When most people think of an information empire, they automatically connect it to a massive amount of education.  For generations common knowledge said that you have to have a B.A., M.A., or better yet a Ph.D. in order to be an expert.  Some people mortgage their homes and work three jobs to string a line of alphabet soup behind their names.

But does a college degree define the word expert?  Isn’t a car mechanic with a decade of experience an expert?  Isn’t a builder with 50 houses on his resume an expert?  Isn’t a housewife who can plan and prepare immense holiday dinners that look delicious and taste even better an expert?

The limiting effect of the degree mindset
According to a recent U.S. Census report only 27% of young people ages 18 to 24 enroll in college.  Conventional wisdom says the remaining 73% will remain in “blue collar” jobs and lower income status.  This attitude has a devastating effect on the goals and dreams of gifted individuals in this group.

An expert is simply someone with knowledge and experience in a field.

It’s time for broader outlook
With the information explosion and ease of communication on the Internet, the word expert takes on the more practical meaning.  An expert is simply someone with knowledge and experience in a field.  He could be a gardener or a mason.  She could be a stay-at-home mom who is an avid jewelry maker or cake decorator.  Or maybe she’s the one who organizes all the events at her church.

Whatever the niche, these experts can create an information empire based on what they know and what they have done. Tips of the trade, shortcuts, and advice can lead to online seminars, training programs, and mentoring…each with a higher ticket price and each delivered online where there are no printing costs or postage rates.

Simple steps to get there
1.    Sit down and analyze your areas of expertise. (There will certainly be more than one.)
2.    Choose the one you find irresistible. Which one would feel like playing even if you had to work in that area all day long?
3.    Jot down a list of 20 vital tips that beginners would love to know. And a short paragraph about each tip.
4.    Buy your domain name. Try to get YOURNAME.com. If it’s unavailable, try YOURNAMEnow.com or YOURNAMEtoday.com. A domain name costs about $10 a year.
5.    Set up a web site using WordPress.com, a free blog service. The setup instructions are simple and easy to understand.
6.    Begin posting your tips and their paragraphs, one per day.
7.    Invite your clients, colleagues, friends, and family to stop by your site.
8.    Give your tips away for a few months, write articles about your topic and offer a free report.
9.    Create a larger product like a class or ebook and charge a small fee to download it. Build from there by offering additional products like a short e-book, a course that is a series of audio clips, or a video demonstration.
10.   Get into the information marketing pipeline by subscribing to marketing e-zines and visiting the blogs of the marketing gurus. Keep learning about Internet promotion and product creation and keep growing your information empire.