There are 3 reasons I didn't mention professional associations in my article:
(1) The main focus of my article was on lost-cost strategies. In most cases, annual membership fees are quite pricey, plus a cost per event — not for everyone on a tight budget.

(2) Another reason why I didn't add networking is because you need the time to do it. I personally had to stop attending association meets after having children. Most associations meet very early in the morning or late in the evening—not ideal for someone with small children.

(3) Finally, there are literally hundreds of strategies to achieving expert status, and there is only so much I can cover in one article. This point definitely deserves it's place in an article all it's own. Do I see an article in your future???!!!

Thanks for sharing with us your experience. You have definitely shown how, just because you're new in business, doesn't mean you can't establish yourself as an expert in your field. Congrats again and I look forward to reading more about your success *gentle nudge!*

If you need help with getting started article marketing, Tracey Lawton has an awesome program, which I've been using for a few years. It's called Complete Article Tracking Tool, and you can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/3ohrqx

Good luck with your article writing!