In my latest LinkedIn Live, "Are You Losing Control of Your IP by Writing Articles for Publications?", I had a rollicking conversation with Erica Holthausen, who helps experts build their reputation and become a recognized authority in their field by writing articles for industry trade journals, associations, and business magazines.

Proof that nothing beats in person connections! This conversation with Nate Hecker, CEO of Big Idea, was so good that I want to make sure you don’t miss it.

In business, "leverage" is like using a tool to make our efforts more impactful. Think of it as a way to boost results without adding more work or spending more money.

Last week I covered auditing your assets – first variable of the three part equation (Audit + Protect = Leverage) for turning expertise into recurring revenue.

Here is a fundamental truth that you will hear me repeating, ad nauseum: Owning Intellectual Property is required to scale your expertise-based business. Period. Mic drop.

As a professional services provider, your most valuable asset is your expertise.

Do you know the number one way we lose control of our most valuable asset? Contracts. Well, I should say, not using contracts or not understanding the contracts we sign. These are self-inflicted wounds.

You know intellectual property (IP) and contracts are essential elements to smart growth, but you aren't sure where to start. In other words, you don’t know what you don’t know.

This is how experts lose control of their expertise.

I was reading an article on Forbes.com about the growth of freelance management consulting marketplaces. Catalant is one of the larger platforms that corporations use for buying professional services (think Upwork for corporate consultants).

Maybe you’ve hit a revenue ceiling. After all, there is only so much you can charge for a workshop.

Maybe you’ve hit an impact ceiling. Your workshop is transformative, but you are reaching only one client at a time.

Most likely, you’ve hit both.