As the week wraps up, it is time to set our sights on what matters most. Share with the group today: 1️⃣ What is the one thing you will prioritise next week to move your book or business forward? 2️⃣ What distraction will you cut out to stay focused? 3️⃣ What support do you need from the community? Focus creates progress. Let us lock in and finish the week strong.

We now have professionals joining the Authority Through Authorship community from different industries and backgrounds, so I thought it would be great to get to know everyone a little better. If you're happy to, introduce yourself in the comments using these three things: 1️⃣ Your name and where you're based 2️⃣ What you do professionally 3️⃣ If you wrote an authority book, what topic would it be about? I'll start. I'm Kevin Long, founder of Babysteps Publishing. For the past 18 years, I've helped consultants, coaches, and business professionals turn their expertise into, authority books that attract clients and opportunities. I'm currently helping professionals structure their expertise into frameworks that position them as recognised authorities in their industries. Looking forward to learning more about everyone in the group.

I want to tell you something about myself that most people in this space would never share. I left school with no qualifications. Not because I lacked intelligence. Because life intervened early. At eleven years old I was diagnosed with brain cancer. I spent nearly a year away from school. But, I could read, write, and count, and for the next four years I quietly chose the farms over the classroom. At fifteen I went back for the last two days to get my leaving certificate. Then I left. What I did have was a book that my Grandfather gave me. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. That book started my business education before most people had considered having one. I served my time as a carpenter. Started my own joinery company at nineteen. Joined the fire service. Built a property portfolio of 35 houses. Was days away from closing an enormous hotel deal in Turkey. Then the 2008 banking crash happened. I lost everything. Including my own home. In 2000 I had survived testicular cancer. I had already learned that life does not ask permission before it changes on you. So I went back to carpentry, and while I rebuilt my life with my hands, I quietly started building Babysteps Publishing on the side. Then came December 13th, 2013. A man named Martin Ward came to me with a manuscript he had carried inside him for sixty-five years. He was eighty years old. When he was three, he lost his mother. His father was a soldier who could not raise children while serving. Martin and his brother were sent to a Catholic care home in Dublin called The Artane, where what happened to them was something no child should ever endure. I read his manuscript and had to stop several times. I had never felt such emotion from a book. Martin did not have much money. I published his book for free. Not because it made business sense. Because it was the right thing to do and, I felt compelled to share it with the world. The book launched and reached number one in multiple categories on Amazon.

Accountability equals progress. Share with the group today: 1️⃣ What did you get done this week toward your book or business? 2️⃣ What is still in progress? 3️⃣ What is your number one focus for the next seven days? Small, consistent actions add up to big results. Let us keep each other on track.

Every small insight can create big results when it comes to writing your book and building your business. 💡 Today’s tip: Write with your reader in mind. Focus on the problems they face and the transformation you can provide — that’s what makes your book valuable and magnetic. What’s one tip, tool, or strategy that’s helped you move forward recently? Share it below — your experience could be exactly what another member needs.