5 Ways to Know if Your Niche is Helping (Or Hurting) Your Business By Marcie Mauro, CMBMC®
, MMSC®
I
f you are like most wellness professionals you are passionate about your work. But have you found that going into business for yourself isn’t all it was cracked up to be? Perhaps you’ve started to question if your heart is leading you in the right direction, or you’ve taken on jobs as an underpaid independent contractor, or worse – perhaps you now believe the only way to make ends meet is to supplement with a “j-o-b”. Here’s the problem – if you’re not running your business like
a business you’re likely to become overworked and overwhelmed, and not practice what you preach. In your extensive training most if not all of the emphasis was placed on developing the skills of your trade under the myth that if you’re good at what you do then you will be prosperous. Truth is, you also have to know how to run a busi- ness. You have to claim the worth of your services, be comfortable discussing money, market (what does that even mean, anyway?), and (that dreaded four-letter word) “sell” yourself. All of this can send any entrepreneur heading for the hills, but holistic business owners run especially fast. Here’s why: You might believe that running a successful practice means you will be out of alignment with your core values of being of service and operating from your heart center. Good news: this is simply not true! For nearly a decade I have been a wellness practitioner and
have experienced firsthand what it feels like to struggle to create a business from my heart. I almost gave up until I realized I needed to get business-savvy, be mentored, and step up to my purpose! So here I am - on a mission to help heart-centered entrepreneurs (like you) to create prosperity while working their passion to build the balanced life they dream of – the whole success. This is so powerful because you know, as well as I, that wellness professionals are creating a global transformation through health and healing. The world needs you to be successful! Imagine… you are able to operate a flourishing, heart-led busi-
ness where you were attracting your ideal clients, creating financial freedom, and sharing your mission with more people than you ever thought possible…all while living a balanced, abundant, and purpose-driven life. This is your birth-right, and in this article I’m go- ing to give you some of my best tips on one of my favorite topics so you can start taking action and creating the prosperous business you are meant to have.
The Fastest Way to Grow Your Business: Hone Your Niche
Out of desire to help anyone and everyone, one of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make is avoiding a niche for fear that they will be boxed in and exclude people. The truth is, niche-ing will exclude some people. At the same time, as you have probably heard before, if you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll end up appeal- ing to no one. Focusing on a narrow group of people means you can better serve your clients…and more of them! Looking at this from a business perspective, as a holistic entre-
preneur you need people to buy your services in order to fulfill your purpose (not to mention the whole ‘money thing’). If people aren’t aware you exist (or worse, have heard of you but don’t understand what it is you do exactly) then you won’t be able to thrive. Focusing on a niche allows you to know your ideal clients so you can attract them through the benefits you provide (i.e. your holistic services) using their language. What’s more, it gives you the opportunity to be an expert, be paid your worth, and create freedom in your business. Sound good? Now that you’re excited about what honing a niche could mean
for you and your business, here are some jump-start questions to help you connect with more of your ideal clients.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself to Create a Viable Niche
1. What specialties within your work truly make your heart sing? What energizes you most and allows you to feel most connected with the purpose for you being on this planet? 2. Who do you most love working with? I know as a heart- centered entrepreneur you connect with many types of people, but when you think of some of your favorite people to work with ask yourself, “What do these people have in common? What makes them a ‘tribe’? ” 3. Are there at least several thousand other people in this ‘tribe’
who need what you offer? Even with your best efforts you won’t be able to reach everyone; your niche should be “an inch wide and a mile deep.” 4. What problems do they need help solving? I’ll bet there are
plenty, and you know just how to help them! 5. How badly do the people in your prospective niche want to
solve their problems? Do the people you love most truly need and want your service…and are they willing to pay for it?
18 Natural Nutmeg October 2012
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