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The term “experts industry” was coined by Brendon Burchard in his book, The Millionaire Messenger. Brendon is one of the towering figures in the experts industry. His Millionaire Messenger was #1 on Amazon’s best-seller list for 40 weeks and catapulted the author to the top of the pile in the industry.Brendon went on to launch the now defunct Experts Industry Association and the run-away successful “The Expert Academy” and the “High Performance Academy.”, becoming an instant sensation. Oprah describes him as “One of the most successful online trainers in history.”But how did the self-help industry get started? The terms experts industry, self-help, self help, personal development, personal improvement, personal growth, self-improvement, and information marketing are often used today interchangeably.The industry is increasingly referred to as the experts industry in recent times because, according to Brendon Burchard, “It’s where experts operate.”The term self-help (also used without hyphen) was the term first used to describe the industry and was coined by Samuel Smiles, a Scottish Doctor, in 1859. However, the term (self-help) is now viewed as derogatory because of the assortment of snake oil salesmen or charlatans that prowl about, online and offline, seeking who to unleash their fake wares and cures.Sacramentochiropractic.com, points out that the origins of self help date back to the book “The Constitution of Man,” written by a Victorian phrenologist, George Combe, in 1828. It was followed, according to them, by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Compensation” in 1841.Quoting market research.com, Iulia-Cristina Uta shared the information that “the self-improvement market was worth $9.9 billion in 2016 and is estimated to grow to $13.2 billion by 2022, with 5.6% average yearly gains.” That’s a total growth rate of 33.33% meaning there is room for any determined soul to jump in.I her article in brandminds.ro and quoting Niels Eek, a psychologist, Iulia-Cristina Uta threw a sharp light on what the industry is all about. She asserted, “Self-improvement is about consciously identifying and developing one or more facets of your life. From the perspective of an entrepreneur, self-improvement will often entail some sort of mental training but can mean anything from practicing stress management to valuable goal-setting. Professionals are often keen to learn things like time-management techniques (for better prioritizing tasks) and increasing productivity without compromising mental wellbeing.”The self-improvement market is wide and encompasses a large variety of products and services, ranging from books, to e-books, online courses, coaching programs, webinars, “academies”, “universities”, “masterminds”, master-classes, conferences, and mobile apps according to brandminds.ro.Taking the digital angle, Hazel Davi, a guest blogger at virgin.com quoted various sources and research findings as pointing to the fact that compared to other age groups, millennials are the most driven to engage in self-development.Writing under the title, “What does self-improvement look like in the digital age?”, she asserted, “Millennials love self-improvement; whether it’s learning how to be an inspirational leader or change-maker, coding for beginners or leaning In – they seemingly can’t get enough of it.”Since its creation in 1859, the industry has become unstoppable with thousands of “gurus” peddling their wares to whoever cares to read, listen, view, try, and buy. When asked whether he was a “guru”, Peter Drucker had said, “The term charlatan was too difficult to pronounce so someone invented the word guru.”In that regard marketresearch.com has this to say, “Consumers are realizing that there are many so-called “experts” now peddling a variety of online “masterminds”, “academies”, “universities” and coaching services. Too many, in fact. As a result, gurus are trying to figure out how to cut through the clutter while consumers are trying to identify legitimate, competent experts.”The US is unique in that it’s the only country in the world I know of where a full month is set aside for self-help. According to sacramentochiropractic.com, September is National Self Improvement Month in the US. According to the blog, “It’s a time to reflect upon your life, set new goals and take strides to make personal changes in order to achieve the life you truly wish.” Any wonder the US is the global center of gravity for self-help?Any wonder the biggest names in the industry in the English speaking world are all Americans? The following 20 living and long gone legends readily come to mind, not in any particular order: Napoleon Hill, Jay Abraham, W. Clement Stone, Jack Canfield,
Dale Carnegie, Mark Victor Hanson, Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, Marcia Weider, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Joe Polish, Deepak Chopra, Gary Vaynerchuk, Zig Ziglar, Tim Ferriss, Les Brown, Peter Diamandis, Brian Tracy, Brendon Burchard.In the English speaking world, no two people have made bigger impact in the self-improvement industry than Sir Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey. But they belong to a special class of their own, the billionaire’s class.Branson’s business empire spans the globe and he always finds time to motivate the new generation. His book, How I Lost My Virginity, is an evergreen classic on motivation.Oprah is not far left behind. Her OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) and The Oprah Winfrey Show attract millions worldwide. Get your book onto the Oprah Book Club and you’re made for life. Such is the magnate of the Oprah brand.According to webwire.com, the self-help industry was worth $11 billion in the US in 2019. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is growing even bigger in 2020 as the explosive growth for the services of online webinar companies such as ZOOM, Webinar Jam, and Microsoft Teams illustrate. The future of the industry has never been brighter.The dollar-worth of the various segments of the self-help industry in 2019, according to marketresearch.com, as quoted in brandminds.ro, was as follows:
• Self-help audio books – $769 million
• Self-improvement books – $800 million
• Self-improvement apps – $27 million
• Personal coaching services – $1 billion in the US
