In collaboration with Team XYZ
Expanding your skill sets and sharing your growth online shines a spotlight on yourself and helps you to stay ahead of the curve. As many industries continue to evolve, it is more important than ever to continue growing your skills to keep up and continue excelling. A strong and growing skill set can be especially impressive to employers. Growing your skills can demonstrate your dedication and your interest in advancing your career. Your new skills can diversify your job options and help you develop new techniques to keep up with the fast-changing industries. It is valuable to include your new skills on your website to make them count in today’s digital world. Using your website to market yourself and your new skills can help earn new customers, clients, or employers and help generate new connections or revenue streams.
Idea 1. Transform your artwork into NFTs
One method of expanding your skill set is to mint your creative works into NFTs. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are one-of-a-kind digital collectibles that can become a valuable and sought-after investment. By learning how to transform your artwork into NFTs you can develop proficiency in the purchase of cryptocurrency and how to use minting platforms. You can gain an understanding of gas fees and how to list your NFTs for sale on marketplace platforms. NFT collections make an eye-catching and progressive addition to personal websites, and you can learn how to attractively organize and display your NFT collection on yours. Minting your work into NFTs and sharing them on your website can lead to a more diverse audience base and added attention to your website.
Serwah.xyz is an example of an artist who enhanced her cryptocurrency skill set and learned how to transform her digital 3D art into NFTs. In 2013, after predominantly creating with oil paints, Serwah began working in digital 3D art. She found NFTs to be her preferred way for her digital art to be consumed and sold in its organic form, and began adding her creations to her website. In May 2021, Sotheby’s featured her piece Creation of My Metaverse (Between this World and the Next) in their NFT collection. A few months later in October, Paris Hilton listed a few NFTs on Sotheby’s NFT marketplace, including work from Serwah Attafuah.1 She was even featured in an article in The Fashion Law, which references Serwah as one of the first Australian artists to sell an NFT (a piece titled “Voidwalker”). Serwah’s decision to expand her skill set to digital 3D NFTs helped her become a pioneer in the NFT space and achieve notoriety for her art.
Expanding your artistic portfolio by transforming your creative artwork into NFTs can greatly extend your customer-base and attract more attention to your work and your website.
Idea 2. Develop a podcast based on your interests
Another method of expanding your skill set is to broaden your range and venture in a new direction by developing and hosting a podcast. You may find that you’re well equipped to speak easily and confidently, and able to harness your expertise or unwavering curiosity about a particular topic to create an entertaining and insightful podcast. By learning how to make a podcast you can acquire new skills in recording, producing, and editing. The podcasting process can help you become skilled at planning a programming calendar and booking guests. You can learn interviewing best practices and strengthen your conversational and public speaking skills. Once your podcast is ready to share with the world, you can learn how to post the episodes on your website and on podcast platforms. Your audience may learn quite a bit from you and your programming, which may lead you to become a subject matter expert or put you on course for exciting new projects.
Proof.xyz is a successful example of how podcasting can make you a subject matter expert, grow your audience, and lead to new projects. Silicon Valley-based Kevin Rose is a partner at True Ventures, a venture capital firm that has invested $2 billion in early stage technology startups, including Peloton, FitBit, and Ring. With a growing interest in the NFT space, Kevin created the NFT-themed podcast Proof.xyz in March 2021. There are over 30 episodes of the podcast featuring interviews with NFT artists, like Sarah Zucker, and platform developers, like Tyler Ward of Universe.xyz. Kevin’s interviews demonstrate his understanding of what the average newcomer may be wondering, and he manages to simplify the discussion for easy digestibility for all audiences. He uses his new podcast to share his passion and growing knowledge, and provides a platform that offers valuable visibility to artists and developers of this new space. Proof.xyz helped grow Kevin’s audience, and led to the development of the new Proof Collective. This unique membership program entitles Proof Collective NFT holders to benefits such as a private Discord for the Proof Collective community, early access to Proof.xyz content and live interviews, in-person local meetups, and more. Kevin’s decision to create a podcast based on his passion for NFTs increased his visibility, helped him make a name for himself in the NFT community, and led to the creation of the Proof Collective.
Sharing your knowledge on a podcast and promoting your podcast on your website can lead you to become a top-of-mind industry expert and help you discover new projects.
