Finding Your Niche

Okay, let's get into it. Finding your niche, finding your why...

I wanted to speak on this topic because college graduation was this past weekend and I've gotten so many calls this past month from grads wanting to know how to find their way in this world and to be their own boss.

I'm going to give you the formula and explain in depth why this works. Okay, it goes a little something like this. Skills + Profit - Passion.

Yes, I said minus passion. 

This is how it works. Spend 15 minutes, maybe 30, not long. 
Make a list of all the things you've mastered. Write down all of your skills. I'm being serious. Write this shit down. Call your friends if you need to, just make a list of all your skills and don't judge yourself or edit this in anyway. Just write it down.

This might not come easy, you may have to do a little soul searching. Sometimes your biggest skills are the things you take for granted and don't think of as special or unique to you. DIG DEEP.

Next, look at profitability. Is this a profitable niche? Like a legit business. Not something your friends and family are pity paying you for. LOL.

We are going to do some research now. Search on google (not hard, I know you've used google) and type in your niche. I want you to click on all the results on the first page and see if there are any paid offerings on the websites that are related to your niche. Next, start a list. I want you to write down the website, what they are offering and how much it is. (this will come in handy when you craft your own products)

DONT FORGET TO WRITE ALL THIS DOWN. This is the first step into building a profitable business around your niche. 

The second part of this is I want you to go on Amazon. Now, type in anything related to your niche. Lets say its dating... You would type in dating books, dating courses, dating e-books, dating videos, dating coaching, dating teaching.. you get the point.

Just see what comes up, what's for sale? and what are people actually buying and how many people have bought it (you can find that info on amazon) and what are the price points.

Write that down on your list and the price point.

Okay, that's step two. When it comes to profit, you just need to prove that people are actually paying for the niche you are interested in.

Okay, passion. I'm sure you are thinking "shouldn't it start with passion" and yes, I'm all about passion and you need it but the reason I'm saying minus passion is because it isn't quantifiable. It's not the data or the numbers that will help you grow but it is the fuel that will help you to keep going. 

Don't pick a niche off of just passion alone. Unless you just want it to be a hobby. 

Now look at your list and take off anything you aren't passionate about. You can be good at something but not actually like it. 

Now you have to narrow it down into finding a niche that pays. Figure out what the top companies are charging. Have a goal. 

Having competitors is a great thing too. This proves that you've picked something that is profitable.

Getting started: Look at the content the competitors are creating, see what is getting the most engagement. Is there a face attached to the brand? Personal branding is very important. What can you do better or differently than your competitors? 
How can you add more value to your services? This will all help you find your competitive advantage.

You might be thinking there is so many others out there doing what I'm doing but I started right where you are at. There were millions of photographers and still are. I just figured out how to differentiat myself and find my competitive advantage, and I doubled down on it. This allowed me to grow faster than those who have been doing it a lot longer than me. 

So finally, its time to test... Look at everything you do in the beginning as an experiment. Don't have expectations of what you want to do. Let your own journey take you there (not to sound too much like a hippy there) You just don't know what is going to come up until you start trying. Start with free content and see what people want to learn from you. 

Test for success!

If you found this valuable at all, let me know! Screenshot it and share it! Send me your list, let me know what you are coming up with. I am always happy to help, reach out anytime! 

With every email I will be sharing my favorite books or podcasts at the time. Right now I'm listening to the audiobook Get Rich Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas. Its a money management book that it for real, top notch. 

As always you can find me on insta at skylarjophotography
Until next time...
XOXO,
Sky