Do you struggle with the idea of niching down in your business? If so, you're not alone. The idea of choosing just one focus is difficult and can feel very constraining for many of us but it is helpful overall. So I do my best to share ways you can arrive at a niche, even for just a season of your entrepreneurship journey.
This example is one from my student, Tess Jewell-Larsen, who found her niche when she hired help in her business. By taking this step of getting support, she gained insight and defined her niche.
If you're struggling with stepping into being an entrepreneur, my book is a great resource to help you create a strong foundation for your dream business. Use the link below to order your copy!
How Hiring Someone Can Help You Define Your Niche
Tess listened to episode #170 with Mike Michalowicz and realized that she was actually doing what she teaches others not to do. She was trying to do it all herself and was on the path to burn out in her business. After listening to this interview, she began the process of looking for a Virtual Assistant (VA).
"When you work with another person, they need to know what direction to go in." - Tess Jewell-Larsen
Through doing this, she realized that saying "yoga teacher" wasn't enough for the team to work with, she needed more details. The team that she worked with ultimately led her through a handful of questions that led to her writing more than 9 pages of notes to reflect on.
By going through this exercise, she realized what her true passion is:
Tess helps female executives, small business owners and high-achievers who are suffering from stress, overwhelm, and on the verge of burnout to relieve physical and mental discomfort, increase ease and calm, and manage stress so that they feel more joyful, balanced, and optimistic, and thrive no matter what obstacles come their way. Tess is an experienced yoga teacher, mindfulness coach and a Yoga Therapist candidate whose mission is to be a supportive guide and resource, along with making yoga, well-being and personal development feel accessible and fun!
If you're looking to go through a similar exercise, here are some questions to ask yourself:
What do I find myself repeating over and over to my students/clients/customers?
Is there something you wish you could guarantee that your students/clients/customers knew before working with you?
Look/listen to any content you've created to find the repeating themes and topics?
If you don't have content to look back on, start journaling about your thoughts and find themes over time.
**This was also a podcast episode (episode #178. Use the player below if you'd prefer to listen to this message.
How To Find Your Niche In Your Content
"What do I talk about the most?" - Tess Jewel-Larsen
When I asked Tess how she discovered her new-found niche, she shared that she went back to her Instagram Lives to see what she talked about the most and then journaled about those topics. She found that even though she has a passion for learning about pelvic health and many other wellness topics, her true passion that lives in her content was focused on avoiding burnout and lowering anxiety.
Not going with what we think we "should" choose or the first thing that pops into our mind is key. We need to really look at any data we have to see what we actually talk about.
If you have content to look back on, watch it, read it, or listen to it. Even if it's hard to do, go back to see the content and identify what you really focus on because it's likely not what you remember or think you focus on. But if you tap into what you really care about, this will make defining your niche easier.
It's also important not to try and get the words "right" the first time, just get it written somewhere. Write it messy in a journal or google doc for now and then you can tweak the words later or better yet, hire someone to help you with this.
*If you're curious who to hire for this type of work, I suggest reaching out to a coach that you trust and have learned from. If they offer consultation calls, this is a great use of time. You can also research Virtual Assistants and find one to help you with a project (ex: writing social media posts). If you hire someone to write 1 month of social media posts for you, they will ask you about your niche and based on what you share, they will come up with posts that will help further identify your niche in words.
"I really needed someone else's outside opinion to be able to make this because it's really easy to look at your own words and be like, I get what I want to say, but I don't know how to say it to someone else." - Tess Jewel-Larsen
It Takes Time To Find Your Niche
Tess admits that if she had tried to hire the VA at the beginning of her business, it wouldn't have worked as well and that's important to note. I too have had this experience where the first VA I hired didn't work out as well because I didn't know what I needed and couldn't give the best direction.
However, several years later I now have a few people on my team of contractors that do phenomenal work because it's clear what's needed. Once you have clarity in your business and goals, it's easier to hire contractors and certainly full time employees if that's where you are in your journey.
"I needed the journey. So, working with you, working with Shannon Crow. If I had done this two years ago when I started there's no way I would have had the same outcome. So, first, like, I think that all the people along the way, everyone has been incredibly helpful and having heard that information and you know, having had that support because it's always kind of been in the back of my brain and just not really able to make that final step and then I think in this case... I I've paid quite a bit of money for this team." - Tess Jewel-Larsen
If you're wondering if you're ready to hire someone, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:
Do I have the budget to hire someone to help me 5 hours a week? (budget for $30 an hour)
What project could I use help with currently?
Imagine the perfect person was ready to help you...do you have a project plan that you could share with them now? If not, create that plan so it's clear what you will hire for.
Once you're ready to hire someone, ask your business friends if they have anyone they recommend. If you don't have any business friends you can look at groups you're involved in (ex: Memberships, entrepreneur Facebook groups)
The Journey Of Entrepreneurship
Niching down is just one aspect of being an entrepreneur that can feel overwhelming or confusing. While there are many joys of entrepreneurship, there are also many questions along the way too. Tess shared that she was inspired by another guest of mine, Kate Ahl.
*Note: the interview Tess references is the one that's on a private podcast feed for my book - Uncover Your Confidence: An Accidental Entrepreneur's Guide To Success. Click here to learn more about the book and private podcast feed.
In an interview, Kate shares about her journey and how she viewed it as opening up doors all along the way. But the key is to keep walking once you find the door that works for you in that season of business.
"Open up different doors and see what's there and then when you find the right door, keep walking." - Kate Ahl
As we're going through this process of opening up door after door after, it can feel challenging at times but it's important to know it's part of the process. Tess shared that how she navigates these tough times is that she looks at each door opening as a chance to explore. She knows that it might work out and it might not but either way, she will learn.
I've personally seen Tess navigate both sides of this and can say with confidence that she does this with grace and honesty. She learns every step of the way because she's willing to explore and look for the lesson and then apply it to the next door. And I just loved it when she said:
"I feel like I am ready for this door." - Tess Jewel-Larsen
Take Away Message / Action
Take time to either (1) go through your content or (2) start a journal or start creating content so you can find the trends and themes that you are truly passionate about. Avoid the temptation to just pick something and force it today, but rather allow the time it takes to find your niche so it feels right.
Until next time give yourself permission to find your niche in unique ways and grace along the way. I'll talk to you soon.
Resources Shared In This Episode:
About Tess:
Tess helps female executives, small business owners and high-achievers who are suffering from stress, overwhelm, and on the verge of burnout to relieve physical and mental discomfort, increase ease and calm, and manage stress so that they feel more joyful, balanced, and optimistic, and thrive no matter what obstacles come their way. Tess is an experienced yoga teacher, mindfulness coach and a Yoga Therapist candidate whose mission is to be a supportive guide and resource, along with making yoga, well-being and personal development feel accessible and fun!
Website: https://tessjewelllarsen.coach/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tessjewelllarsen/
"When you work with another person, they need to know what direction to go in."
- Tess Jewell-Larsen
Want support in finding your niche?
I would honored to work with you and support you in this process. Click the button below to learn more about my coaching opportunities.