Glossary

Niche

The specific group of people you focus on serving, defined tightly enough that your message feels made for them.

A niche is the specific group of people you choose to focus on. It is defined by who they are, what they do, what problems they have, or some combination of all three. The tighter the definition, the more your message resonates with the right person, and the easier it is to find more of them.

Choosing a niche feels like narrowing your options. In practice, it expands your effectiveness. When you are known for solving one specific problem for one specific type of person, referrals become easy, word of mouth travels in tight networks, and your marketing writes itself. Generalists fight for every client. Specialists attract them.

Niche by three dimensions

  • Who: a specific type of person or business. Solo consultants. E-commerce brands under $1 million in revenue. Real estate agents who self-manage their social media.
  • What: a specific type of problem or desire. Reducing time on reporting. Automating lead follow-up. Building internal tools without a dev team.
  • Where: a specific context or channel. Businesses using HubSpot. Shopify store owners. Coaches who run their business through Kajabi.

How to choose a niche when you are starting out

  1. 1List every type of buyer who might plausibly pay for what you build.
  2. 2Cross out anyone you have no natural access to or no credibility with.
  3. 3For the remaining options, ask: do they have a problem I can actually solve, and will they pay to solve it?
  4. 4Pick the one where you have the most natural access, the clearest problem, and the most genuine interest.
  5. 5Talk to three or four people in that niche before you commit. Let their words shape your offer and your positioning.

The fear of niching down

The most common objection is: what if I pick the wrong niche, or what if the niche is too small? Both are real concerns but they are not as dangerous as they sound. A niche is not a prison. If you start with solo consultants and discover that small agency owners are actually the better fit, you can adjust. The experience of going narrow and talking to real buyers is far more useful than theorizing about the perfect niche from the outside.

Go narrow to go fast

You can always widen later. Broad positioning early means you are competing with everyone for everyone. Narrow positioning means you become the obvious choice for a specific person with a specific problem. That is where first clients actually come from.

Niche versus positioning

A niche is who you serve. Positioning is how you frame what you do for them. They are related but not the same. You can serve the same niche as a competitor and have completely different positioning. One person might position as 'the fastest build' and another as 'the most reliable integration.' Same niche, different angle. Both can win.

Keep reading

Positioning Offer Niche picker worksheet How to get clients as a builder Land your first client

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