Idea 3. Develop an e-commerce platform
With the continued growth of e-commerce, now is a good time to consider monetizing your creative talents to a global marketplace. Demonstrate growth and improve your brand’s success by offering a marketplace feature to your website. Doing so can help you learn how to compose product pages and product descriptions. You can learn about inventory management and choosing and setting up Point of Sale (PoS) software. There is also much to learn about packaging, shipping, and handling. Developing this knowledge and growing your website by adding an e-commerce platform can generate a new revenue stream and increased attention to your website.
MightyType.xyz is an example of a website that demonstrated growth by adding an e-commerce platform feature to increase revenue. Skilled creative Tanner Vargas created MightyType.xyz while studying at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He uses his website to share articles he’s written on architecture as well as pieces on creative mediums like music, movies, and short stories. He’s since expanded his website to include his photography work as well as a dedicated page for e-commerce. Tanner’s online store carries photography prints, stretched canvas artwork, stickers, T-shirts and more, all featuring Tanner’s original artwork and photography. Tanner created a profitable layer to his existing website and generated a new audience of online shoppers.
Expanding your brand and adding an e-commerce feature to your website can demonstrate growth and attract profitable attention to your website.
Idea 4. Compile your knowledge in an educational and inspirational book
If you have valuable knowledge to share, enhance your skill set by writing an educational and inspirational book. Among many benefits, writing a book can unlock new ideas for research and development, lead to future book deals, and earn worldwide attention. You could even go digital and consider writing and self-publishing an eBook. Adding a dedicated section of your website to promote your book or eBook can demonstrate your growth and generate new audiences. Writing a book encourages development of new skills like writing for a mass audience, finding a publisher, negotiating a book deal, or earning passive income from an eBook. It can also help develop your time management skills as you learn to make all of your deadlines. Writing and promoting an educational and inspirational book or eBook can demonstrate growth, generate innovation, and increase attention to your website.
JJDelgado.xyz is an example of a knowledgeable leader who expanded his skill set by writing a book and adding a dedicated page about it on his website. Juan José Delgado is a professional in business growth and development and holds a PhD in Digital Economy and Online Human Behavior. He is a successful digital strategist and has over 12 years of business experience at well-known brands across Europe and Latin America, including Amazon Marketing Services South Europe, where he’s known to have led the biggest international sales day in the platform’s history. JJ expanded his skill set by becoming an author, and now has three books on marketing strategy, including the recent title, Smash It. The dedicated page he added to JJDelgado.xyz increases exposure of his book to his website visitors. And for those that first become familiar with his book and opt to search for more information about it online, the dedicated page increases the overall exposure of his website. JJ also uses this page to offer a complimentary digital marketing download in exchange for an email address, which can help him bolster his mailing list. Reviewers of Smash It say it is a “must read,” “rich in practical examples,” and that it is “a great book to unleash the potential of digital in your company.”2 JJ uses his knowledge and valuable professional experiences to write influential books that add value to his website and his brand.
Compiling your wisdom and valuable personal experiences in book form and displaying it on your website shows the world that you have valuable expertise to share.
Idea 5. Demonstrate your expertise by hosting online courses
Another way to expand your skill set is to share your valuable expertise by teaching online courses. Offering classes on your website can continue attracting students who will benefit from your instruction. Teaching an online course can help you develop skills in being an educator, creating a lesson plan, and organizing the coursework. You would also learn how to produce and record the classes, and then how to add them to your website. You can add new classes regularly and build your brand as an educator.
Realtime.xyz is an example of how to enhance your skill set and your website by offering online courses. Yue Jia is a VFX Director for Shanghai-based game developer and global publisher, XD Inc. Realtime.xyz is where he shares his experiences as a real-time VFX artist, including his previous position as a designer for Epic Games, where he worked on popular games such as Fortnite and Paragon. Yue added a new layer to his website when he began offering online courses for aspiring VFX creators looking to develop skills. The Course page of Realtime.xyz provides detailed information about Yue’s course content options. Interested students can create a login and purchase their classes of interest. One of the courses he teaches is on Niagara, one of Unreal Engine’s advanced VFX development tools. Epic Games developed the Unreal Engine platform in 1998 and uses it to build their own games, including Fortnite, Gears of War, and Unreal Tournament. The platform has since been used in a variety of 3D game genres, and has also become adopted by the film and television industry. Since Unreal is now available to all aspiring developers, and learning how to use it requires particular skills, Yue’s distinctive experience gives him the tools to teach others. As more and more students enroll in Yue’s classes, he can cement himself as a knowledgeable leader in his field and continue sharing his expertise with others.
Showcasing your talent and making instructional classes available on your website demonstrates your proficiency and adds a valuable new layer to your brand.
