There are no gatekeepers

Every market has its “barriers to entry.”

• You can’t be a dentist without going to dental school.
• You can’t be a lawyer without passing the bar exam.
• You can’t get a job at a big-name consulting firm without having an MBA from Stanford or Wharton or Northwestern, etc.
• You can’t launch a best-selling book without going on morning talk shows and getting a great review in the New York Times.

But here’s the thing – with the Internet, it’s increasingly possible to get a following – and make a perfectly good living – in whatever your area of interest is. You can become a recognized expert on wine, or antique toasters, or small business marketing, without ever having one of these more “traditional” seals of approval from the traditional “gatekeepers” that keep people out of the market.

In the new world of online work, all that matters are your personal credibility, authenticity and personal connections. And no single “gatekeeper” is responsible for deciding who can compete.