The commerce of talent

BY DANIEL COLE

You’ve probably heard the word, “Talent is as cheap as table salt.” Well, a talent is only cheap if you don’t understand the commercial value. When people tell me, Daniel, ‘Talk is cheap.’ I say to them it depends on who is talking. “If you want to know how cheap talk is, try inviting Anthony Robbin to speak at your event.” I hope you get the point. The idea is, everybody is born with an inherent gift, talents or skill, and each of these talents has commercial value. Although talent alone is never enough, it is a traded talent that counts.

Talented and gifted people need to learn how to bring their talents and skills to the marketplace. Don’t be a fan of the same thing you are gifted to do. A talent or skill that is not traded will not be recognized and rewarded. The world is a “Marketplace” Everybody is trading something, knowingly or unknowingly.

You are good at singing, don’t sing your entire album to your friends and families alone. Don’t sing all your albums in the bathtub. Get to the studio and show the world what you’ve got. You’ve once dreamed to be an author, start with one page per day. It is only traded talent that benefits the world, not abeyant brilliant ideas. Don’t write all your books on scraps of paper. Don’t deliver all your speeches as a gist to friends

Take your talents to the marketplace. There are more than seven billion people on the planet; at least 1% need what you have to offer.

Give expression to your potentials. Pay attention to your gifts. How can you trade your talents? Firstly, undergo necessary training to give you clarity on how best you can maximize your potentials. Get relevant training that is in alignment with what you can do best. Do you know how to write well? Great, why not organize a writing master class. And see if people will not pay to attend. You know how to play musical instruments so well, great, why not organize classes whereby you train others how to play. The beauty of gifts is in the ability to transfer them to others and get rewarded while doing it.

For your gifts to be commercially viable or recognizable, you need to build a brand around them. Brand what you love to do. A coach once said to me, “The world will not reward or recognize you for your similarities; the world rewards you for your difference.” Your gifts are your key difference factors; build on them. Your gift is what makes you unique; your packaging is what will determine people’s patronage.

Additionally, you need to understand your market. Who needs to know what you know? Why do you think they need it? And how can you get it across to them? You need to understand the governmental laws and policies that govern what you do. Do you need to register with a professional body to operate? Do you need to get a license? All these are necessary to stay functional and relevant. Talent by itself does not equate to wealth it is traded potential that brings reward. Money hides in talents, but you must understand how to trade them. Keep showing the world what you are made of.

“Wealth flows to those who produce, not those who consume.” There is a product in you that the world has not seen. There are services you can offer, that the world will pay you for. But do you understand the commerce element of your talents and skills? Take your talent to the marketplace. Most importantly, always make sure you balance a good attitude and character with talent and experience. When you combine talent with training and trading, it becomes a treasure. Don’t die with a book full of ideas. Don’t be a fan of the same thing you are born to do.