decision making

How Your Niche Is Just Like you

September 3, 2011 By Cara Lumen

Like attracts like. We are most drawn to people who share our interests, our values and our experiences. You may be drawn to the idea of helping people move from a situation you have overcome and you want to support them on their similar journey. You may have a personal passion you want to fulfill or explore and would like to share that passion with others. Your niche is about working in an area that is meaningful to you with people that engage your passion and respect. When you are in the right niche it will draw to you like minded people. Whatever niche you choose you’ll find that you know more than you think you do about the way that community thinks and what they want simply because the people in your niche are a lot like you.

Take a look at where you once were

Your personal journey may define your niche.

Perhaps you were overweight and found great ways to lose the pounds. That is a whole journey to help people through. That may be the niche you serve.

A professional golfer may be passionate about helping develop young champions

A single mom might want to help other single moms. A person whose family is multi-lingual may want to help families learn English.

Part of my journey was as a spiritual counselor and that still infuses my work. People that are drawn to me are consciously aware of their spiritual service in the world.

Take a look at your personal journey and what you have accomplished to see if you have something you want to teach. To settle into the perfect niche follow your passion.

Look for groups you want to help have a better opportunity

You may be drawn to helping a specific group. It could be animals, the planet, preteens, pre-schoolers, at-risk teen agers, working moms, women up against the glass ceiling or seniors. Your passion will help you identify this group. What need speaks to you? Look for ways you can be of service to those people.

Look for people who need your expertise

Your talents help determine your niche. Are you good with people? Are you a teacher? Are you a thinker and philosopher? You will be drawn to serve people who will benefit from what you know how to do. When I figured out that I love to help people identify their vision and sort out their ideas to bring that vision into existence I applied that talent to helping people build their single-owner businesses. And because I am a writer and natural teacher I also help them organize their ideas into compelling information products. What is your area of expertise and how can you help people?

Look for ways you can use your own interests

Sometimes we choose a niche to work in because we want to learn more about the topic for ourselves. I often give teleclasses or write ebooks about areas I want to explore more deeply. When you teach you learn. What do you want to learn?

As you learn more and mature in your experience your interests may change. For instance, my work has always had a philosophic bent but it got very practical for awhile. Now I want to return to more of the personal growth exploration so my work and my offerings have begun to reflect that. Watch for those subtle shifts in interests as you grown both personally and professionally.

Fulfill your own vision

You may want to build an organization that helps you bring your vision to life. You may want to give courses to large groups of people. You may want to coach individuals to greatness. I have always known that I wanted to help people who were already making a difference in the lives of others. My work helps them touch the lives of even more people. How do you see yourself in service? What is your own vision for helping others?

Let the niche choose you

Who is already coming to you for help? What are they asking you for? What part of what you do for them do you find the most rewarding? What are the needs and desires of the people you are drawn too? What are qualities you want in the people you are to serve? Answering these questions will help identify how you can serve.

Choose your ideal client

One of my clients is a weight loss coach who initially attracted two age groups, 30-somthings and seniors. It didn’t take her long to realize that she did not want to work with older people who had to balance medications and were in a more cautious physical condition because it was not in her own experience. She chose to focus on the 30 year olds. It didn’t take a pro golfer client long to figure out he wants to work with young people who are on the championship track. He also knows they have to be committed to being the best they can be. What are the qualities of the person you want to work with?

I am blessed to continue attracting coaching clients who are passionate about their calling and are eager to do the work I ask them to do. They are all enthusiastic about how they can be in service. That makes it fun and rewarding for all of us. Choose only those clients who excite your passion. Don’t accept everyone who comes to you. The poorly matched client will make it difficult for you to do your best work. Take care of yourself. You are in this to fulfill your passion. Keep accepting and serving your ideal client.

Your niche community has similar problems and desires to yours

Because you closely identify with your niche community you will easily recognize their problems and desires. I only work with single business owners because that’s what I am and what I love to do. Although I know the principles for other types of business, I will be more in tune with a service professional like me.

Who you choose to serve will determine what you offer, how you offer it and the words you use to let them know what you do. The young athlete who wants to earn a golf scholarship has a different motivation than the weekend golfer who wants to improve his casual game. The younger weight loss client will be interested in learning how to be in a relationship given her new self image while the older weight loss person will be primarily looking to improve her health. Can you write about the benefits of your work and reach most of your target community? If not, it’s a sure sign your niche is too broad. Narrow it.

Not everyone who reads my blog wants to craft information products so I add personal development posts. Not everyone in my niche wants to write a teleclass so I write about other ways to earn passive income. You may be interested in serving two niches but for the purpose of establishing yourself initially pick one and learn how to serve that niche. If you want to serve another niche start another branch of your business.

Look for the overview

When I use the tag line “I help you build your business from your inside out” it ties together both personal development and practical business information. I get to write about both and people won’t be confused because that one line ties them both together. Look for that over-arching place of service that ties the elements of your business together.

Look for what sets you apart

My golf pro client is going to help young people play championship golf but because of who he is and what his passion is his program will be filled with personal growth lessons, inner work, personal strength awareness. Those choices influence the types of programs he creates, the words he uses to let people know what he does and it will set him apart in his field.

