How to find your coaching niche (without painting yourself into a corner)

Hey there,

Kavit here. I hope you’re September is off to a great start. I just wrapped up a week in Slovenia traveling through the country and into the Julian Alps. A freak change of weather meant there was an incredible snowfall in summer. Driving up to the highest point involved 50 hair pin bends and here’s a quick snapshot from the road to the top.

After working with 1000+ coaches, I can confidently say:

You can't "wing" your niche.

If you want to get out of the feast-or-famine cycle and scale your coaching business, you need a profitable niche.

An optimized niche is the closest thing to a client-attracting machine. It feels like magic.

But get it wrong, and you're either stuck…

→ In a hyper-narrow field with too few clients. 

OR

→ In a generalist position where you’re not the “expert” to any specific group of people. 

So how do you find the “goldilocks zone”? 

I've found 5 core principles that every 6-figure coach needs to know about niching. 

To navigate the niche paradox, you need to know 5 things:

• When to niche down (and when not to)

• How to find your profitable niche sweet spot

• How to identify your niche if you're just starting out

• How to know if you're "too niche"

• How to grow within your niche

1. When to niche down (and when not to)

The best time to niche down?

When you're just starting out or when you're stuck on a plateau.

For new coaches, here's why niching down is crucial:

• It makes you the obvious choice for a specific audience

• It's easier to become known in a smaller pond

• You can charge premium rates as the specialist

BUT - and this is a big but - there's a time when niching down can hold you back.

If you're an established coach with a solid client base and steady income, sometimes broadening your approach can lead to bigger opportunities.

Here's how to do it yourself:

• If you're new or struggling: Pick a specific niche and go all-in for at least 6 months

• If you're established: Consider how you might expand your niche to related areas

The sweet spot? 

Niched enough to be the go-to expert, but broad enough to have a large potential client base.

Read more → To Niche Down or Not to Niche Down?

2. How to find your profitable niche sweet spot

Your niche needs to hit the bullseye of three crucial factors:

1. What you're passionate about

2. What you're really good at

3. What people will pay for

I call this the “Niche Trifecta”. Here's how to find it:

Step 1: List your passions, skills, and areas of expertise 

Step 2: Research which of these have a hungry market (use Google Trends, Amazon bestseller lists, popular podcasts) 

Step 3: Validate by finding other services / coaching offers in that niche who are successful. 

The goal is to find the overlap of what you love, what you're great at, and what has proven market demand.

Read more → What's the best way to find your coaching niche?

3. How to identify your niche if you're just starting out as a coach

New coaches, your niche is hiding in plain sight.

Here's how to uncover it:

1. Your unique life experiences: What have you overcome that others struggle with?

2. Your professional background: What insider knowledge do you have?

3. Your personal transformations: What changes have you made that others want to make?

The truth is, your target market is probably just you five years ago. 

Now, cross-reference these with market demand. Use these tools:

• Google Trends

• Amazon bestseller lists in related categories

• Popular podcasts in potential niches

Remember: A good niche has people willing to pay to solve a problem.

Example: If you're an ex-corporate manager who successfully transitioned to entrepreneurship, your niche could be "Career Transition Coach for Corporate Executives"

4. How to know if you're "too niche"

Being too niche is like opening a store that only sells left-handed scissors for redheads. Sure, you've got the market cornered, but...is there a market?

Signs you might be too niche:

• You struggle to find 10 ideal clients who fit your niche

• Your target audience doesn't see their problem as urgent or important

• You've run out of content ideas after a month

If you're feeling the "too niche" squeeze, here's what to do:

1. Broaden slightly: Instead of "Vegan nutrition coach for pregnant women," try "Holistic nutrition coach for mothers and mothers-to-be"

2. Expand your offerings: Add related services or programs

3. Find a pivot: "Productivity coach for ADHD entrepreneurs" could become "Focus and productivity coach for creative professionals"

The sweet spot: Specific enough to be the expert, broad enough to have a sustainable client base.

Great examples of “sweet spot” niches:

• Coaching SaaS founders to grow past $10 million

• Coaching husbands and dads to become successful founders

• Helping real estate agents grow to 7 figures

Read more → What are some signs my startup may be "too niche" to ever become mainstream?

5. How to grow within your niche

So you've found your niche and it's working. Now what?

Here's how to take your niched coaching business to the next level:

1. Go deeper: Become THE undisputed expert in your niche

   • Write a book

   • Launch a podcast

   • Speak at niche-specific events

2. Expand offerings:

   • Create a group coaching program

   • Develop a course

3. Partner up:

   • Collaborate with complementary coaches or businesses

   • Guest on popular podcasts in your niche

4. Segmentify:

   • Create sub-niches or specialized programs

   • Example: A "Career coach for women in tech" could create specific programs for:

     • Women transitioning into tech

     • Women aiming for C-level tech positions

     • Women starting tech companies

Growing within your niche is about going deeper, not necessarily broader.

That’s all for today. 

Hit “reply” and let me know if you’ve identified your niche yet — or if you have any more follow-up questions and I’ll cover it in a future newsletters. 

Talk soon, 

Kavit