• Motivational speakers – $1 billion per year combinedTo make a killing in the self-help industry and join the long list of millionaires, you need to pick a niche and pitch your tent. If you know your onions and choose the right strategies, you can make a killing within a year or two.The internet has put self-help within the reach of anyone with something of value to over. Indeed with a laptop, internet connection, and a message or a product the market is hungry for, you can create impact with blistering speed and dance all the way to the bank.The key to success is identifying a lucrative niche that matches your expertise. Here are the top nine niches according to marketresearch.com:
1. Infomercials
2. Audio books
3. Self-improvement Books
4. Self-improvement apps
5. Personal Coaching
6. Motivational Speakers
7. Weight Loss Programs
8. Public Seminars
9. Holistic Institutes & Training CompaniesI first stumbled on the self help industry some 30 years back. Brian Tracy’s motivational tapes wetted my appetite. At about the same time, I stumbled on Jay Abraham’s “12 Pillars of Business Success”. That led me to “Success Magazine”, and later “Excellence Magazine”. It was not long before I stumbled on Tony Robbins’ best-selling books “Unlimited Power”, and “Awaken The Giant Within”. I’ve never looked back.While the industry as we know it today took off “officially” in 1859 with the publication of Samuel Smiles book, Self Help, which sold 250,000 copies, motivating people, with oratory, dates back to antiquity.As Adlai Stevenson once alluded, “When Cicero turned to the crowds in ancient Rome, people said, ‘great speech’. When Demosthenes spoke to the crowds in ancient Greece and people turned to each other, they said: ‘Let’s march.’”So self-help dates back at least 2400 years. However, it really took off with gusto with the advent of newspapers, radio, television, and now, the internet. There is no better time than now to jump into the experts industry and make a fortune for yourself. With a free 90-minute webinar, you could make $10,000 before the webinar is over. Is that not worth giving it a try?

Giving effective constructive feedback does not have to be difficult if you keep in mind the following ABCs:#1: Effective constructive feedback is appropriate in time and in place.It is important to choose an appropriate time and an appropriate location to give constructive feedback. Feedback should be given timely, and at an appropriate time. Timely constructive feedback occurs within a few days of the observed behavior. This way, the incident will still be fresh in your mind and in the mind of the person with whom you will be speaking. If you wait much longer than a few days, there is a good chance that the person will have forgotten about the behavior. Also, the further removed you are from the date of the incident, the more inclined you will be to lessen the effect of the incident, i.e. “What Bob did wasn’t really that bad. I was probably just overreacting to the situation.” The worst thing you can do as a supervisor is to not address the issue until the employee’s annual performance review. Not only is this unfair to the blindsided employee, it also casts you in a bad light as your supervisors will wonder why you neglected to address the issue when it first arose.Next, you’ll need to arrange an appropriate time to discuss the issue. Find time in your schedule to allow both you and the other person sufficient time to hold a productive conversation. Five minutes here or there or the fifteen minutes between meetings will not be enough time to sit down and talk. You don’t want the other person to feel rushed or to feel that there is no time for him or her to respond to what’s been said. We’ll discuss a bit later the importance of follow-up.Location, location, location. When giving constructive feedback, location is just as important a consideration as when purchasing real estate. Constructive feedback should be given in private.Use your office. If you work in an open cubicle setting, ask to use someone’s office or use an empty conference room or meeting space. The idea is to provide a private and confidential environment for your conversation. Additionally, as a general rule, it is not appropriate to give constructive feedback in front of others. Give your employees and co-workers the respect they deserve by discussing work performance issues in a one-on-one conversation. No one likes to be thrown under the proverbial bus in front of his or her colleagues. Not only is this unprofessional, it embarrasses the employee and makes those co-workers who are present uncomfortable.#2: Effective constructive feedback focuses on the behavior, not the person.We all have our own personality flaws, quirks, and idiosyncrasies. Keep in mind when giving your constructive feedback that no one is perfect, including you. Try to refrain from focusing on the person’s shortcomings. Remember we all have them. Instead, focus on the behavior in question. When you focus on the person’s behavior and how it is affecting the workplace as a whole, he or she is less likely to get defensive and will be more likely to be receptive to your message. For instance, suppose one of the members on your team consistently misses deadlines and, as a consequence, causes other members of the team to fall behind in their schedules and meeting their commitments. Your constructive feedback should focus not upon this person’s utter lack of effective time management skills. Rather, your feedback should focus upon how on x occasion, the person’s failure to complete his or her tasks by the prescribed deadline negatively impacted the rest of the team in a, b, and c ways.#3: Effective constructive feedback is contextual.Have you ever gotten into an argument with your significant other over what you thought was one issue only to have the argument disintegrate into a shouting match rehashing issues you thought were resolved months ago? Or, perhaps the person brought up something that happened over a year ago that you are now hearing for the first time. You thought to yourself, “Now why didn’t he tell me that my leaving the cap off the toothpaste bothered him a long time ago???” Let’s switch gears to see how this same dynamic plays out in the workplace. You are the supervisor of the customer service department. You’ve asked John to come and speak with you about complaints you’ve recently received about his customer service. Your constructive feedback should be contextual in that it addresses the specific issue before you, namely concerns about the quality of service John is giving to his customers. Now would not be an appropriate time to discuss how John was 45 minutes late to the last department meeting or how he doesn’t contribute to the weekly donut kitty yet helps himself to two glazed Krispy Kremes every Friday morning. Going back to the first quality of effective constructive feedback, that it be appropriate in time, alleviates any contextual problem. When you address and resolve issues in a timely manner (within a reasonable time after the behavior is observed), there is no need to dredge up past wrongdoings because, presumably, they have already been addressed and resolved.