3 Reasons NOT to Niche Down in Your Online Business
You don’t need a niche.
Yea. I said it. And would you look at that, the niche police didn’t come after me.
In all seriousness, I got to thinking about this trendy word that seems to be thrown around as carelessly as “woke” and “bae”. Niche. Why all the hype?
It’s those cookie-cutter coaches. At times it feels like every coach out there gives the same cookie-cutter advice: niche down in your service and become THE expert in ONE thing. These coaches standardized business tactics and don’t take into account the individual behind the business.
Business is not a one-size-fits-all. This isn’t a poncho.
If I sound bitter, maybe it’s because I fell into the trap, had to escape room my way out of it, and now I see so many high-vibe, hard-working people falling in.
But I’m not bitter (anymore).
Because I realized it’s not those cookie-cutter coaches that are leading us astray. It’s our own lack of trust in our intuition. Our inability to drown out the noise and trust that we know what’s best for us and our business. Truly, truly trust.
At the end of the day, that’s what being a soulpreneur is all about. It’s about taking life and business advice with a grain of salt, knowing how to discern, and ultimately doing what feels good for us and tossing what doesn’t.
Like the wise Mooji once said, “There are as many paths as there are minds.”
Like the wise Andrea once said, “There are as many paths as there are businesses.”
I want to offer you a different point of view on niching down. To avoid being ANOTHER coach that gives blanketed advice, here is my disclaimer:
Obviously, niching down works. But it may not work for everybody. This is when I take off my business owner hat and put on my hi I’m human we’re all different hat (everyone really needs one of these here hats).
I believe this is solid advice, but it may not be solid advice for everyone. Discern my fellow soulpreneur.
I recently had an incredible coaching session with a soulful VA. We got to talking all things VA, particularly how to best grow your VA business–a hot topic I love discussing if I do say so myself.
In her case, she wanted to transition into an OBM role within a year and didn’t have prior VA-related experience. Why would someone who is using the VA role as a stepping stone into another position spend the time and money to become an expert on one service when she could confidently offer a variety of services that her clients desperately need (and still meet her financial goals)?
She felt so much pressure to narrow down her offer and be an expert in it that she lost the motivation to continue on her VA journey–which was just a stepping stone to begin with.
Once I shared some Mooji inspired Andrea business advice, the pressure lifted and she felt a renewed sense of excitement for her new VA journey.
Here are 3 reasons niching down may not be for you:
You just started your business.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a niche when you first start your business. A LOT of successful soulpreneurs start by offering what they know, learn as they go, and try a bunch of different things out before their niche is uncovered. If you just let it, your niche will find you. Relax and enjoy the early stages of your business. Be curious and wide-eyed.
You are starting your current business as a stepping stone.
Like in the story above, if your ultimate goal is to transition into another role, why expend so much energy on a role you already know you will outgrow. You are better off getting the job done well while focusing on your next move. No need to become the expert in something you aren’t committing your work life to.
It doesn’t feel right.
Believe it or not, you can NOT implement business advice from “experts” simply because it doesn’t feel right for you. You can spend days, weeks, months and even years trying to convince yourself to do something, forcing yourself into it, but what a total waste of your precious energy–energy you could spend doing work in a way that feels completely aligned with you. If something about the word “niche” just makes you cringe, don’t bother. I give your permission.
If you want more of these Mooji inspired Andrea business tips, or pup videos, let’s be internet friends! And if you want to dive deeper, let’s chat.