After leading a workshop in Turner Valley, Alberta in the Spring of 2014 I got a ride back into town with a woman who ran an eco landscaping business. She told me about how, when she’d first started, she imagined her ideal employees to be highly educated hippies. But, in reality, they were the worst. They would work with her for one Summer and then move on to other ventures. They didn’t see it as a career. But she noticed the labourer types who weren’t as University educated tended to stick around longer because they valued the job and they saw potential in it. Like most of us, she’d made a good guess about what her target markets were (in this case employees) and been wrong about it.
Here are some more stories that might help you feel better about yourself.
*
“When I began, I thought my niche would be consciousness & healing because that was the path I was on personally but it turns out it’s International House Sitting because it’s so much lighter & free-er to be traveling the world, receiving unconditional love from pets and naturally talking about this amazing lifestyle journey (and consciousness still comes into the conversation, but in a much more flowing way).” http://internationalhousesitting.com/
*
“Back in the 90’s, I named what I do ‘shiatsu’ and did well. The price I charged was low, people benefitted and told others. Fine. I went on to study acupuncture and auricle therapy and coaching and…, my results got ever so much better and faster…but the business staid on the same level. Very frustrating! People would compare my prices with colleagues who offered one modality only. I realized I’m not communicating what I really offer. Surprisingly, a number of women clients got pregnant after having been trying for a long time. Thanks to Tad, it dawned on me that I should focus on this group – people who want a baby. But deep inside, I felt a fraud, because I never had this problem myself. It took me years to get over this. Every new baby helped me understand that what I offer is valuable even without me having suffered it. Now I say, when people ask me What do you do? “I help people get babies!” Sure they ask How? Often enough, they’d ask for my card, for someone they know.” Monika Denes www.NaturalHealthCare.nl/english
*
“I am a certified Feng Shui Master, have been for 12 years. Business is slow. I have to work other gigs to stay afloat. And I thought it was my niche. But the basis of good Feng Shui is first to clear out the clutter. So over time I’ve given talks, taught classes, always to great success– but only those who are in the Rogue Valley. Not enough bread. Then you send me to Ryan Elliason and I fall in step with this amazing man. And I realize I have more than one niche. But the niche I start with, called Beyond Design, has to be built from the ground up. And it will get built. Just not now. All the time, there is my niche, staring me in the face! Clutter and it’s elimination. My system really works and now I’m prepping to launch it with 2 free webinars and a paid teleseminar. Professional women need empowerment if they’re going to turn this mess around.” – http://www.fengshuicv.com/cvblog/
*
“When I began, I though my niche would be social media consulting because I was teaching a lot of small business owners how to get started and use it effectively. But it turns out helping people get really clear about who they are, what they do, and how they serve or help their clients so that they can enjoy what they do (again), because I’ve always felt pulled to help people feel heard, get their gifts out and shine in the best way they can.” Katy Terpack Tafoya – www.SuccessforSolopreneurs.com
*
“When I began, 13 years ago, I thought my niche would be helping victims of trauma (mostly young kids) because I understood them from personal experience, found it easy to engage them, and knew how to walk the sacred path of healing with them. But, it turns out that over the years that there so many kinds of folks with trauma histories that I have met and helped (holocaust survivors, war torn refugees, helpers with vicarious trauma, children with neurological conditions and teens and parents in conflict) and so lately as I have been searching my soul for the niche within that vast sea of broken people looking for mending, I’ve zeroed in on men: sensitive, caring, and vulnerable men who are lost, wounded, and looking for guidance through the darkness. Men who seek a sacred adventure more than concepts and talk therapy. Men who long to be reconnected to a community rather than a club, to the vulnerable beating of their own hearts and the sensations of their bodies. And also their unbreakable spiritual natures. Why this smaller niche within a bigger niche? Many layers of reasons, but mostly because I asked my soul and it spoke. I listened. So, here it is. I know it is the right path forward and it excites and scares me!” David Jan Jurasek – www.DavidJurasek.com
*
