So I’d been reading a million (well, maybe not quite that many) marketing blogs, and all of them were saying the same thing: find a niche. (“Finding your niche” is really just code for: what kind of work do you want to do right now, and with whom do you want to do this work, specifically?)
And I’d really struggled with that. I didn’t want a niche. I just wanted to help people, all people. Right? What kind of person narrows down their playing field to just a few paltry team members? But I still kept digging, kept doing the work, answering all of the questions put to me (some of which are below), using up reams of notebooks, doing my visioning exercises, and still…nothing super specific. Nothing that I wanted to emblazon on a billboard.
The Ninja of Niche.
But then one day, while talking with a client who’s helping me with my marketing (THANK YOU, S!) it just kind of tumbled out of me: I want to help women who are struggling with the question of Where Do I Go Next, women who are wondering how to bring their heart’s direction into their work, women who are searching for something more, but aren’t sure how to go about it. Their questions might look like:
- Can I really turn this interest of mine into a business?
- Am I good enough for this? Can I really do this?
- I know there’s something else out there, and I want to do something more than I’m currently doing, but how do I incorporate my purpose in life into my work?
- Am I an entrepreneur? (And what does that even mean?)
- How can I bring mindfulness or spirituality into my career?
- How can I help others as part of a business?
- How do I talk about what I really want to do with other people?
Why am I saying all of this? One, because if this is you, or if you know another amazing woman who needs help answering these questions, either in Atlanta or not, just send me an email. (I’m doing 30 minute complementary laser coaching sessions right now.)
And two, because I want to give you the same questions that I used to figure out this latest direction. But before I do, I want to highlight one thing from my recent experience: sometimes, the answers come not from pushing, pushing, pushing towards something, but from allowing in. I had done a lot of work towards finding my answers, but it was during a casual conversation in which I wasn’t even expecting to answer the all-important niche question that I got my answer.
It’s a subtle distinction and one that we’ll have to explore more in a later blog. For right now, though, I know you want the questions, the questions, the questions, damn it. (They’re below.)
You: 2.0
There are many, many different ways to work through these questions. You can try writing the answers down free-form (no editing or thinking overly much). You can pose one of the questions and then meditate in silence (letting the question go) and then writing down anything that comes up. Or you can use one of the questions to vision the type of work you want to be doing in the future with the ideal life exercise. Any way you do it is great. Just experiment, allow in, and remember that it’s all a part of the ongoing process, not an end destination. (I fully expect to be doing these questions over and over: Erin 2.0.)
Say it with YES:
You’ll know you’ve hit on your answer when your body says “YES” in big capital letters. (Yes, of course your body can speak in capitals.)
Questions for aspiring entrepreneurs:
- What does the world most need?
- What can I offer today to help others?
- What system or process do I frequently tell people about?
- What type of person do I most want to help?
- What step could I take today towards exploring what I want to do?
(Shout-out to Kate Courageous of Your Courageous Life for some of these! ) Sending you so much compassion and support as you work towards whatever you would like to bring forth!
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