Idea 6. Explore philanthropy
You may also consider expanding your skill set by exploring philanthropic organizations and helping to further the causes that are important to you. Promoting your passions and dedication can lead to greater attention to your work and lead to more career growth and opportunity. Becoming involved in philanthropy can develop important organizational skills, such as how to develop and plan fundraising campaigns. You can also learn about outreach and recruitment. Finding success in the philanthropy space can lead to new career opportunities and increased attention to your website.
BrianTan.xyz is an example of a user who expanded his skill set by exploring philanthropy. Brian is an accomplished designer who uses BrianTan.xyz to share his experiences ranging from the co-creation and launch of the Hangtime app (a platform that helps students compare schedules with friends) to joining a startup called HeronChat to work part-time as their lead UI/UX Designer. He expanded his skill set by exploring his interest in an organization called Effective Altruism (EA), which is devoted to helping overcome the obstacles that many people face when trying to figure out the most impactful way to do good. EA uses evidence and reasoning to determine how to help others as much as possible. Brian expanded his skill set to co-create his own chapter of the global EA movement. He wanted to bring together the local community of Filipinos interested in EA, and now he works full time in this role. Brian’s dedication to the exploration of philanthropy led him to create a new layer to his personal portfolio website, as well as a new full-time career.
Exploring philanthropy, getting involved with causes that are important to you, and highlighting it on your website illustrates your growing list of skills and your passions.
Idea 7. Turn your passions into a blog
Exploring your passions and interests to create an entertaining and insightful blog is a great way to expand your skill set. You may find that you can develop your hobby into an added revenue stream or even a successful career. Creating a blog can help you develop skills in content writing, research, engagement, and more. Channeling your passion into a new outlet can lead to greater attention to your brand.
SaltandPepper.xyz is an example of a website belonging to a marketing professional who decided to explore her personal interests. Sarah Wohlner works in the field of food-related marketing. She expanded her interest in food and recipe writing to create SaltandPepper.xyz, a recipe-themed blog. She further expanded her skills beyond recipe-writing to bring her recipes to social media platforms, where her content earned her incredibly large followings. Sarah’s dedication to her passion for food and recipe writing helped her develop a significant social media following. Sarah’s biggest audience is on Tik Tok, where she has over 680K followers and over 12M likes. Her popular content has also made her appealing to culinary brands and helped her gain partnerships. Sarah found great success as a content creator by exploring her interests, and was able to build a brand identity centered around her passion for food and recipe development.
Writing about your passions can uncover exciting new opportunities and open you up to new audiences.
Idea 8. Offer speaking engagements
Another method of expanding your skill set is to harness your passions and offer educational, motivational, and inspirational speaking engagements. By doing so, you can become a beacon for so many and attract new audiences to your website. Exploring public speaking can develop skills in cadence, speech writing, crafting inspiring messages, and even life coaching. Motivating and inspiring others can lead to powerful word of mouth attention to you and your website.
MarquesColston.xyz is an example of someone who found great success by adding “motivational speaker” to his list of talents. Marques Colston is a former National Football League (NFL) player and Super Bowl Champion who pivoted to a career in business development. He began his business development career by serving as President and General Manager of professional indoor football team the Harrisburg Stampede and purchased a share in Arena Football League team the Philadelphia Soul. Marques shares his wealth of experience from his various business development roles through his own consulting service, MC Consulting. He uses MarquesColston.xyz as the official website to book him for management training, performance coaching, and corporate development consulting. To expand his skill set further, Marques began offering bespoke training and speaking engagements focused on corporate development. The attention Marques receives from his speaking engagements generates more attention for his website.
Harnessing your passions to inspire others with public speaking engagements can spread word-of-mouth awareness and attract new audiences to your website.
Conclusion
Staying ahead of the curve means being on top of your game, growing, and striving to add value to your brand. It is beneficial to your online presence to share your continued growth on your website. Go ahead and give your audience added reasons to be impressed.
Enhancing your skill set with knowledge on new technology such as NFTs and other trending topics can lead you to become a top-of-mind industry expert. Expanding your brand with the addition of e-commerce offers a profitable reason for return visits to your website. Sharing your expertise in a comprehensive book or online classes can encourage others to learn from your proficiency. Expanding your talents and offerings can attract more customers and direct more attention to your website.
Following the example of these users by enhancing your skill set and sharing your experiences online can help demonstrate growth and add a valuable new layer to your website.
