The What How and Why of Niching

Have you ever wondered what Cinderella’s prince was thinking?

I mean, he made EVERY girl in the kingdom try that glass slipper on.

EVERY

SINGLE

ONE!

Could he not have asked some qualifying questions? Maybe an age range at least, if not a foot size? This is without considering that shoe sizes are not THAT MUCH of an identifying feature, but we’ll just go with it okay?

I want to talk to you about being clear about who you want to try on YOUR proverbial glass slipper and I will use Prince Charming as an example.

The Glass Slipper Conundrum

Here’s what we know about Charming’s glass slipper conundrum:

1. He has one half of a pair of very impractical footwear.

2. He has prosopagnosia (a neurological disorder characterised by the inability to recognise faces)

3. He is looking for a single lady at a marriageable age (which we will let him define based on his preference and the societal values of his kingdom).

Now, he can begin to narrow down his pool of prospects by disregarding everyone who is attached, too young or too old. He has a shoe, so he can measure a shoe size. Even if he cannot remember a single one of her facial features, surely someone in that ballroom can remember a hair colour? Perhaps he can consider a height range, they did dance together after all. All of this information can help him narrow down the group of women who need to actually try on the glass slipper.

Defining Your Target Audience

Essentially what we are doing here is niching. We are defining characteristics that make a woman part of Prince Charming’s target audience for a shoe fitting.

Unfortunately, a lot of the advice around niching, ideal clients or creating a client avatar misses the point of the exercise. Entrepreneurs are asked to define attributes to create a fictional representation of their ideal client, at the exclusion of anyone who does not meet the mark. The effect might be that you might be missing out on amazing clients, simply because you've filtered them out based on and somewhat arbitrary characteristic.

Here are some examples

Does your ideal client have a dog?

Important if you are a dog trainer, but pointless if you are a life coach.

Is your ideal client between 30-40 years old?

Important if your work focuses on life events that generally happen in that decade, but less important if your work applies to people of any age.

Does your ideal client live within a 10-mile radius of you?

Important if you deliver services in person, but less important if you deliver services online.

You may still have preferences, of course, but it’s important to understand which attributes are definitive, which are preferential and which are of no interest to your business.

Why Niching is Important

Many entrepreneurs hesitate to niche because they fear turning people away. Niching is often seen as a restrictive process—defining who is in, but mostly who is out.

But to me, niching is less about exclusion and more about clarity. It’s about identifying who you can help most and, in turn, who you want to work with. I’ve spoken to countless coaches who, when asked about their ideal audience, respond with:

“I can help anyone with anything!”

There are two problems with this mindset. First, it’s simply not true. No matter how skilled you are, there will always be people who don’t align with your personality, methodology, or expertise. Second, if you try to speak to everyone, you’ll struggle to connect with anyone in a meaningful way.

Niching isn’t about limiting access to your services—it’s about ensuring your message resonates with the people who will benefit from your work the most.

Want to learn more about niching? We're working on new course material to dive deeper into the topic! Keep an eye on the website to know when it becomes available.