There’s been a long discussion about niching down in almost every business you look into. We know it’s important. We know it’s crucial for our business but often, people are niching down not because they want to know what they want to specialize in but because they’ve been told to do so. 

In reality, they don’t really know the importance and the power of niching down which results in either being in the wrong niche or targeting the wrong people. 

So in today’s episode, I want to talk about how you can niche down effectively so everything you do aligns with what you truly want and not just because you were told you need to do it.

When starting a business, one of the first things you will hear often about is to niche down. People will talk about how important it is and how crucial niching down is to the success and growth of your business.

And while that is true, sometimes niching down too early might not always be the answer. Especially when you’re not clear yet as to who you want to truly serve or what skills or knowledge do you actually have that you can share with the world.

If the thought of niching down scares you or you don’t know how to do it the right way or perhaps you’re confused about what you actually need to focus on right now, stick with me to the end because I’ll be sharing with you some tips about how you can niche down effectively instead of blindly following what you’re being taught because you thought that’s the right thing to do.

If you’re just starting a business or even if you’ve been at it for a while, you’re probably wondering why do we really need to niche down? Is it absolutely necessary? If you’re a multi-passionate creative, the thought of niching down to one thing will probably drive you nuts. To be honest, it scared me at first too. After all, we were conditioned that “doing many things” is the way to do it better. Do you remember when you were looking for a job and one of the requirements is “knows how to multitask?” So for years, we thought that when we multitask, we get rewarded.

And when you get the job, it’s exactly what’s going to happen. If you do many things at once, you’ll get praised by your boss because you’re able to quote-unquote handle stress. But if you look a bit deeper, can we really handle stress that well?

Before I left my corporate job, I remember feeling so dizzy every single time I’d step out of the elevator and while walking down the hallway to my desk. I’d feel sick all the time – tummy issues, headache, colds, cough you name it. Back then, I didn’t know what it was. I just thought I had a weak immune system and I get sick often. But the funny thing was, every time I’d step out of the office to my car and back home, I’ll be fine again. 

The cycle repeats every day I get to the office.

And one day, I broke down. I cried so hard and told my husband, I can’t handle this anymore. He then told me, “you were under a lot of stress and you don’t even realize it. You’re losing sleep, you’re working hard and yes, you’re being rewarded but you’re also exhausted. You might want to consider leaving the job.” 

This is what multitasking can do to us. Sometimes, we think we’re still ok and yet our bodies say otherwise. Not niching down, in my opinion, is similar to multitasking. It’s either we’re trying to do different things or we’re trying to cater to everybody. It gets exhausting and confusing because you’re messaging will be all over the place. You won’t really know who you’re talking to. As a result, it becomes difficult to create content and market your products. Because you’re not the only one who gets confused. Your audience will also wonder what can you do for them. And because you’re doing different things, they won’t be able to identify that easily. That’s why we need to focus on one thing at a time. You want your audience to know who you are and how you can help them.

Now, if you’re a multi-passionate creative, I’m not saying don’t do everything you want. Just don’t do them all at the same time. Remember the saying “you can do anything, but not everything.”

That’s because we can only truly be effective to handle one thing at a time. When you niche down, you can create better, market your offers better and serve your audience in a much bigger way. You can advance more when you focus on a single direction rather than trying different things in multiple, different directions. 

So my suggestion – get better at one thing, solve one problem and be the best at it. You’ll be able to expand easily once you’ve established yourself in ONE thing. 

So now that you know the reason why we need to niche down, let’s talk about how do we niche down effectively. Especially if you’re just starting in the online creative business industry.

How do you identify your niche? How do you know if you’re serving the right people and targeting the right audience? 

And I’ll be very very upfront with you right now – I didn’t know about these things either when I started. I was super confused whether I’d chosen the right niche or if I’m doing things right. To the point that I stopped creating because I don’t know what to do anymore. 

We don’t want that to happen to you, right? The reason you’re here is so you can strategically identify your niche and focus on what you know best. 

So let’s start there – LET’S FOCUS ON WHAT YOU KNOW BEST.

People get niche really really wrong because often, they’ll start looking at what other people are doing, especially those who have seen success at something. They’d try to copy what that person is doing and call it “their niche” too.

And you might be asking, so Mye, what’s wrong with that? 

Well, for instance, the people you’re looking up to may be successful in that area of expertise but that doesn’t mean you’ll find the same level of success there. Chances are, they’ve been doing it for a while and have tried many different things before seeing results. 

So instead of trying to copy the success you’ve seen from other people – start creating your own success path – by leveraging WHAT YOU KNOW BEST.

Start with these steps.

1. Look inward not outward – what skills or knowledge do you have that you can share with other people? Then ask yourself, if I’m not being paid to do this, will I still love doing it? If your answer is a “hell yes” then, you found the one thing you’d want to do. If there’s any tinge of doubt, think about it thoroughly. 
2. What problems can you solve – Can you help them improve their processes? Can you do anything for them that’s going to help improve their life? Use your skills or knowledge as a tool to attract the right people to your business. Talk about the things you want to help them with and get really really good at it. 
3. Share what you know – you don’t have to be an EXPERT to start. A lot of people are afraid to begin because they thought they need to know everything. You don’t. Plus, there’s not a single person on the planet who knows everything. The beauty of sharing is that you learn a lot more things – not just about your niche but also about your audience – what they need, what they’re looking for and from there, you can do more research, further study and find ways to help them better. 

These are 3 simple steps you can start doing right now, whether you’re just starting in the business or you’ve been at it for a while. 

Niching down is just about the “WHO”  – finding the people who need you is way more difficult than providing solutions to potential problems they have. Customers don’t look for people to follow and buy from. They look around for solutions to whatever problems they have. So focus on the problem. Provide solutions and you’ll attract the right people. 

So, tell me in the comments – what do you know? What skills or knowledge do you want to share with the world?