How did you find your niche?

That just made me laugh.

P.S. When I laugh at jokes on the Internet, I don't really laugh. I just blow more air out of my nose than usual.

Choosing a niche is not a decision made in isolation. For me, I couldn't choose a niche until I chose a business model.

The way you choose a niche is different for everyone and in my case, the path was VERY circuitous. But essentially, the process was:

A few years ago, "offline marketing" was the craze around here: that is, using your online marketing skills to help offline, bricks-and-mortar businesses increase their business. I LOVED that idea and decided to run with it.

However, I didn't want to help just any business in my local area. There are just some businesses I didn't want to work with and didn't feel I'd do well with. Helping a plumber holds zero interest for me, for example. I also didn't want to be running off to in-person meetings. I have some mobility issues and really want to stay home and work virtually.

So instead of specializing in local businesses, I decided to specialize by industry. I'd previously done copywriting and landed mostly health and wellness professionals as clients. I liked working with them and they needed A LOT of help. They're typically not business-oriented at all and mistakenly think that having the right degree or certification will guarantee a successful business.

Through copywriting, I also discovered I did NOT want to have a service-based business. I wanted more freedom than that.

Eventually, after a lot MORE research, I decided to create a trade association, a very traditional business model. Industry trade associations are typically focused on industry trends, events, lobbying, industry politics, etc. They're typically NOT business-oriented. That is, they're typically not focused on helping members grow their businesses (marketing).

So that's what my trade association does: helps members grow their practices. By definition, our members are entrepreneurs.

Instead of DOING local marketing, or offering other services like copywriting for people, I sell memberships and information products and do events for our members. I'm also going to be publishing an anthology in the the coming year, a book where members each contribute a chapter. (My own first book was published in 2010, so I have experience with this.)

If I choose to do services, like consulting, etc. it's at a much higher price point than I might be able to do otherwise. Services are at the BOTTOM of my funnel and cost the most. I rarely meet anyone in person, which I love.

I sort of chose my niche and business model at the same time. They go hand in hand. I specifically chose health and wellness professionals because 1) they aren't typically business-oriented and need A LOT of help and 2) I'm not selling marketing info/services to other IMers or other marketers selling marketing info/services. I DESPISE the incestuous nature of that and wanted to avoid it -- a BIG reason why I chose health and wellness professionals.

If you're trying to choose a niche, it might help to also focus on your business model. for example, do you want to offer services or products? Do you want to sell physical products (e-commerce) or information products (e-books, courses, etc.)?

While you think about that, think about your hobbies and interests. What are your interests? What skills and knowledge do you already have?

DON'T just think about what you think might make the most money. That's the wrong way to go about it. Money alone will not sustain a career. You need to have interest, skills and passion for what you do.

Hope that helps!

Michelle

This is a great question. But I also think it's the wrong question.

In my experience, finding a niche is not the first step to starting a successful business. Finding a need is.

My background is in web development, so I'm constantly thinking of new websites that I wish existed or new web applications that I think other people would want to use. For me, coming up with a new business idea is as easy as completing the sentence, "Wouldn't it be great if there was a website that ..." These ideas can -- and do -- cut across just about any niche you can think of.

For an example in a completely different area, read Nightengale's very informative post above. She saw that that health professionals had a need for business and marketing support. She recognized something about them that they might not have even known about themselves: they are entrepreneurs and not just health care providers.

But of course the idea is the easy part. It's the execution that matters. Nightengale designed and implemented what sounds like a pretty cool solution (a marketing-focused trade association) to her customers' very real problem. Just as I eventually, picked a single idea that I was passionate about and developed a site that is genuinely useful to my users.

It's funny because I have made money with both topics I am interested in and things I am not so interested in. The things I have really no interest in are simple landing pages that I knew had potential to make money and didn't need much content.

On the other hand, the topics I am interested in will have me writing much more content. I can only handle writing about things I know about and like.

I do have a few niche sites though so that really lets me fan out but they are really sub niches under one larger niche (fitness).

Cool. Think it is much easier to give away something for free then have an upgrade option after they try it out 1st. Just started to get sick of all of the money making scams that have made me $0.

Ha ha. Maybe we're just smarter than most people but sounds like there is money to be made in games 2.

I agree. I've been interested in SEO for a while now & would love to make that my main niche. I have some more ideas for my 1 year plan & will keep you all updated.

Cool. I'll be sure to check it out.

That is the best way sometimes. I say do something that you love & it doesn't even feel like work.

This is a good old advice but I can't agree with you because there are loads of niches you will find wherein no passion or hobby is required i.e. woolen gloves or mechanical pencils. I neither have passion to wear woolen gloves living in hot climate nor do I love to write with mechanical pencil. But, there is a great earning potential lying ahead in the above mentioned unexplored niches.

Should I leave them? Because I don't have any passion in those niches. What do you say?

Remember, when you start a blog and money starts to roll in, it will become your passion. Another thing to note that not every marketer writes the content for their blogs. What they do? They hire content writers, so your theory completely goes wrong.

I would say find opportunity in niches. As for the OP, Amazon is a goldmine of niches. Just spend one hour or so, you will be amazed by the plethora of niches.

Yeah. I would say anything that you are trying to figure out would probably have to have some kind of market right?

True. Most people want something that can benefit them when they are offline. Looking into selling on eBay again & making a blog for Amazon ads.