Narrow Down Your Work From Home Niche

Why Narrow your Niche? An Analogy

I have been working with a client who wants to start a podcast. My first question to her was, “Who are you speaking to?” She responded to everyone. It is a fair answer. I think sometimes when we are starting we do want everyone to hear the message that we want to share. But let’s reverse the roles. Let’s say, you are the one listening to the message.

Do you want to hear everything? Obviously, no. I love my husband. He is a very mechanically talented man. He has a knack for fixing things. As a farmer, he is very interested in tractors. As a farmer’s wife, I can appreciate tractors much more than before I was a farmer’s wife. They make work on the farm so much easier, but honestly, that is about where my interest ends. His love for tractors goes far beyond mine. so far, going to a tractor pull is very entertaining to him.

Have you ever been to a tractor pull? Before I married my husband, I had no idea tractor pulls even existed. Let me very quickly explain. Different types of tractors pull a given amount of weight down and track and the person who goes the farthest wins. If there are any tractor-pulling enthusiasts reading this, please forgive me for my less-than-accurate, oversimplified description of your beloved sport.

My husband and I will celebrate our 18th anniversary in May. I have been to a lot of tractor pulls over the years and I have come to appreciate them out of love for for my husband and now our sons, but would I ever seek out information about tractors or tractor pulls for my learning or entertainment? No.

What do tractors and tractor pulls have to do with building a business? Read on. . .

Before we get started it would be really helpful if you took the Work from Home Personality Quiz before reading this article.

Narrowing down your Niche

What do tractors and tractor pulls have to do with building a business? Nothing except, that I use this illustration to prove to you an avid tractor-puller would not seek out the Christian Work from Home Podcast. They are going to search for a podcast about tractors. Of course, I couldn’t resist and I searched for a tractor podcast and there was only one and the main topic was eco-agriculture, not tractors. So if there is anyone out there who knows a tractor enthusiast, it is an untapped market.

I was recently working with a client who wants to start a podcast. My first question to her was, “Who do you want to talk to?” Her response was everyone. I get that. If you are someone who wants to help people, you want to help everyone! But I had to break the news to her. And now I am breaking it to you “When you try to talk to everyone, you talk to no one”

5 Reasons to niche down to see faster success.

I am going to choose one personality type from the Work from Home Personality Quiz and use it throughout this article. I found that 45% of you have a Digital Deborah personality. So that is the example we will use today. However, these reasons apply to each of the personality types.

• Just as a refresher, a Digital Deborah is a Christian work-at-home mom who has effectively established and managed her own thriving online business.
• She uses digital tools such as long-form content and social media platforms to generate income through products such as online courses, digital products, memberships, affiliate marketing, and one one-on-one coaching, just to name a few.

What is a niche?

A niche is a focused set of people or businesses who want to purchase your specific offering. Think of niche as your area of specialty. We will use me as an example. I speak to Christian Moms who want to find meaningful work-from-home opportunities so they can focus on their faith and family. I do not speak to tractor enthusiasts. However, someone may hire me for my expertise to help them build a business even if they are not a Christian or a mom. But ain't nobody going to hire me to build a pulling tractor.

If you have listened to this podcast from the beginning, you know that I have other interests such as homesteading and saving money on food. But that’s not all, I am also passionate about home-brewed kombucha. I have been brewing my kombucha from the same SCOBY for over 12 years. But it would be really strange if I started sharing episodes about how to brew your own kombucha on the Christian Work from Home Podcast. In fact, you may be thinking what in the world is a SCOBY?

Don’t get me wrong, there is a kombucha niche out there and I know of a lady who makes a lot of money talking about and selling kombucha SCOBYs, but that's not me. My niche is you. A mom who wants to earn money from home. My passion is to help you. So here are 5 reasons you need to niche down.

1. IT HELPS YOU FIND YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER

The first and one of the most compelling reasons you need to narrow and niche down your focus is to attract your ideal customer. If you are able, please close your eyes and picture that perfect customer.

• Do you help a new mom learn how to nurse her baby and care for a newborn?
• Do you help an overwhelmed homeschool mom organize her curriculum?
• Or maybe you help an empty nest mom find a new purpose now that her children are grown?

As you are just starting your work-from-home journey, you may or may not know who that ideal customer is or who to attract. At this point, you’re just trying to get traffic, no matter where or whom it comes from, so being picky is the last thing that should be on your mind.

But what if we told you that you’re wrong? You never turn down a client, but if you go chasing everyone without knowing who you truly want to work with, you’re going to end up with your business going in another direction than you originally intended. You’re going to end up catering to those better off with someone more experienced in what they want.

Every business has a niche. Let’s take therapists, for example. A couples counseling therapist won’t be the best pick for a therapist whose focus involves treating childhood traumas.

Niching down helps you identify your ideal clientele. And only then can you deliberately market to appeal to that customer. That’s how you can grow a business that you’re genuinely passionate about and that you truly love because you’re helping people while doing what you love.

