Struggling to figure out who your ideal client is?
Tired of taking on work just to pay the bills whilst deep down knowing there must be more than this?
Niching might be the answer you're looking for.
Identifying your niche is a great way to build a business based on alignment with your personal values. To me, a niche is not a market; it's a community. And this community is comprised of individuals and businesses who think and act in the same way as you.
When you zero in on your niche, you uncover a community of businesspeople who light you up and give you energy. And to me, this is what business is all about.
From this positive place, you'll not only love what you do, but you'll be paid very well for it, too. Having established a niche in my own business, I've prepared a niche quiz to help you uncover your own.
P.s. the niche quiz featured in this article is now available as a course on Udemy 🎉
Enrol here As a
business coach working with freelancers, the confusion around niching is a challenge I see time and again.
But the conventional way to find your niche is flawed. It tends to focus on finding profitable market opportunities. My approach is different. I help people to look inward to find the things that truly matter to them.
From here we can find like-minded others and do our best work.
It begins by understanding our values. This niche quiz will help you figure out your values so you can find others like you to create a profitable business that brings you joy.
Take your time with this. Uncovering your niche requires patience and deep thinking. Do not rush through this exercise.
Hidden in your personal history are both good and bad experiences that can tell us more about who you are. Most of us don't spend much time looking back through an introspective lens, but the better you know yourself, the closer you will get to your niche.
Answer the following questions. If possible, give multiple answers to each question.
- Think about the times you felt empowered or respected. This could be at work or at home, and can be a small or large event. Visualise and describe the scene. Write down everything you see and feel.
- Think about the times you felt bored or disempowered. Visualise and contextualise it. What circumstances surround this memory?
- What are your proudest achievements? Pride can indicate the sort of work we do for the sheer love of it. Write out your proudest moments and don’t worry about what anybody else might think.
- What frustrates or disappoints you? Consider daily life - what would you change if you could? This question digs into your philosophical views - ideal for finding like-minded people in your niche.
Delving into your story can be inspiring, but it can also be painful. Try to embrace this process because your dream clients sit on the other side of the discomfort.
Once you have written your answers to the questions above, take a sheet of paper and mind map answers like this:
This process helps to add form to your answers. Whilst the answers you gave in step 1 are your “first attempt” the act of writing them out on a sheet of paper will set your mind flowing. You may scratch out earlier answers and discover new ones. The goal here is to begin to tell your own story on the paper in front of you.
Again, if nothing comes immediately to mind, do not force the process. Do not try to think up "correct" answers. Relax and let the answers reveal themselves to you.
Next up, we'll uncover possible values by interrogating each story. This is where we will find your niche.
For each of your answers you will ask deeper questions. In the example below we have the story "I once refused a project because it didn't feel right". I want you to ask yourself WHY this was the case. Keep asking why until you get to the real reason.
Note: this is just an example, your answers will be different. This exercise is totally unique to the individual.
A value has emerged from this example: protecting and nurturing others.
We all have values but most of us are not aware of them. Keep digging into your answers until you see some potential values emerge.
By understanding your values you can create messages, services and products that resonate with and help others who care about similar things. This is your niche community, and it is what will empower you to create both a joyful and profitable business, as you attract people and projects that are in total alignment with who you are.
Let's put all this together...
When you dive into this exercise you'll soon begin to zoom out and see the bigger picture. This picture might not resemble your current life, but that's a good thing, because it means that you're on the path to finding alignment between your work (the things you DO) and your values (the things you believe in and care about).
Most of us operate with these things out of alignment, and so we get frustrated and bored easily. If you can bring together your values with your work you’ll never "work" a day again.
Take a look at the example below (and remember, this is just an example!)
What activities could you connect to your values?
Remember: your niche is your community of like-minded individuals and businesses. The trick is to get into flow with your work so that you naturally show up every day with an innate enthusiasm.
If you love this idea of values-based niching be sure to check out my
course on Udemy which walks you through this process, step by step.
The reason that so many people put off niching is because they think they need to go all in.
The truth is, you don't. You can niche down any time and you can do it in baby steps. Start by creating a very basic proposition then reach out to your ideal clients to ask if they would be interested in your service. Judge their feedback and if it feels right, consider turning your proposition into a more fully fledged business.
Whilst it is tempting to create services for many different niche audiences, my recommendation is to focus on one niche to begin with. If this works out well for you, consider how you could create a proposition for a separate but related niche.
For example, you might make an
offer to create websites for therapists and once you have built up some authority here, broaden it out to coaches or yoga teachers. There are always lateral opportunities that run alongside your core niche.
In short, yes! But, do give your niche an appropriate testing period. Many people trial a niche for only a few weeks before switching. You'll never truly know if a niche is right for you unless you give it time and effort. I would suggest a 3 month minimum trial time for any niche service.
