Niching Case Study: Ann Brown

I help newly self-employed women who are scared to be visible and who want to feel more confident to attract clients to their business.

happybeingyou.com

#sytycn2015

Tad’s Rating:

7/10

Contest Rating:

8.5/10

Average Rating:

7.75/10

Tad’s Comments:

7. The who is really clear “newly self employed women” the result “want to feel more confident to attract clients” is clear. The problem “scared to be visible” is clear but I’m craving to hear more on this or understand it better. And… 140 characters. Ha. It has me wonder about the flavour of the fear of being visible. Why are they so scared of it? What are they afraid might happen? What’s their worst fear? And feeling more confident feels clear but a bit generic. I’m wondering if there’s another way of saying it. I suspect that digging into the visibility issue might help hone this more. Overall, it’s great! Such a gift to women this is. Thank you for doing it..

Niching Contest Participant Comments:

9/10: A simple fix for me: “…visible to feel more confident and attract clients to their business.”

9/10: This is good! I think the wording throws me off a bit. Maybe… “I help newly self-employed women who are scared to be visible, feel more confident so they can attract clients to their business.”

7/10: This sounds like me and many of my self-employed friends but doesn’t rule any of them out. What is making them invisible? Are they introverts, or lacking in self-confidence, or lacking in business skills? Are they wishing to start their own business or freelancing?

9/10: This is really clear to me – having been scared years ago to ‘get out there’ I can relate to your wording. and I like the ‘newly self-employed’. I like the amendment too.

8/10: It’s clear and I can relate to how I will feel when I am attracting clients.

9/10: Very clear target market. I can so imagine this being a fabulous service for women in this position who need more confidence. I would also possibly try to add in something about “practical (and/or emotional) support in growing their business” if you don’t already have it somewhere else in your promotional material. Best of luck with your business.

If you simply replace ‘help’ with ‘coach’, that gives the reader a useful bit more context. If you can fit in one or two words to describe your approach, even better. For example: ‘I’m a supportive coach for newly self-employed women’.

Perhaps the second half of the sentence could include ‘being seen by clients’ to transform the fear of visibility.

9/10: It sounds very clear to me. The only thing that sticks and grates a bit is the word scared, although that might just be me not wanting to admit to my own fears ! I really like the name of your website . It just gives me a really happy confident feeling inside just what your tribe needs to feel. It’s simple , unpretentious and gives me the feeling of someone feeling really happy and at peace with who they are and what they do.

9/10: N/A

8/10: I definitely relate to the fear of being seen. It’s the one part I don’t like about being in business. I’m constantly having to address and deal with my vulnerabilities. I love your picture and your website address is perfect for your message. I think this is really good but the wording just needs to be played around with a bit. It was a bit of an awkward read but I really feel like I know who your ideal client is.

8.5/10:This one did speak to me, but still leaves me wondering how you do this.

9/10: This is good.

8/10: The wording could have flowed a little better, but I got the general idea of what you do.

7/10: I looked at the above comments you wrote and some language on your website, and have a suggestion: “I coach newly self-employed women who feel unworthy to speak their truth and connect to their tribe.” I’d use “coach” because if you are having to explain it in the comments it should be in the phrase. I wouldn’t worry about the step by step part of the business development – the unworthiness issue is the urgent problem that needs to be dealt with first and you’ve got some great Island B and Island C language on your website for next steps. Love your picture – you look so open and friendly – just the kind of person your clients need. All the best!

8/10: Great service. Just wondering if there are types of self-employed women you would have the most experience helping.

My first thought was that this appeals to me, but on second thought: what are you offering? Are you a stylist, or a coach, or…? What am I in for ?

9/10: It’s clear who you want to help, but the “how” could be a bit clearer

10/10: Clear.

Ann Brown’s Reflections:

Thank you so much, Tad – your questions have really helped me to flesh out my ideas. This is what I know:Their worst fear is that they’ll be rejected, no-one will want what they have to offer, and they will fail – and everyone will know it. And that will prove their belief that they really are not good enough, and not worthy. So they’ll feel even worse about themselves than before. They have low self esteem anyway. This is not something they can switch off, this deepest fear is all pervading. It shows up as : Not being focussed, trying something once and when it doesn’t work, ditch it for something else. Avoidance of talking to people about what they do, or any situation where they are representing their business. Also indecision, perfectionism, procrastination, time wasting, lack of clarity, being scattered/unfocused, too many ideas and no action on any of them. What’s worse is even if they know they have this problem they can’t talk about it because it’s a source of shame and they think they’re the only one who feels this way.

I help them on two fronts – transforming that belief of being ‘not enough’, and helping them get laser focused on what they need to do to move forward in their business. Step by baby step. One foot in front of the other. Practical focused action. I would really appreciate any thoughts you have about how I can replace that generic word ‘confident’ with something more specific.

Thank you so much.

The Revised Niche:

n/a