is essential for credibility. Join professional associations and other industry groups. Attend conferences and events to build professional ties. It also lets others know of your expertise.

✅ Be generous in your engagement
​We trust experts who are not just smart but also kind. They participate in forums with a generous spirit and offer advice and encouragement. How might you do the same?

✅ Invest in professional design
​Visual communication is crucial for credibility. It shapes perceptions and reinforces a professional image. It's important to hire pros for branding, websites, and other visual elements. Then, use these visuals in all your communications to create a cohesive style.

“Gilt” by association

You can boost your efforts by borrowing others' credibility as you build your own. This means using the trust and authority of experts, brands, or institutions to boost your own credibility. Try these approaches:

✅ Cite established research​
Use studies and reports from reputable sources. They show that you align with other experts in your field. Quote them in your content. Or, create charts or other visuals to enhance or clarify their findings.

✅ Collaborate​
Expand your credibility by quoting or interviewing well-known experts. Invite them to be part of your podcast, newsletter article, or online event. Share their content (and tag them) for exposure. As your credibility grows, more opportunities for collaboration will appear.

✅ Affiliate with reputable brands​
Aligning with recognized brands boosts credibility. This could be through affiliate partnerships or by joining programs or certifications from recognized groups. Showing logos of notable clients or partners on your website also builds authority.

✅ Media mentions ​
Pitch stories to media outlets. Seek guest appearances on podcasts and webinars or write guest articles or posts. Then, maximize the impact by highlighting media features and mentions on your website and in your marketing materials.

✅ Leverage social proof​
Positive comments are powerful credibility indicators. Encourage customers to share their experiences on social media and then display those comments. Follower counts and engagement metrics are also common credibility indicators.

Together, not either/or

Building and borrowing credibility happen in tandem. So, embrace both approaches.

Just think — one day soon, you’ll be lending credibility to others on their solo journey.

Your challenge this week: Pick two items from each category to enhance the credibility of your solo business and put them to work in your solo business.

Once you do, I want to know. If you have a credibility-building success story or tip to share, let me know. I’ll showcase it in a future issue of SOLO.

❤️ My favorite visual delights

Here are this week’s gems from around the Web for all types of visual thinkers:

🥷 Hive Systems 2024 Password Table​
With sophisticated computing power (including AI), it’s now easier than ever for hackers to break your passwords. That password of 10 random numbers can now be cracked in an hour or less. Check out the table (on Twitter) or on the Hive site to see the effective use of color to present data and to gain motivation to update your passwords.

📍 Atlas.co — Geospatial analysis in a browser​
Geospatial data analysis is like being a detective with a special map to understand lots of information about different places. This new tool now allows individuals and teams to generate maps and data analysis in a browser. Early Atlas.co customers have created maps on the 21st Century Silk Road, Soil Types in North America, Population Density in Europe, Tiger Habitat Loss, and more. In celebration of their launch, all features are free for 3 months. Visit and get inspired about mapping your ideas in new ways.
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✍️ Noted: In Praise of Doodles​
Jillian Hess’ Substack newsletter, Noted, explores the notebooks and archives of famous writers, artists, and thinkers. This week, she shares the visual expression of doodles, and the casual jottings of Samuel Beckett, John Keats, Barack Obama, and others. Past issues of Noted are also a treat.

Did you miss these?

Catch up on some recent popular issues of SOLO you may have missed.
​
✅ 3 ways design pros stop the scroll​

✅ Beware this painful solopreneur trap​

✅ Box up a competitive advantage!​

✅ When is empty space not empty?​​​​

Want to check out other past issues? Visit the SOLO Newsletter archive.

Thanks again for being a SOLO reader and coming along on this journey of visual exploration.
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Know someone who wants to build their credibility? Share this newsletter with another solopreneur!
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And if you received this issue from a friend, I invite you to subscribe.​

See you next week,