“I’ve always known that my mission in life is to walk the healing path with others. However, when I first started my business over 15 years ago, I thought I would help heal any and all abuse and trauma survivors. I had to find that the avenue to bringing healing is through herbs/plant medicine and connection with Spirit (hence I am a shamanic herbalist) and I had to narrow my offerings waaay down. I have gone through many iterations of what I offer, but I have finally found that my niche is working with people who are on meds for depression and/or anxiety who need more than the meds can offer or are looking to get off the meds. Very simple, very profound, and very satisfying. My website is irisweaver.com. BTW, thanks for asking about my niche!” Iris Weaver
*
“When I began, I thought my niche would be high-net worth charitable donors because they have the most at stake, monetarily, in smart giving and savvy ways to change the world. But it turns out that it’s young professionals and students because they are less entrenched in and committed to the old ways of doing things, more interested in new paths they can pursue from the start of their do-gooding career, and have more in common with me personally, so I can relate better to them.” Nadine Riopel – www.TheSavvyDo-Gooder.com
*
“When I began, I thought my niche would be transformational life coaching for people who wanted to start a “new chapter” in their lives. I’ve always loved helping people get unstuck and figure out their next steps. As a life-long student of positive psychology, and a certified coach, it seemed like I was taking the next right step in my own “new chapter” after leaving behind a successful 20 year marketing career in corporate and non-profit sectors. But it turns out that I still love business, and still love business people who are driven, focused and have clear goals. I find that working in the space of executive coaching is so much less frustrating and more effective (for me and for them) than working in the space of general life coaching (which attracted mostly people that I needed to refer to other professionals). I now know that I’m at my best when I’m connecting (in coaching, speaking or consulting) with business audiences. And that thing that I was afraid of… that there wouldn’t be many heart-centered, soul-centered, sweet souls in that world? I didn’t need to be afraid. They’re there (they’re everywhere!). Will this niche be my final one? Probably not. 🙂 But as you told me, Tad (best. advice. ever.) – sometimes we don’t get to speed up the process, and it takes as long as it takes for our niche to find us, while we’re out in the world doing our good work and connecting with good people. Thank you for being one of them!” – www.IrinaBaranov.com
*
“When I began 4 years ago, I thought I was going to provide alternative healing therapies for clients who were seeking relief from physical and emotional pain on their paths of personal growth. Of course, after learning about why my niche needed to be narrower (!!), I began to focus on working with clients who have learning challenges, especially ADD, and began to train further in that specific area. Now, I am a parent educator and coach for conscious parents who wish to connect more powerfully with their children, especially in conflict, and support their children to listen to their intuition and live authentic, heart-centered lives. All of the knowledge and experience I gained in those other endeavours has been invaluable for doing my current work, and I know that I’ve arrived at a niche I’ll be working with for a while because people are resonating with my story and are naturally drawn to work with me when they hear me speak about parenting. And the common thread throughout the process is that I’ve been teaching what I need to learn to heal and grow.” Colleen – www.crystalclearliving.ca
*
“When I began I thought my niche would be women who want to re-discover their sparkle in life, because that is what I did through my life journey. I came across many women who been “sleepwalking” through their life and didn’t know what to do about it. Hurray – I thought, this is a brilliant niche. But it turns out it was tricky to get the business going as the niche was too general. Then my niche grow into women who want to have more spark in their relationship with their partner, intimately and sexually. Hurrrrray – I thought, this is really the niche…because there are many couples out there struggling with intimacy and sex. But it turned out it’s not easy to market and sell. My clients weren’t that willing to share about working with me. Now my niche is to work with people (women) who want to feel confident speaking and performing – I call it ‘Speak with Confidence – Befriend your Nerves‘. It’s something I’ve always done naturally, helping people coping with their nerves before public speaking or performing in some way, and I bring in the Sparkle of course. All niches still with a spark!” Cim Bartlett – http://www.rediscoversparkle.com/speak-with-confidence/
*
