Find Your Niche, Without Trying to Find a Niche - The Best Kept Secret In Our Coach Community

Today I’ve decided that it's time to reveal one of our best kept secrets, on how we do things differently in our community, especially when it comes to finding a niche for your coaching business.

Finding a niche is a popular topic, one which has been spoken about widely from many different perspectives, hasn’t it? In fact, you’re very unlikely to sign up for any training that has been designed for coaches, which doesn’t start with this very subject!?

However, after finding out how many of our members had gone through that journey before they joined us, without finding an answer that sat well with them, I knew it was time to look again at the whole principle of finding a niche, and then at the process of actually doing it. Now, I believe we've figured out a recipe to discover the niche that is a perfect fit for you, as well as your clients. And more importantly, it is one of the most simple, but empowering methods I know.

Most importantly though, is the fact that many of our members find it an easy and natural path to niche discovery, making the process far easier, and more authentic, than they had previously experienced, or imagined it could be.

So without further ado, let me share with you, how we approach finding a niche for your coaching business.

Introduction to Niches

First of all, let me remind you of what most people think a niche should be, then we can work on showing you another, more effective way of finding yours!?

The general perception is that a niche is simply a target group of people with a shared goal, or challenge.?

For example, women in their 40's wanting to change their career.

Or men looking to overcome alcohol addiction.

Or coaches who want to find more leads.

These are just a few examples of what might be defined as a niche, but let me ask you, do any of them sound exciting or empowering? In other words, do they light something up inside of you? If not, hold that thought until I can show you a new, and inspiring way; to build your business by serving exactly the right people! And not just anyone either, but the people you feel most drawn to serving; the people whose lives, you know you can change.

You see, when aspiring or new coaches start their journey, they’re often confused by the message that’s out there, which instructs them to focus only on the type of person they can help. Sometimes, it’s made even worse as they are told to target an even smaller group of people, meaning they end up worried about limiting themselves even further, not just in? their ability to serve enough people, but also to make a reasonable income. So how is this helpful? In my view, it simply isn’t, and that view has only been strengthened by consistently working with those who have tried to follow this process.

The trouble is, that in seeking to find a way round the problem, we often see people going for broader niches, that speak about more general topics, rather than about something more specific, yet neither does this provide the solution.

Why?? Simply because your message will easily get lost in the process; it will confuse or puzzle, instead of being clear and consistent.

And when your message is unclear, it will be even harder for you to find clients, which is something we’re passionate about helping you with at Succeed From The Start! Our focus is to help you do exactly what our name suggests, to succeed right from the beginning, and with that in mind, we encourage our members to do something entirely different, so they can have the best chance of succeeding.

But before we dig in, here are some common misconceptions about having a niche.

Misconception #1. Finding A Single Niche Will Limit Your Business Growth

As stated earlier, this is not true. And it all depends on your ability to focus. People often underestimate the value of focus. While being intangible, it can help bring tangible results in your business.?

Imagine a farmer sowing one type of seed, nourishing it with organic matter and ensuring the right weather conditions for the plant to grow. Now, imagine that the following day, the same farmer sows another type of seed in the adjacent field. But, the new seed requires completely different weather and nourishment in order to thrive. What do you think would happen?

It’s really quite simple, I know, but I wonder whether you see the parallel?

You see, a farmer needs to plant seeds of a specific type, in the right soil, with the right nourishment and hydration, to ensure that the right plants grow, and a successful harvest is achieved. If the farmer sows one type of seed today and a different type tomorrow, it becomes challenging to achieve a uniform and successful harvest. Similarly, in business, focusing on a specific niche consistently is crucial to achieving the desired results. It’s how you choose that niche that’s important if you truly want your business to thrive, and the right people to be drawn to working with you!

Misconception #2. You Must Have a Clearly Defined Niche Right From The Start

Continuing with our farmer analogy, it’s not necessary to have every condition perfect from the beginning. Just as a farmer begins by sowing seeds and then works on providing the appropriate nourishment, making changes if necessary, you can start your business and refine your niche over time. As you grow, you can adapt to the conditions and develop your niche more clearly as you become more attuned to what your heart is telling you, and more passionate about the work you do.

