Photo courtesy of Barbie Hull Photography
Defining your business niche is important in determining the “sweet spot” of your business. Without a clearly defined niche you are a jack of all trades and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Not only is it challenging to you in determining your brand, but also incredibly confusing to your customer. And, once you’ve been in business for a short while, you’ll start to realize another important reason to have a niche: You will be tested!
“Oh, can you just whip up a little something?”
After you’ve launched your amazing business, people will come to you and ask to do all sorts of things outside of your niche. Initially this may be family members who want you to “just drop off a bucket of daisies for the baby shower” if you are a florist. Naturally, if they are family you may satisfy their needs. (Your mother gave birth to you after all!) And, if you are new in business, the desire to have business will be so huge that you’ll do something totally out of your realm. You may just accept an offer to design the annual PTA dance-off for pennies an hour.
WARNING! Leaving your niche is dangerous!
Now, we aren’t saying that honoring family favors is a bad thing. When I went to my first and only craft sale in 2004 I was so new that I didn’t even have business cards. (Yikes!) I set up my sad little table. (I had so much yet to learn.) My mom was my very first customer! God bless her. I was so nervous. She was my cheerleader. For that, she will always get anything she wants. She’s my mom so I can also easily tell her when something is ridiculous. I should also note that she’s always been completely respectful of my design, gives me complete artistic control, and has always paid me for my work.
But, there are graver dangers. These are some of my warnings:
- Beware of the first bride who asks you to design something you don’t normally do.
- Beware of the friend of a friend who wants a discounted rate because “you know them”.
- Beware of partnering with businesses that lessen your brand and your reputation.
In the first couple years there were a few clients who came in who wanted heavy graphic designs. I took them on because I was eager for the sales. I am not a skilled graphic designer, nor do I enjoy the work. And, I was being tested BIG TIME. This is not my niche. I now know that. I also have learned how to tell people this, without leaving them disappointed. I simply tell them, “This is not our specialty. Our specialty is designing hand-crafted invitations. But, I know some great people I can refer you to.” I’ve found it helpful to ask myself these questions in my stationery business.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself if your brand & niche are being tested:
- What are the short term implications of taking this on?
- What are the long term implications of taking this on?
- Will I be paid fairly for the work being done?
- Will taking on this job (or partnering with this business) augment or lessen my branding? Is it in line with my niche? Is this what I do?
- Does this line up with the vision I have for my business?
I’m also extremely realistic with this. There are a few “charity cases” that seem to drop into everyone’s lap. And, most of these are honestly goodwill: that little startup that you want to help out, the school PTA that you do want to help, that family member that has always hosted you in their home. Sometimes turning away these goodwill jobs will hurt your relationships more than they temporarily injure your branding. A good way to do this is to build it into your business plan. I know that I’ll always have ~5 “charity cases” a year. And, I’m OK with that. But, anything more is not reasonable to my plan. So, I stick to that.
So, the next time you are asked to do something that just doesn’t feel right, ask yourself if it fits within the niche of what you do. You may have to pass up the business. And, in this economy, that can be quite a challenge. But, the long-term impact of your decisions now will pave the road for your successful future.
by Michelle Loretta
show hide 6 comments