Become Your Industry’s Standard: A DIFFERENT Business Model

One of the happy accidents at my company IA Path is that we have become the industry standard.

People pay me (the company) to get trained to the standard, prove that they meet that standard etc. and it’s earned me a living for the past 10 years. (it’s 10 years old next week!)

I apologize for the delay in writing it has been an insane week,

1. Started participating in Category Design Academy by Category Pirates 🏴‍☠️ (for the 2nd year in a row)

2. Driving cross country from Denver to Florida - then to NC (my family is sleeping in a rest area as I type this)

3. IA Path has exploded with opportunity

So as I’m spinning wanting to write to you Category Publishers something about Mini Books I found myself thinking about something very different.

I had a meeting with the largest Auto Auction in the nation and they are wanting to hire our graduates of our program.

Typically its a role you have to have experience for.

Which has always been my focus in that business, how to get people work, but it made me scratch my head and do reflection.

‘How in the flippin world did I become a guy big corporations come to when they need new talent?”

then a 2nd more important thought for you,

“Can others use this business model?”

You may be famliar with some of the other models for online business.

1. Course model - do it yourself

2. Cohort model - do it with others

3. Coaching Model - do it with you

4. Services Model - do it for you

Those are the most common online business types, but what if there was another, less common one?

5. Certification Model - prove it for you

Now the reason most don’t think of this one is, “who am I to certify someone?'“

I ask myself that question all the time, but the reality is our world is FAKE.

I mentioned that in my last post about Ryan Levesque book Return to Real. People want real.

A reality is that no one believes anyone.

In my industry just because someone says “I’ve been doing this for 5 years” people don’t know if they actually are ANY good at their job.

I believe this represents and opportunity for you as an expert and someone wanting to make a category you can own and be identified with.

Is there a job, a task, a career, an opportunity that you’ve had that others would want to experience, but an external force, like industry acceptance, perceived skill, is standing in the way of?

I think of barbers, just because you have a license doesn’t mean you actually are good at cutting hair. You might only good at cutting men’s hair if its a buzz cut, but are terrible at women’s hair.

Well many salons and shops are likely nervous about bringing in a new person because they don’t know you are actually any good.

What if you knew how to teach someone to do the thing and could build relationships and reputation that people would believe in so they could get work at those better paying barber shops?

That’s what I accidentally did with IA Path.

Here are the 4 components (no, I haven’t languaged them to refine them yet, this is all very raw top of mind),

1. Training: Hands on doing of the thing (not just videos)

2. Competency Testing: I say “We don’t care about what people know, we care about what they can do.”

3. Partnership: having real connections to opportunities and people unlock when they meet your contribution standard.

4. Mentorship: while they may be able to meet a contribution standard, they’ll still have questions and need help.

Now what in the world does all this have to do with Mini Books, Category Design, or Category Publishing?

In the beginning I demonstrated competency to the industry by writing books on my topic.

People would read them and go “You obviously know what you are talking about.”

It helped me build relationships to companies I never would of been able to convince with a syllabus or resume.

Writing a Mini Book on your industry, about your role, about how you see the world is a GREAT way to start the conversation, but it is just the start.

I have so much to say about this topic ☝️ of creating a certification or becoming the standard of your industry.

How to charge individuals for the competency testing, how you could charge the companies a fee for finding them talent, how to protect your brand so they keep wanting your people, how to eliminate refunds, how to offer a guarantee that makes people feel they have to buy, etc..

I just don’t know if anyone here is wanting to know more.

This week was the first time I realized I might have information like this that someone needs about more than just Mini Books.

If you all want to know more about this business model, how to build one, let me know.

Otherwise I’ll resume my weekly Claiming the Category writing and I’ll begin bringing clients I’m coaching on live so you can learn by watching me with them.

Comment below if you are interested in me writing more about creating a Certification for your industry.