One thing to keep in mind, your ideal customer may be you a few years ago, in fact, that is often the case. Because you are teaching someone who is coming up behind you about your experience.

2. IT HONES YOUR SKILLS

When you have a niche, you’re able to narrow your focus and not only hone and sharpen your skills, but you’re also able to become an expert in that niche.

You’ll find that customers, especially those willing to pay money for your expertise. And as you can probably guess, it’s impossible to become an expert and have knowledge about every single part of the industry that you’re in.

However, it’s nearly a breeze to become an expert in a narrow niche. You’re already passionate about it; then the rest will come along. And when this happens, your work becomes even more exciting and thrilling as you can feel comfortable devoting more time to learning more about the niche you already enjoy.

You won't spread your energy too thin. As a busy mom with other responsibilities, you can’t dip your hand in every part of your industry, and you can’t try to cater to every client–If you do, You will burn out. You will become overwhelmed. It’s inevitable.

But here’s your solution, wrapped up in a pretty package that you already enjoy. You can avoid feeling overwhelmed and burnout by narrowing your focus and what you specifically want to do.

When your business has a specific product you love and believe in the most– and it’s a bestseller, then focus on it more. If your business is more of a service, focus on who you want to help the most. And then think about how you’re going to do that.

You don’t have to think big and wild when it comes to business. It’s dramatically more comfortable to feel smaller– and it results in more success. When you have the time and energy to allow it, you can grow your niche slightly more, but this way, you’re growing in the right direction, the right way, and at the right time.

Not only that, you don’t need a big audience. You just need a group of loyal customers who you serve. You don’t need millions of followers, you don't even need 1,000s.

3. YOU GET A LOYAL CUSTOMER BASE

When you choose a niche, you guarantee that you will have a loyal customer base of people who genuinely enjoy your product and you as a person.

This applies to all personality types, Whatever your business is about, whether you’re creating an online course, selling products on Etsy, providing freelance services, cleaning services, or even working in a corporate remote job, – niching down helps you find these hidden gems of customers who need your particular brand and will also connect with it.

You’re making a place and name for yourself and your business in the world, and only then do you find customers who love the service you’re providing.

Think of it this way. Think of the difference between a department store and a boutique. You’re the boutique. Boutiques usually have a loyal client base– and they tend to charge higher prices. When you walk into a boutique, you expect that not only it’s going to be more expensive, but you also know that the owner and the person behind the counter are very knowledgeable about their product.

On the other hand, when you walk into a department store, you’re lucky if the employee knows something beyond the bare minimum.

4. NICHES RESULT IN LESS COMPETITION

Niches result in there being less competition when it comes to your business. Niches can also result in similar businesses collaborating with you and both parties lifting each other up.

For example, I have teamed up with some other Christian coaches to create an amazing program for moms just like you. It is called the Unique Calling Mentorship Program. It is a monthly membership to jumpstart and grow your business.

There are monthly mindset workshops, goal-setting challenges, laser coaching, and accountability to propel you toward success. I have teamed up with 4 other life coaches to help you reach your work-from-home goals, overcome obstacles, and start earning an income from home. The mentorship is your roadmap to meaningful work-from-home opportunities.

Back to competition, the more general your business is, the more competition you have. However, working in a small field encourages collaborations with other like-minded people.

Small fields allow you to collaborate, network, and befriend people with similar passions and ideas. The next time a person meets someone who fits your ideal customer who is searching for your exact type of service will then be the first person they refer you to.

5. NICHES MAKE MORE MONEY

If this doesn’t convince you, then nothing else will. The top reason why you should niche down and narrow your focus is this simple fact; niche businesses make more money and can obtain a larger clientele. When you have a niche, you can up the price, and more importantly, more customers will come to you, and they’ll be the right customers.

Also, not only are you making more money because you’re able to charge more– there’s not a lot of competition out there, so there’s no real comparison to your prices– but by niching down, you’re cutting down on unnecessary expenses and being cost-effective. Think about it this way; who makes more? A heart surgeon or a general practitioner?

This happens because you spend less money on marketing in trying to compete with more businesses.

You have learned about 5 reasons to niche down in your business, and that is only scratching the service, there are other reasons as well.

The 5 reasons we talked about are:

1. It helps you find your ideal customer.
2. It hones your skills
3. You get a loyal customer base
4. There is less competition
5. Niches make more money.

This doesn’t mean that you cannot expand your niche in the future, but for now, I want to encourage you to start with a small niche.

Who knows, someday, maybe I will write an article all about my beloved 12-year-old Kombucha SCOBY, but for now, I am going to keep talking about the Christian Work from Home Road Map.

We talked about the reasons why, but how?

How do you narrow down your niche?

I am excited to announce a waiting list for a beta program that I am launching in April. It will be a step-by-step guide to building your online business. There will be videos, workbooks, and weekly live calls with me. Click here to join the waiting list.

If you are ready to get started now, you can always book a free discovery call with me.