Welcome to One Thing Better. Each week, the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine (that’s me) shares one way to be happier and more effective at work — and build a career or company you love.
Want to attract new business? Or just build valuable relationships?
Here’s one of the best ways: Give away your knowledge.
This may sound like a bad idea. Won’t people just steal your work and not pay you? Won’t they abuse your time?
In fact, the opposite is true: When you give away knowledge, you build trust and authority — and then people want to pay you more.
Today, I’ll show you how this works, and how to use it to your advantage.
But to start, I’ll tell you about someone who did not do this — and how it led to the most awkward interview of my career.
The man who wouldn’t give
In 2009, I interviewed one of the most famous boxers in the world. It went poorly.
I worked at Men’s Health at the time, where I often wrote about celebrity workouts. So I asked the boxer my standard question: “Could you share one of your workout routines?”
“I’m not telling you that!” he shot back. “If I share my workout, then my competitors can copy it. I don’t give away my secrets.”
I was perplexed. It shouldn’t matter if someone copied his workout routine, because that’s not the only reason he succeeds. Did he really think that, if another boxer worked out like he did, they’d stand a better chance of beating him?
But I wasn’t going to tell him that. So I just stammered, asking him if he’d share anything with me. He said no. That was the end.
Years passed. I got into business. And then I discovered: The smartest professionals don’t think like that boxer at all.
What the greatest pros know
Last week, I was talking with my friend Kristjana Hillberg. She’s a master of affiliate PR, helping clients drive sales through media and marketing.
She just landed a new client, and they explained why they hired her:
“You are the first person (or agency!) that we met who has been so transparent,” they wrote her. “You were willing to educate us in areas we don’t fully understand, and teach us how to navigate it all step by step. This is one reason we decided to go with you.”
Kris she hears this from many new clients. She told me she’s never thought of this as a sales strategy. She just likes being helpful, so she’ll tell people exactly how she does her work. But as it turns out, that makes her look more confident and competent. (It’s why she also writes a great newsletter with affiliate strategies.)
Dan Norcia once told me something similar. He heads partnerships at the ecommerce growth agency Pilothouse, which publishes tons of instructional materials and hosts free events for founders. They literally give away their tactics. And that content is their #1 source of new business.
“When we give away our knowledge,” Dan told me, “people are grateful and see us as experts. Then they try to implement this stuff themselves, get overwhelmed, and want us to do it for them.”
How to put this into practice
Sharing knowledge is a funny kind of currency. It’s cheap for you to give away, because it’s just stuff already in your head, but it can be priceless for whoever receives it.
Here are three ways to start:
1. Post on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s algorithm specifically rewards “knowledge and advice,” and I’ve seen this validated in my own work. Years ago, my posts were either promotional or vaguely inspirational. Neither worked. Then I got specific and tactical, and the response was large.
I’m now at 260,000 followers. LinkedIn drives a ton of business for me.
Sharing knowledge there is simple: Just think about the last piece of advice you gave a peer that actually helped them. Now write that as a post. Simple! (Want more help? I have a free course on how to grow on LinkedIn… because yes, I’m giving away my knowledge too.)
2. When people ask, say yes
Do people ask you for advice? Give it to them.
In my experience, the trade-off is well worth it: I spend a little time, and I gain stronger relationships and new business opportunities in return.
For example, an acquaintance once invited me to lunch about an interesting new project. He wanted my advice, and liked what I said. He then asked if I’d talk with his team, and I said yes. Soon we were chatting regularly, for no money and no specific expectations. Now they’re paying me for monthly consulting.
Of course, you can’t do this with everyone. There’s no time for that. So when I decide who or what to invest time in, I ask myself a simple question: “Am I excited to see where this goes?” Maybe I just like spending time with this person. Or it’s an opportunity worth pursuing. I let my curiosity lead the way.
3. Proactively teach or trade
Knowledge can be shared in many ways! Here are two examples from my network:
- TEACH: My friend Sam was a reporter before joining a small law firm. Lawyers are notoriously bad writers, so Sam started an internal writing workshop. It took off, making him more valuable and appreciated at the firm.
- TRADE: My friend Annie left PR to start a cookie company. She needed branding help but couldn’t afford to hire someone, so she called a branding agency with an offer: “I’ll help you get media attention for your work, and you help me rebrand my cookies.” The agency said yes. Both sides won.
Remember what makes you most valuable
The boxer would never do any of this. I think that makes him weak and insecure.
A true champion can give away their knowledge and still beat anyone who copies them — because excellence isn’t built on knowledge alone. Excellence is built on execution. It’s about knowing what others know, then doing it better than anyone else.
Knowledge is simply evidence of your greatness. Giving it away doesn’t diminish you. It tells people: “I have so much more where this came from.”
When you give, you receive.
That’s how to do one thing better.
