The Danger of Niching As A Creative
A situation or activity specially suited to a person’s interests, abilities, or nature.
Definition of “Niche” from Cambridge Dictionary
There are so many things we’re told we should do in business, and one of the biggest ones is to “niche down” in your business.
Just a quick search about “how to earn more as a business owner” and you’ll very quickly get topics such as “serve a niche.” This often involves working with certain people, having one offer, and doing things you love as long as it’s “profitable.”
You’ve heard this all before, right?
And the thing is, they’re not wrong.
These are things that CAN help
BUT.. only if it’s something that’s specifically suited to your interests, abilities, and nature.
This means that you may find yourself trying to “niche down” when really you need to niche up…
How to niche as a creative or a multi-passionate business owner?
Stop trying.
You have a unique set of skills that you can bring to the table. Chances are if you’re a creative person, you’ve got a lot to give to a range of people.
Now some niching peeps will tell you to “focus down,” have one core offer.. you will confuse your audience and no one will buy things from you…
That there is a little gross…
You are saying they’re not capable of making decisions themselves…
Is it easier if you have a niche? Perhaps.
But that doesn’t mean it’s the only way…
Start with what you want, and build it from there; talk to people; some people won’t like you, and they’ll go elsewhere; good!
Some people will take you up on some of your offers, but not others. This isn’t a bad thing.
Niching Made Simple (But it’s not simple)…
Don’t try to niche… don’t ask how do I niche… ask what do you want… who do you want to work with, and if you’re not sure yet, start working with people.
You don’t need a niche to start a business.
Start by experimenting and playing with ideas. As a creative, this is your lifeblood. Iterate with ideas, let go of getting it “right the first time”, and spend time actively experimenting with what you’re doing.
Your business will grow over time, it can develop naturally will it be slower… possibly? But niching won’t necessarily be faster…especially if you’re trying to force yourself into a box that doesn’t fit you.
The Danger of Niching…
If you spend all your time trying to force yourself into a box that doesn’t fit you, you’re working against yourself. You risk:
- Imposter Syndrome: When you work against yourself, your natural tendencies are being ignored this can mean you feel like you’re not true to yourself… That’ll feed your impostor syndrome in minutes. Sometimes you are an imposter as you’re not showing up as yourself… so if you’re feeling like that, are you doubting your ability, or are you trying to squeeze yourself into a box that doesn’t fit you.
- Burnout: Oh yes… the joys of burnout are even more likely if you’re stuck doing stuff you don’t enjoy, and if you’ve niched yourself down so far that you’re stuck doing the same thing each day and that’s not what you wanna be doing. The effort that is required to “niche” against yourself, is draining as fuck and it’s so exhausting constantly contradicting yourself.
- Creative Drought: When you don’t follow your creative flow, there’s a risk that you just stop having new ideas and get caught in the spin of constant “I will just deny everything I do, so what’s the point”. You’ll create a habit of just dismissing any creative idea that you have. Not every idea you have will work, but having no ideas is even more frustration…
Let your niche develop naturally, slow down and don’t try to “force a niche” you’ll find one that actually fits you… which might be not having one at all…🤷🏼
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