Some of us work really hard at what we do. We earn our degrees, we perfect our passion, we become a mentor’s mentee, we build relationships, we grow and continue to learn. My passion happens to be advertising and marketing and I truly love what I do, my team, and the work we are doing. For those of us committed to our passion, we paid our dues in our field and spend years falling to get back up and try again. We earned that degree on paper, we started from the bottom and we learned from our mistakes. We gained new ideas and new experiences and now we’re living our dream of our own business. But many people out there gain bite-sized learning nuggets, get an immediate taste of success (whether it be by their own or by way of another), and they want to fly before they walk.

Being legit is all about being genuine. Paying your dues, being honest, and not pursuing others’ hard work. Is it really worth being illegitimate and pursuing what others have?

Forget about haters and don’t worry about what your competitors are doing.

Validate your experience, learn and grow.

Be humble, don’t take shortcuts, run through the trenches, take trials, make errors, learn from your experience before you take the elevator to the penthouse.

Honesty, candor, and transparency trump manipulation and false promises.

Respect your elders, those who paved the way before us. Be modest, be open to opportunities, be appreciative, be grateful, and be respectful.

The proof is in the pudding and in your work. Be sure to get testimonials and letters of reference from all of whom you have worked with and did phenomenal work for.