Is Finding the Right Niche That Important? Yes and No
How many businesses have you started over the years? Chances are the if you're doing what you've always wanted to do in business, that this is not the first one you tried.
In fact, if the experiences of others are anything to go by, this could be your 10th or 20th enterprise.
That rather begs the question: Is finding the right niche on the first attempt all that important? There's no question that finding a niche where customers are buying is an important first step.
And it helps if you also happen to be passionate about it, because it will take considerable effort on your part to make a business in it successful.
There are zillions of websites that are given over to the nature of business niches; and there are a lot of programs available, most of which leave a lot to be desired, which claim to help you find the one that's just right for you.
All this is to say that there are a lot of people who believe that finding the right niche is a good idea.
And they're probably right, at least some of the time.
But, there's another side to this argument.
Most entrepreneurs succeed after many attempts in business.
John Maxwell, in his book Failing Forward, says that the average is something under four; but it's not unusual to find people have made as many as 20! One of the most surprising things about the business that finally does succeed is that quite often it's different from the earlier ones.
And that means that finding the right niche at the beginning may waste time, rather than save it.
I'm not saying that no niche research should be done; but what I am saying is that a fuzzy decision is probably better than a precise one.
That is, given the fact that you are most likely to end up doing something that's a bit different from what you started out with, it might be more beneficial to you if the niche you choose at the beginning has a little extra room in it.
I'm not saying that the changes are likely to be so radical that someone who started as a hairdresser will end up being a horse trainer.
Sure; it's possible.
Just not very probable.
No, what I'm suggesting is that you may start out as a hairdresser for women, and end up as one for men.
Or you might end up making hair products from natural ingredients.
What direction could your niche take you in?
In fact, if the experiences of others are anything to go by, this could be your 10th or 20th enterprise.
That rather begs the question: Is finding the right niche on the first attempt all that important? There's no question that finding a niche where customers are buying is an important first step.
And it helps if you also happen to be passionate about it, because it will take considerable effort on your part to make a business in it successful.
There are zillions of websites that are given over to the nature of business niches; and there are a lot of programs available, most of which leave a lot to be desired, which claim to help you find the one that's just right for you.
All this is to say that there are a lot of people who believe that finding the right niche is a good idea.
And they're probably right, at least some of the time.
But, there's another side to this argument.
Most entrepreneurs succeed after many attempts in business.
John Maxwell, in his book Failing Forward, says that the average is something under four; but it's not unusual to find people have made as many as 20! One of the most surprising things about the business that finally does succeed is that quite often it's different from the earlier ones.
And that means that finding the right niche at the beginning may waste time, rather than save it.
I'm not saying that no niche research should be done; but what I am saying is that a fuzzy decision is probably better than a precise one.
That is, given the fact that you are most likely to end up doing something that's a bit different from what you started out with, it might be more beneficial to you if the niche you choose at the beginning has a little extra room in it.
I'm not saying that the changes are likely to be so radical that someone who started as a hairdresser will end up being a horse trainer.
Sure; it's possible.
Just not very probable.
No, what I'm suggesting is that you may start out as a hairdresser for women, and end up as one for men.
Or you might end up making hair products from natural ingredients.
What direction could your niche take you in?
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