Misconception #3. Discovering a Niche Requires Extensive Research and Analysis

Now this is the point where we do have our own secret recipe that we follow in our community. Discovering a niche doesn’t have to be as complicated as being a rocket scientist. There’s an easier, more natural path that can help you feel excited about having a niche, rather than feeling overwhelmed about all the various niches to choose from.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to dive into next. So say goodbye to any worries you have about discovering your niche, because what you’re about to find out, will empower you with niching superpowers!

Ready?

The Secret to Successful Niche Finding

The two P’s to success: Passion and Personal Experience

In our process of niche discovery, we simply focus on these two things; a passion for the change you know you can help people make, and the personal experience of either having made that change yourself, or of having helped others to make it..

We use these as the starting point, to begin developing your niche,

And pay particular attention to the word “developing.” Because just like every seed starts out small, as the roots go down, and are nourished in the correct way, the plant that grows from it becomes something more spectacular; it will prosper you time and time again.

So, how do we help our clients to discover their niche? And how can your passion, and your own personal experience guide you in your own authentic choice of niche??

There are two simple steps:

1. Ask yourself what is the big change you can help people make. What is the A to Z journey of any client who works with you. Write down the problems they have now, and the consequences of those problems. Follow this by writing down where they will be after working with you, and the changes this will bring in their life.
2. Ask yourself why this work is so important to you; why do you want to help people make this change? How do you feel when you see the change happening? What brings you the most fulfillment?

By looking at the change you help people make, and by focusing on what/who makes the most impact on you, in other words, what gives you the most fulfillment, you will know who you should be working with - you will find your Niche. Don’t try to be clever with it, don’t try to ‘micro-niche’ into an area someone tells you will ‘make you rich quick’, for if you follow either of those strategies, you will lose your own authenticity and it will undoubtedly affect all you do.?

But the really exciting part?

Once you’ve discovered your niche, you will be off the starting blocks, and we will be there cheering you on.?

How? It’s simple, all our members are encouraged to host their own workshops, delivering transformational shifts that they are both passionate about and have personal experience in, or have helped others with. Through the workshop, which we will help promote, members share their wisdom and introduce participants to their signature programme, giving them a taste of what it is like to work with them.

And the benefits of this strategy? You will be able to:

1. Present first, and polish later: When you start presenting your expertise, the first person who benefits from this, is invariably you. Perhaps you’ve been longing to share your solutions to problems, your knowledge, and have been waiting for a client to show up. Not anymore. In our process you show up first, you share first, and then those who are ready for your message will come to you.
2. Refine your approach: The more you share, the more you show you care. And that’s one of the top ways of not only building a brand, but also giving you the opportunity to refine your own approach to your target audience. We don’t want you to be sitting behind the screen thinking about how you will build a successful business one day, we encourage taking action and moving forward one step at a time.
3. Get feedback: This approach allows you to get early feedback, and this feedback will serve better than any market research you could do beforehand. You will be continually honing and refining not just your message, but your presentation and course creation skills. This is why we love our approach to niche finding, because we don’t try to force it, we just allow it to naturally reveal itself. How’s that for a refreshing way to find a niche?

Our Mantra, Don’t Force a Niche, Let It Flow

When you use the two P’s we’ve outlined in this article, you will find it much easier to go about discovering your niche, in a fun and adventurous way.?

This approach will allow your authenticity to come across naturally, because you didn’t pick the niche just based on the numbers; instead you started out with it in the first place - you OWN it!

You see, you may get all the certifications in the world when it comes to being a better coach, but nothing trumps passion or personal experience.

In fact, many coaches will tell you that clients hardly ever ask for a coaching certification, especially, when in a non-corporate setting. What your ideal clients truly want to know is whether you have successfully navigated the same challenges that they seek to navigate, or that you have the right skills to help them do that. And what they want to feel is that you care even more about their success than they do themselves!

Passion and Personal Experience are the two allies that can help you not only identify a strong niche, but also help you sail through the challenges that you may run into when building your coaching business.

Finding a niche, without trying hard to find a niche, has been something we’ve implemented extensively in our coach community. And we’ve received some great feedback about how people have found this approach helpful, allowing them to start taking the first step, without having to worry about which niche they should be choosing. When they choose their passion or personal experience, it’s far easier for their niche to follow.

If you enjoyed reading this article, you might enjoy learning more about our community at Succeed From The Start where the process of discovering your own niche begins with you.