#4: Effective constructive feedback is descriptive.One of your goals in giving constructive feedback is to identify an area in your colleague or employee’s work performance that could use improvement. Therefore, general comments about working harder, being a better team player, or other euphemistic clichés are not particularly helpful. After all, how can I, as an employee, begin to address and correct an issue if I am not clear which behavior I am engaging in is unsatisfactory? When giving constructive feedback, endeavor to be very specific. Compare and contrast the following examples.Manager:Paul, I need you to start being a better team player.Paul:I am not sure what you mean. I contributed over 120 hours to the Manheim project this month and worked with Paula, Christine, and Scott to make sure those proposals went out to the client on time. I worked late every night last week and came in on the weekend to help Christine finish the reports for the Donaldson project. How am I not being a good team player?versusManager:Hello Paul. Thanks for your work on the Manheim project. I appreciate you sacrificing your weekends to get those proposals out to the client on time. I wanted to talk with you today, however, because I have some concerns about your tardiness. I noticed that you arrived late yesterday and again today. I am concerned because you missed some very valuable information during the first part of this morning’s department meeting. The rest of the team and I really value your input and would have welcomed your perspective on the Donaldson project.Paul:Yes, I’ve been meaning to speak with you about my schedule for this week. My wife is six months pregnant and I’ve had to take her to her prenatal checkups and sonogram appointments. I meant to tell you last week, but I got so preoccupied with the Manheim project that it completely slipped my mind.#5: Effective constructive feedback uses examples.Along with being descriptive in giving constructive feedback, it is also a good idea to give examples of the person’s behavior that is at issue. For instance, let’s suppose you have a co-worker who routinely monopolizes the discussion during staff meetings. In your discussion with your co-worker, you would want to point to a specific instance where he or she was monopolizing the discussion and then tie that in to how that negatively impacted the others in the group. For any piece of constructive feedback that you give, you need to be able to give concrete examples of the person’s behavior.#6: Effective constructive feedback invites follow-up from the recipient.After you have given constructive feedback, you need to allow the other person to speak and be willing to actively listen to his/her viewpoint. Good communication is always a two-way street. There should be a free exchange of ideas and a reciprocal give-and-take of information. Demonstrate by your verbal and nonverbal communication that you are open to listening to the other person’s response. If you hastily call someone into your office, spout off a laundry list of their “bad” behaviors, and hurriedly dismiss him or her without affording an opportunity to respond to what you have said, what exactly have you accomplished? You’ve learned nothing about why the person engaged in the behavior at issue.#7: Effective constructive feedback is goal-oriented.Constructive feedback not only identifies an area of concern, it also proposes solutions that can be implemented to address that area of concern. After all, it wouldn’t make any sense to identify an area for improvement and stop there. For instance, if the basis of your feedback was the other person’s tardiness to staff meetings, the two of you may want to set a goal of arriving ten minutes early to future meetings. This, of course, is a simplistic example, but you get the point. After your initial meeting, follow-up with the person at a mutually agreed upon time to discuss his or her progress toward meeting the goal.#8: Effective constructive feedback is helpful.The recipient of your constructive feedback needs to know how to improve his or her work performance. Be prepared to offer practical advice and suggestions as to how the recipient can do just that. You might recommend that your employee take part in an upcoming training session on customer service. Or, you may suggest that he or she take a technical writing class at the local community college and arrange for your company to reimburse the employee for the cost of the course. You get the idea. Whatever the area of concern may be, don’t simply stop at identifying it; offer practical and easy to implement solutions to address it.#9: Effective constructive feedback is given with integrity.Put yourself in the shoes of the person sitting on the other side of your desk. If the roles were reversed, how would you like to be treated? Observe the “golden rule” policy. While it is important to be honest in your constructive feedback, that doesn’t diminish the importance of showing tact and being respectful. For a quick litmus test to decide whether to say something, ask yourself if you’d either say it directly to your mother or in the presence of your grandmother.#10: Effective constructive feedback is just.Please be fair. Policies should be enforced equally across the board. Your expectations for excellence ought be the same for everyone, regardless of your personal feelings about them. Address individual issues on that basis. If you notice an issue common to many people in the department, address these globally during a staff meeting or in a memo.Being mindful of these attributes should assist you in giving constructive feedback more effectively. Remember… feedback on work performance should lead to solutions, not to the creation of more problems. Happy working!Copyright © 2010 MARIGOLD CONSULTING. All rights reserved.