01 Feb How to Find Your Niche When You’re Starting a Business
This post is for entrepreneurs who are looking to identify their niche — and a surprising point of view that it might not be as important as you think. If you like this, make sure to get in real-time touch with me over on my Facebook community, Soul-Level Shifts, where I do weekly free trainings on topics just like this one. You can also follow my life in Bali on Instagram @heyelainaray and DM me anytime to say hi! Btw every year I launch a business mastermind for entrepreneurs looking to grow to 6-figures and beyond, so stay tuned to find out when the next round launches. If you’re interested in strategic 1-1 support, you can also apply for a 6-month mentorship. I would love to work with you now or in the future! Drop me a line if this blog helps you. ~ Elaina
I’m going to start us off with an unpopular opinion: your niche matters less than you think it does.
I see entrepreneurs get stuck when it comes to their niche and I have a controversial opinion on this: that it actually doesn’t matter as much as you think it does.
For years I thought my niche was the corporate type and I tried to market my healing and wellness programs to them.
I sold to the 9 to 5 crowd, but none of those people joined my programs.
Instead, I got a bunch of entrepreneurs answering my posts and signing up to work with me who wanted to use my tools to get unblocked in their businesses.
Instead, I got a lot of people of all shapes and sizes who wanted my Bali entrepreneur lifestyle.
Instead, I got a bunch of people of all career types going through their own healing process.
The right people found me and opted-in to what I was offering because I was loud and hyper visible, and people wound up asking for what they saw in me that they resonated with.
It turned out that what they wanted from me was way easier and more fun for me! Then I re-did my marketing based on that feedback and even more people came to me, none of whom I ever expected to work with when I was in my room at home creating and fiddling behind my laptop with what I “thought” people wanted or what “ideal customer avatar” made sense by the books.
Now I’m making 3-4x more money than I ever did in the Fortune 500 life while living in Bali and working essentially part-time doing what I enjoy and am naturally good at.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: READY, FIRE, AIM.
What does that mean? Pick a niche to start, do your market research, and start sharing your initial message. And then refine it over time as real people buy your products and work directly with you.
Expect that business will be an iterative process and you will have a learning curve (so many people never start because they resist that it will be messy at the start).
In my business coaching program, all my clients do extensive market research up front so we reduce your learning curve and the amount of time, money, and energy you make while things are messy, but in case you’re sitting there worried about your niche and that’s preventing you from creating ANYTHING, I’m giving you permission to fire away.
GO FOR SOMETHING. Be visible. And be ready to pivot. Entrepreneurship can be more organic, less precise, and more fun than you’re probably letting it be right now.
Let it be an experiment!
Find your voice by using it.
Refine your message by seeing the engagement from real people.
Do your research and be smart — and then let it rip!
Did this article help? DM me on Instagram and say hi and tell me what resonated! @heyelainaray
