Small Is the New Big: Why Coaches Should Niche Down, Not Broaden Out
"Specific is a kind of bravery
Specific means accountable. It worked or it didn't. It matched or it didn't. It spread or it didn't. Are you hiding behind everyone or anyone? You'll never be able to serve everyone, which is comforting since you're less likely to be disappointed when it doesn't happen. But what if you committed to the smallest viable audience? What if you were specific about who you were seeking to serve and precisely what change you were trying to make?"
- Seth Godin
Your brain is CONSTANTLY trying to sabotage you.
"But what if you're leaving money on the table??" it whispers. "What if you could help MORE people??"
As coaches, we're constantly wrestling with the temptation to broaden our businesses.
Change our positioning. Expand our target audience from one specific niche to "anyone who needs help." Cast a wider net.
The market seems bigger. The opportunity seems greater. The potential client pool seems more lucrative. SO TEMPTING, right??
Just recently, one of my clients was going through the EXACT same thing. She was going through a cold spell and hadn't signed a client that month. She started panicking. "Maybe I should go broader to attract more clients??"
My advice was to hold the stare. In fact... let's go NARROWER.
We worked through my positioning method to identify who she was BEST PLACED to serve based on her specific experience, and instead of going broader, she got more specific. On the person, the problem and the promise...
BOOM! She signed a perfect-fit high-ticket client just a week later! 💥
Why?
Because when you speak directly to a specific audience about their specific problems, they feel SEEN. They feel like you're reading their mind. And they're much more likely to invest in working with you.
It also makes you BETTER. You refine your methods. You become a specialist. Your results become predictable and repeatable.
This pattern of wanting to go broader isn't unusual - your brain (and maybe even your well-meaning dad who doesn't understand marketing and is scared for you - true story from my own life, guys! 😂) will always push you toward casting a wider net.
But here's what I've proven time and again with dozens of clients: going bigger is absolutely the WRONG approach, even though it feels so damn counterintuitive!
What's Your Smallest Viable Audience?
So here's the question for YOU…
What's the NARROWEST possible group of people that YOU are BEST PLACED to serve?
Currently, I position myself to help coaches in their first 2 years of business hit 5k, 10k, and 20k months.
That's SUPER specific. I'm speaking to a super specific group of people (YOU!) with stuff that I have already done myself.
In the 12 months since getting my first high-ticket client, I've:
Hit my first 5k month 💰
Reached my first 10k month 💰💰
Celebrated my first 20k month 💰💰💰
Become fully booked ✅
Run a membership 🏃♀️
Launched a group programme (which, keeping it real, FLOPPED 🙈)
Established myself as THE go-to expert in my niche 👑
This isn't about bragging. It's about showing you what's possible when you get specific about who you serve.
Why Going Narrow Works For YOU
When you narrow your focus like this, four amazing things happen for you:
You become THE expert in one specific area. When people have that specific problem, they think of YOU.
Your content creation becomes effortless. You know exactly what your people need to hear because you know their struggles intimately.
Your marketing message becomes crystal clear. No more generic "I help people transform their lives" nonsense.
Your confidence skyrockets. Because you're talking about stuff you ACTUALLY know, not trying to be everything to everyone.
This Is About YOU, Not Me
When you're thinking about your niche and your positioning within that niche:
Go narrow - MUCH narrower than feels comfortable
Consider where you're best placed to serve based on your actual experience
Create results with your 1:1 clients first
Use those results to scale - creating group programmes based on your signature 1:1 offer.
Become THE go-to coach in that specific niche
This is true focused strategy - building on the blocks you've already created, not flip-flopping because you feel like trying something new or because you're worried your audience is too small.
"But What If It Doesn't Feel Right?"
I know what you're thinking: "But what if I pick a niche and it doesn't feel aligned?"
Here's the deal: commit to it for 3-6 months. REALLY commit. Go all in.
If after that time it genuinely doesn't work out... guess what? You can always change! Nothing is permanent in business.
And I promise you this - even if you do pivot later, those months won't be wasted. You'll have learned SO MUCH about marketing, about messaging, about your ideal clients, about yourself.
You'll take all of that knowledge with you.
But most of the time? When people fully commit to a specific niche that matches their experience? Magic happens. ✨
Finding YOUR Sweet Spot 🍯
Ask yourself these questions (seriously, grab a notebook RIGHT NOW):
Who are you best placed to serve based on your experience, your skills, and your passion?
What can you talk about confidently, even in your sleep?
What are you genuinely an expert in based on your experiences – not what you wish you were an expert in?
Going NARROW will get you the best results. I'm telling you.
The riches truly are in the niches - but only when they're the RIGHT niches for YOU.
All the love, Amber xxx
P.S. If you're a coach in your first two years of business and you're ready to hit those 5k, 10k, or even 20k months, let's talk. This is exactly what I do, and I'd love to help you get there faster than I did! 🔥