My weight loss coach realized from her own journey that the most difficult step was learning to be in relationships when your self image has so radically changed through large weight losses. Her programs will focus on that need.

How does your approach set you apart? What is it about you that makes what you offer stand out? That awareness will influence your niche.

Choose your niche

What is coming up for you? Do you have a better idea of who your niche should be? Write down your values. Those are the values you want in your clients. Write down the problems you have solved or want to solve. Those are the problems of your potential target community. What are your desires and visions? Those are the desires and visions of your target community.

Try it on for size

Begin to work with your niche. See how it feels. Do some research to see if what you want to offer is needed. How is it unique? Do you need to tweak your approach? Outline a series of topics you could write posts about or teach classes on that will inspire and motivate your target community. You will continue to adjust your niche as you build your services and respond to the people who are attracted to you. When your ideal client shows up clone her!!! Let your niche find you and don’t be surprised if it’s a bit like looking in a mirror.

How to Make a Good Decision

December 29, 2010 By Cara Lumen

My interview with Sharon Sayler on Beyond Lip Service

Cara Lumen, Your Idea Optimizer, creator of the Magnetic Content Development System says, “A good decision-making process will consistently help you make choices that produce the best results. Having a conscious system for making decisions is very freeing. Once you establish your individualized technique and learn to trust it you will be unstoppable!”

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How to Make Decisions

November 15, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

One of the reasons we find ourselves standing immobilized by the number of ideas we have is because we do not have a method for choosing the right or best or most attractive ideas. Here are some steps.

Major Point #1: Remember that not making a decision is a decision not to take action.

Major Point #2: Decision making is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision maker.

You are the creator of this project. You will make the decisions about who it is for, what needs it is to meet and what form it will take. A decision is simply a matter of choosing among alternatives. It is not about making a choice between right and wrong. You choose right now, based on who you are and what you know. Two years from now you’ll make a different choice. But this is now. Follow your heart and your intuition and simply choose.

Make your decisions on paper. One of the reasons making a detailed table of contents for an information product is such a vital step is because it is easier to reorganize a few bullet points than whole chapters and an outline makes certain you identify and develop the core concepts. Make a list and rearrange your ideas to discover the emphasis of the project.

Make your decisions as you go along. If you decide to write an ebook, stick with it till it is done. You can write the teleclass next. If you decide on a focus for one information product complete it and simply make notes of other ways you can approach it. Use those ideas in future products or articles or blog posts.

Stay focused on your core concepts. A creative, fertile mind will see a myriad of ways to make a particular point. 1) be certain you are developing only the chosen core concepts for that project, one concept at a time and 2) be certain that how you are expressing it will help your audience get it.

Keep the alternatives on a separate list. As you work you will think of many other things that could be said, or written, or developed. Simply put them on a separate list – your “Idea List” if you wish. That way you know you have captured them but do not have to stop to explore them and can stay focused on the work you are doing.

Commit and follow through. Once you have made the decision and have started what you are going to do, put the “what if’s” aside and do it with commitment.

How to Make Good Decisions Quickly

December 18, 2009 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

I decided to move half way across the country within an hour of knowing that I must. It was a huge decision, made quickly and acted on in confidence. Do you know yourself well enough to do that?

Had I known I was going to move I would not have invested in my yard, I might have waited to get my two kittens rather than drive young animals across the country. But I didn’t know I was going to move, until I did know. And when I did know I knew it absolutely and irrevocably.

In our lives we contemplate many choices. Sometimes we explore them rather deeply and then decide against them. Sometimes we act impulsively on the spur of the moment. But both scenarios happen when we know ourselves, when we have a relationship with our inner wisdom that we trust. Here are four steps for making a good decision quickly.

The situation has changed.

One of the major reasons we make decisions is because something changes. In my case, my wonderful housemate lost her job and made a decision to move across the state to be closer to her sisters. But the other thing that had changed was that she was the best housemate I’d ever had. So I had changed and the situation had changed.

You need a new solution

What had been working was no longer a viable solution. I needed a new housemate and after several interviews I realized I could not possibly live with someone else. I knew what it was like to live with someone who was really compatible. Financially I either needed to find a housemate or move so I could live alone. To live alone meant less expensive accommodations and those were to be found in the Midwest near my children. Two choices, two solutions to consider.

There are other circumstances building up that need to be considered

I’m 77 and although I plan to live to 114, the reality is that I’m still an older person who should be living near her family. The reality check was that I was ready for some physical help and to be in an environment that was easier to maintain. When I told people I was moving from California to Kansas City they said, “Why?” When I said “To be with family” they all agreed it was a wise move. When considering a change be aware of all the circumstances surrounding your decision, your current needs as well as your future needs.

Take a Reality Check

In order to make a good decision quickly, you have to be aware of the reality of what you have created so far. Your finances, your health, your relationships, your spiritual nourishment, whatever is out of balance should be balanced. Whatever is not working should be dropped. Whatever is working should be increased.

I do a quarterly heartbeat check to see how I’m doing in my business and in my life. Look to see how your situation has changed, seek a new solution, and consider all the changes that may affect both your current situation and the one you are choosing, then tune into what you truly want and you’ll be able to make a good decision quickly with accuracy, conviction and confidence.