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What to do if you can’t pick a niche

By Becky McCray

Picking the right niche for your business is a large task. I hear from many small business people who have several different targets, but can’t pick one to be their niche. This seems to be especially true for freelancers, consultants, and other independent business folks.

Dead end - T - choose
Time to pick a direction.

If you have trouble deciding on a single niche, here’s my advice:

Spend one month focused on one of your possible niches. 


Pick your favorite target, and decide to spend one full month focused on them. Find those folks, connect with them online and offline, find out as much as you can about what they need, and how you can work together.

At the end of the month, you’ll know a lot more about that niche. Do you love it? Is it the one you want to spend most of your time on? If not, move on. Take your second favorite niche, and spend a month focused on them.

At the very least, you’ll learn a lot more about your potential niches. You’ll better connect with them.

More likely, you’ll learn that some of your potential niches are not a great fit. Drop them from your business. Refocus on the more promising ones.

What’s the best outcome? You’ll find your best niche. Or at least, you best niche for now.

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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
  • In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020
  • Economic self defense for small towns  - June 7, 2020

January 30, 2012 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, Small Biz 100 Tagged With: service businesses

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Comments

  1. John Grey says

    March 15, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    Just as a follow up to this article, I recommend that you check out the following: http://emarketingfreak.com/targeted-advertising-strategies-for-your-small-business/

    This article speaks about different advertising tactics based on your market targeting strategy.

  2. Becky McCray says

    March 19, 2012 at 2:56 am

    John, thanks for the follow up.

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