Why business owners make awesome authors

I’m in awe of business owners right now.

There are so many stories of resilience, courage, creativity, and flexibility that I’m seeing.

From the restaurant owners who’ve turned their dining rooms into takeaways, to the professional speakers who’ve learned to deliver inspiring talks online, and to the many entrepreneurs who’ve had to abandon their original businesses and start new ones all over again. I salute you all.

As someone whose work hasn’t been hit by the Covid pandemic in a direct way, I’ve been thinking for a while about what wisdom I can contribute to people such as you.

And now I have the answer.

My business is the writing of business books: how-to guides, thought leading titles, memoirs, and inspirational books. And the purpose of this post is to prove to you, the heroic business owner, that you have all the qualities you need to write just such a book for yourself.

Here’s why you’re an awesome author in waiting.

You’re strategic

Ambitious, big picture thinking is second nature to you. You have an end vision, an idea of how you’re going to make it happen, and the will to see it through.

What better combination of abilities could there be for planning a book? Because working out what you’re writing about, who you’re writing for, and why those people would care, is essentially what you do when you market your products and services.

You’re thinking strategically about what you want to achieve with your book, just as you do with your business.

Creating the strategy is always the first step I take when working with a client as a ghostwriter or book coach. To entrepreneurs it instinctively makes sense, and I find they always enjoy the process.

You’re creative

Although not everyone thinks of themselves as the ‘creative type’, when you run a business you certainly are. Creativity simply means producing something where nothing existed before, whether it be a new product or service, a radical concept, or words on a page.

Having confidence in your ability to create is an essential part of your success. It matters for your entrepreneurial journey and it matters for your book.

You’re audience-focused

No business can fly unless it delights its customers – whether you run a consultancy, a service-based company, or work as a coach or trainer. You have to know who you’re serving and speaking to.

It’s the same with writing a book. Your readers are your audience, and your job is to know them intimately. When you do, you can join them at the place they’re at right now, taking them on a journey that ends with them being far wiser for your help.

This is where your professional expertise and years of experience come in. You’re able to guide others and gain their trust, because they see you have the knowledge (and credibility) they need.

You’re resourceful

Entrepreneurs and business owners are always trying to spin gold out of yarn. And as a result you’re a resourceful bunch, always getting things done despite the odds being against you.

Limited budget this year? Try some DIY options for marketing. Part of your customer base no longer buying? Develop a new service. Sales hit by a global pandemic? Reduce costs and adapt your product range to suit.

This bodes well for writing a book, because when you’re planning what you want to say you have to use all the resources at your disposal.

Your ideas, your knowledge, your experiences, your case studies – all come to bear in the creation of a book that will transform your readers’ lives.

Your business and your book

This is where all your positive qualities as a business owner come together.

It’s not just your approach to life and work that suit you so well for being a business author, but also your experience and knowledge. It’s what you know about what you do that gives you the insight to write a book about it.

One that will help other people with their problems so they can have better lives themselves.

Also, writing a book is one of the best ways I know for developing your thinking about your expertise.

You find yourself coming up with new frameworks, fresh ideas, and interesting takes on it that you’d never have done otherwise. There’s something about writing 50,000 words on a subject that does that for a person, and it’s one of the main benefits of becoming an author.

So if you’re feeling challenged or beleaguered at the moment, I get it. Who wouldn’t be? But it’s worth remembering that the attitude and knowledge that you’ve cultivated as an expert or entrepreneur are not only what will make your business succeed, but your book too.