I’ve been hanging out in a new community led by Jacqueline (MamaJ) Hollows. More on that soon, as we’re cooking up something delicious for January.
Anyway, she posted this thread about niching that grabbed my attention. She wrote:
“Who are your people?
In every mentoring conversation I have the conversation about niches.
This one stung the most because I like to help people.
But I learned the hard way that ‘people’ are impossible to find if you’re trying to build a community for them!
Every time I tried to help “everyone” – or offered to solve too many problems – I ended up helping no one. When your community is for “people who want to … ” it’s for no one.
When I dialled in exactly who my people were and how I help them, the faster my groups have grown (and the easier everything gets).
So check out your about page and bio and have an allergic reaction if it says ‘people!’”
Now, I have a long, sordid history with niching. Prepare yourself for the latest installment in my ongoing rant.
I have strong opinions about niching! It’s been a bee in my bonnet for years, probably because I feel compelled to resist anything I’m told I “have” to do. (Feel free to smack me down, @Jacqueline Hollows if I’m out of line. 😆)
Right now, how does niching look to me?
If you’re inviting people to conversations, programs or community, and it isn’t getting the response you hope for, it makes sense to try something else. Whatever occurs to you as something you want to try or what you know to do.
If that’s choosing a niche, cool! Do it.
But you don’t have to.
Clarity is useful. Being clear about what you’re up to, who it’s for, and why it matters helps people know if they’re a Yes or a No for your invite. That’s just good communication.
But if “finding a niche” keeps you spinning for days, weeks, or even months trying to get it right, then it’s not helping. It’s getting in the way.
Just do something. Anything that feels alive. Niche be damned.
You’ll discover what you’re doing and how to communicate it by doing it.
And here’s a playful thought experiment I quite like:
What if you try on a new niche every week?
You don’t need to redo your website. Just an offer. An invitation.
And then switch it up. See what happens.
You might land on one clear niche. You might end up with several beautifully niched offers. You might end up somewhere we can’t predict right now because we can’t know until you take the action.
I kind of like that we can’t know, but we get to find out.
What’s even better than having a clear, compelling niche?
Trusting yourself.
Living from your inner guidance.
Knowing you can try anything your heart desires (something you’re born to do) and be perfectly okay no matter how it turns out.
I’m not anti-niche or anti-social media. I’m just fiercely pro-you and the infinite intelligence of life that’s always, always nudging towards what’s yours.
If you’d like a slightly ranty, tongue-in-cheek take on niching, and what I think works better, I wrote about it here.
And if all this has you wanting clarity without force, direction without pressure, and a place to hear yourself think…
I have three official work days left this year, which means there are still a few DragonHeart Portal sessions available.
They’re spacious, grounding conversations to help you:
• get clear on what you actually want
• see what’s already working in your favor
• relax into the next step instead of forcing it
So you can head into winter knowing life has you covered.
Book a final DragonHeart Portal session of the year here.
Yours in love and play,
Steph 🐲❤️🔥
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