Have you ever felt lost in the vast world of coaching, like a small fish in an enormous pond?
Discovering your unique coaching niche is akin to finding your compass in this expansive ocean, guiding you to the clientele you’re meant to serve, and setting you apart in the saturated coaching market.
Let’s embark on this exciting journey to locate your unique coaching niche and amplify your impact.
In This Post
How to Find Your Coaching Niche
The formula for finding your coaching niche is as follows:
Find an area you have experience and/or education in + an area you are passionate about.
This is a high-level answer. Let’s delve a bit deeper. A useful tool to help you better identify your coaching niche is the “Niche Finder Tool”. This tool aids in aligning your experience, education, and passion with the needs of a specific clientele, ultimately leading you to your unique coaching niche.
What is a coaching niche?
A coaching niche is a specialization within the coaching profession.
It goes beyond being a general life coach, business coach, relationship coach, health coach, etc. A coaching niche has a narrower focus.
Examples of a coaching niche include:
- Mindset Coach
- Life Purpose Coach
- Spiritual Coach
- Financial Coach
- Executive Coach
- Productivity Coach
- Self-Esteem Coach (This was how I started)
A coaching niche is the “what” you do.
Other terms you might have heard are “target audience,” “target market,” or “ideal client.”
This is “who” you serve.
For example, I’m an executive coach for women in leadership.
Executive coaching is the niche.
Women in leadership is the target market.
You can narrow down your niche in other ways.
- Specific Niche, Broad Market, e.g., Life Purpose Coach for Women
- Broad Niche, Specific Market, e.g., Business Coach for Single Mothers
- Specific Niche, Specific Market, e.g., Leadership Coach for Men in Tech
What if I have a hard time choosing a niche?
Choosing a coaching niche is often challenging, especially if you’re multipassionate. It’s not uncommon to feel stuck, fearful of boxing yourself into a niche that might feel too narrow or limiting.
However, it’s important to realize that having multiple interests doesn’t mean you can’t select a single coaching niche. On the contrary, your varied passions can provide a unique angle to your coaching approach.
Consider how your passions intersect.
For instance, you might be passionate about wellness, leadership, and women’s empowerment.
In such a case, you could become a wellness coach focusing on female leaders.
By doing so, you’re not limiting yourself but leveraging your passions to create a distinctive coaching service.
An alternative option is not to choose a niche and solely focus on a target market.
For instance, you could be a:
- Coach for Single Dads, helping them navigate various aspects of their lives, including business and relationships.
- Coach for CEOs, assisting them with self-confidence, purpose, and business issues.
Niche Finder Tool
- Identify 3 – 5 coaching niches you may want to explore.
- Write a list of your strengths. Ask others to contribute to your list of strengths.
- Complete the niche finder tool below.
List any possible areas you may want to go into in the table.
For example, marketing coaching, empowerment coaching, etc.
Keep in mind that the “heart” factor (your love for the work) may (and should) outweigh any logic.
Following your heart (aka your passion) is always the best way to go. This is because the amount of time you will be studying and working in that niche will require a serious love and passion for that area.
NOTE: Do not take on a niche merely because you feel obligated and think the world needs it. You will be taking away from someone else who would find pursuing this as their life’s passion (even if you do not know them).
Also, do not worry so much about competition in that area. If you love something, you will find it easy to succeed (trust me), and there is always room at the top.
Niche Finder Tool Instructions and Column Descriptions
Possible Niche:
List a potential niche you were thinking about specializing in.
Passion/ Aliveness:
On a scale of 1- 10 (10 being the highest):
How alive do you feel about this area?
How much passion do you have for it?
If you did not get paid, would you pursue this passion anyway? (If you answered a yes to this question, your score is a 10.)
Life Experience:
On a scale of 1- 10 (10 being the highest):
How much personal life experience do you have in this area?
Strength Compatible:
On a scale of 1- 10 (10 being the highest):
How does this area mesh with your strengths?
Obligation Factor
Do you feel obligated to help people in this area? (If yes, subtract 4 points from the total. If no, keep at a 0.) Obligation is not a powerful enough reason to pursue something and will detract from the possibility of success.
Potential for Clients:
On a scale of 1- 10 (10 being the highest):
How many people do you personally know who could benefit from this type of coaching? (This will give you an idea of the possible market/ need for this type of coaching.)
Download Tool
Takeaway
Finding your niche is ultimately about identifying where your passions, skills, and market demand align. It may take some time and exploration, but choosing a niche is not a permanent decision. As you evolve professionally, your niche can evolve with you. Embrace your multi-passionate nature, for it is a strength, and let it guide you as you carve out your unique space in the coaching field.
