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XHolly Worton E-mail: holly.worton@gmail.com Web Site: http://hollyworton.com/ Info: Posts by the author (7)

The secret to connecting with your niche: know thyself

From the moment I decided I wanted to get involved in coaching, I realised I needed to find a niche. I had already done enough research to know that. Like many, I had no idea what I wanted to focus on, so I started a page in a notebook for ideas. I still have this list, and it’s always entertaining to read through it.

It’s a list that’s made up of personal interests (holistic wellbeing), things I wanted to help people with (life purpose), major life experiences (starting my own business, divorce), etc. I wrote down every niche idea that occurred to me. I did go through a brief period where I thought It would be easiest to just pick two and focus on those, but deep down I knew I had to choose one.

Yet none of them felt quite right. Even before I signed up for my coaching diploma, I started a personal development blog, thinking I could try out some ideas and see what I enjoyed writing about. This was one of the best things I did in my journey toward my niche. It helped me explore different ideas, from time management to holistic wellness to life purpose.

I had business cards done and I networked. I ran out of cards, had more printed, and networked some more. I had my logo designed and I printed even more cards. I was getting out there, and not getting any results.

In the end, it wasn’t my blog that helped me find my niche, helpful though it was. After almost a year of working hard (and unsuccessfully) to build my coaching business, Nick, the founder of the Smart School, along with friends with the school, encouraged me to go a completely different route: social media consulting. I wasn’t  completely convinced, because I felt like it was cheating: I wanted to make a difference with life coaching, and not go back to what I had been doing before with social media marketing. After all, marketing doesn’t change lives…does it?

I built a new website and blog, and had my new logo and business cards done. I tried out general social media consulting for businesses.  I networked with my new business, though it didn’t feel fully right. I later niched it down a bit more with social media consulting for charities, and it felt a bit better.

But it still didn’t feel quite right. And after all this, the blogs weren’t what helped me find my niche. It was a conversation about personal branding and LinkedIn with a Smart School colleague. I realised I hadn’t updated my LinkedIn summary in a while, so I sat down and updated my profile to reflect my full professional experience. As I wrote, two things became clear to me: hospitality and social media.

The proverbial light bulb clicked on. As I considered this as a possibility, I narrowed it even further: social media for boutique hotels and spas. I knew from job interviews last year that I was clearly not suitable for the corporate environment, and that my real passion lay in boutique hotels, especially eco hotels, and holistic spas.

And so a niche was born. New website, new logo, new business cards. And it suddenly all feels right. It was sitting there all along, and all I needed to do was to write my story for my niche to step out of the dark. It appears that the third time’s a charm.

So what’s the secret to connecting with your niche? Know thyself!

Filed Under A Day in a Coaching Life

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