Every now and then, I get a request for assistance (no, not those ones from Nigeria)- but a request from someone who is feeling discouraged or overwhelmed by the demands of building a business. Inevitably, this person asks for some advice- which I give. I believe being helpful is one of the best ways to gently promote yourself. When people ask for help, they automatically view you as the expert, or at least, as someone with valuable information to share. While, of course, you don’t want to give away tons and tons of information for free, being helpful can only help you. So the next time someone asks you to share a bit about what you know, consider doing it.