“I thought my niche would be everyone because a life coach can make a difference in everyone’s life but it turns out it’s small business coaching because it’s so much easier to focus when I have a niche. Plus, when I’m not serving the entire world it’s so much easier to tap into my genius.” Jeanna Gabellini – http://www.MasterPeaceCoaching.com
*
“When I began, I thought my niche would be women business owners to grow their businesses and attract more clients because I knew so many that needed that support but it turns out it’s Online Business Owners (including men) to help them automate and delegate because that’s the group best suited to the skill set I bring and the results that those skills create.” Deanna Maio – www.DelegatedToDone.com
*
“Having had such a transforming turning point in my life with the Law of Attraction, I thought my niche would be Law of Attraction. Because of my experience creating a successful business that I love using Law of Attraction and my own Inner Guidance it turns out it’s working with spiritually-focused entrepreneurs who want the combination of intuitive, spiritual awareness merged with the practical training for building a healthy sustainable business.” www.EvaGregory.com
*
“I started off my life in a library and managing a book store, and started my own business making recycled art and jewelry. This was ok, but a chance encounter led to me working with someone in publishing and author services. Now, I’m looking to start coaching locally on publishing. It’s weird how it kinda circled around.”
*
“When I began, I thought my niche would be postpartum moms who were struggling with depression because that’s what is gone through and what I thought I was qualified to teach. But it turns out it’s mostly single Muslim women who struggle with low self esteem who want to get married but are afraid to trust because of painful past experiences, because those are things I should have healed within myself before getting married and having kids which made the healing journey that much longer and harder.” Manual Khalife
*
“I thought my niche would be grassroots organizing, then databases and information technology, then telecommunications, then renewable energy, but now I’m really doing strategic planning and non-profit management for the original solar energy society. I feel like I continue to surf my niches, because I’ve done a lot of things, and they all seem to build upon each other to take my upward to my next project. My new niche would probably be something like this last piece, helping many groups. But I dunno, I’m up to my eyeballs in work for one client right now, so don’t have time to think about it.” Brian
*
“When I began aspire&grow, I thought my niche would be coaching because I had spent the past two years as a coach and that was the foundation of my business in the first place. As it turned out, my coaching clients were all budding entrepreneurs who wanted to know how to get setup, get organized, and get the behind the scenes of their business up and running. Since I had spent the 6 years prior to coaching keeping people organized and efficient and I had just gone through the growing pains of starting my own business, I was the perfect fit as an online business manager (sometimes called a virtual assistant). And now, as my business continues to evolve and I get consistent feedback from my clients, aspire&grow is diving back into it’s roots as a coaching model, combining that with the experience working in and on so many different businesses, and I’m shifting into a project management role with a team of specialized virtual assistants ready to support my clients in all they do. I love letting the business have a life of it’s own. If you listen, you can really hear exactly what steps you need to take next.” Val Geisler, www.aspireandgrow.com
*
“When I began, I thought my niche would be parents with autistic children looking for recovery strategies, because of parents at an autism support group meeting (these are meetings for parents, not autistics, as I painfully discovered) grilling me about my own recovery, which was how I got into giving talks and workshops in the first place… But when the word started to get out in my community and beyond that I could come answer questions, I realized that I was also talking with: educators looking for safer, calmer, and more tolerant classrooms (~ 30%), health and therapeutic professionals looking for answers that made sense of their results in their treatment rooms, both desirable and undesirable (~ 20%), and other adults in the autistic spectrum who already knew they could tinker with their lifestyles to get better quality of life, but had specific concerns they wanted to act on, and didn’t know what to do (~ 10%)
It still takes some wrapping my head around, because while they all need the same basic information, they start with different questions. I’m also finding that the high-trust necessary for people to work with me is trickier to develop online.” – Jackie McMillan. http://thrivewithautism.ca/