Author: Allen Buchanan This post originally appeared on Location Advice and is republished with permission. Find out how to blog with us on theBrokerList.
When I published The SEQUENCE a year ago, I thought I knew what would happen.
What I didn’t expect were the unintended consequences.
Writing a Book Accelerated My Credibility
Writing a book has very little to do with selling books. Instead, it accelerated my credibility.
Fellow brokers no longer asked, “How long have you been in the business?” They simply assumed I had something worth saying. Conference organizers began calling. Podcast invitations appeared in my inbox. Brokers from across the country contacted me. Not to discuss a transaction, but to discuss a concept.
The book opened doors that years of production alone never had.
Writing Forces Clarity
More surprising was what it did for me.
Writing forces clarity. You cannot hide behind vague ideas when they’re staring back at you from a blank page. Every principle had to survive the question: “Would I stake my reputation on this?” If the answer wasn’t yes, it didn’t make the manuscript.
The result wasn’t just a better book. It was a better framework for how I train new professionals, mentor younger brokers, and even evaluate my own decisions.
The Book Wasn’t the Destination
Then came the biggest surprise.
The book wasn’t the destination. It was the foundation.
It has evolved into training programs, keynote presentations, workshops, interviews, articles, and conversations I never could have imagined when I typed the first chapter. Ideas that once lived only in my head now have a life of their own.
Creating Something Meaningful Builds a Platform
That’s the funny thing about creating something meaningful. You think you’re producing a product. In reality, you’re building a platform.
Whether you’re in commercial real estate, law, accounting, architecture, or any profession built on expertise, don’t underestimate the value of capturing what you’ve learned. It doesn’t have to be a book. It could be a series of articles, a newsletter, a podcast, or a class.
Organizing and Sharing Your Knowledge Changes You
The act of organizing your knowledge changes you. Sharing it changes how others see you.
The unintended consequence isn’t that people begin viewing you as an expert.
It’s that you finally become intentional about the expertise you’ve been building all along.
Allen C. Buchanan, SIOR, is a principal with Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in Orange. He can be reached at abuchanan@lee-associates.com or 714.564.7104. His website is allencbuchanan.blogspot.com.
