I’m about to go maverick and smash all those business coaching ‘rules’ to smithereens!

(Side note: nobody really knows the origins of the word ‘smithereens’, though scholars suspect it may have developed from the Irish word ‘smidiríní’, which means ‘little bits’. Gotta love a bit of word nerdery!)

Niching, then. Is it needed?

No. No more than a fish needs a bicycle or the UK needs another Tory government .

Is it wanted though?

Yes. By plenty of people who will swear blind it’s actually needed.

I really wanted my pink Jordan hi-tops. I didn’t need them.

Does niching make it easier to explain what you do and create clients? Maybe. Some might argue that. Certainly, we need to be able to put something in our LinkedIn headline. But… That doesn’t have to be about the particular segment of the population you choose to work with. It could be about WHAT you do, rather than WHO you do it for. Only this week, I was speaking to one of my clients who’d been taking part in a five-day niching challenge. She’d been going around in circles, wondering whether she should niche, and hoped this experience might contain the answers she needed. She could niche, for sure. Thing is, every time I’ve ever seen her talking about the prospect of niching, joy has not been present in her eyes. And she’s a joyful woman – and a wonderful coach. She doesn’t want to be limited to a particular demographic – she wants to be able to work her magic on the people who need it, whoever they happen to be. You might argue it’s what she does that’s her specialism, so go ahead and niche that way. But she’s more than that, and she shouldn’t need to limit herself in that way, whatever the ‘gurus’ happen to be spouting. I don’t believe any coach really needs to niche that much. I fear niching has become the new ‘blueprint’, ‘success system’ or ‘funnel’ – a buzz term that’s become so banded about it’s become the norm and those who don’t have massive ‘guru’-inflicted FOMO. You know what? If you want to niche, if that comes easily to you, fills your heart with joy and makes you want to sing it from the rooftops, go for it. You’re right – you might have an easier time explaining what it is you do and for whom. But if you DON’T want to niche? Don’t. You need to be a bit more specific than saying you work with anyone with skin – people still need to understand how you can help them – but you don’t need to become so niche that you become a master in sweet FA! What’s more important than squishing yourself into a micro specialism, just to tick someone else’s box, is knowing WHO you want to work with. Regardless of whether you’re niching or not, I’d encourage you to have a rolling list of five named individuals you want to turn into clients at some point. If you don’t have that, get working on it – that’ll really focus you on who you need to be building relationships with and what you might want to be talking about in your marketing. Focus on building those relationships. Have conversations. Spark conversations through your online content. Coach people through your social posts. Give ‘em an example of your awesome skills. Coach. Coach. Coach. Until next time, #UnleashYourAwesome Taz X

PS: Want to work with me? Here’s how…ONE-TO-ONE COACHING: There are a number of options for those who prefer a longer-term commitment to their confidence, personal brand, growth and prosperity, though some programmes will have a waiting list. I have availability from March. Hit reply and let’s talk. If you’re looking to book in for one off sessions, including Power Hours and Deep Dives, contact me for availability. Your investment for personal coaching with me ranges from £225 + VAT per month, right up to £48,000 + VAT for a year-long intensive. Ready to #UnleashYourAwesome? #UNLEASHED: If you’re a coach, healer or therapist looking for regular group coaching, accountability, content creation, business building, PR, pricing and client creation support, #UNLEASHED may be the programme for you. Run jointly between Asha and I, this is a low-cost option for those who need to level up but aren’t yet ready to commit to full-price coaching. Sign up is for a minimum of 12 months and costs just £65 + VAT per month. Price increases dramatically soon, so book before end of January to lock in the 2022 monthly fee for the life of your membership, however long you choose to stay with us.#ELITE25 IS BACK FROM FEBRUARY 2023! Want more information? Or are you ready to commit? Hit reply and let’s give 2023 an elite start for you and your business. THE BIG ONE and THE BIGGER ONE: Dates, pricing, and more information are now on the website. You can pay your deposit online. Reply to this email if you have any questions.  THE HEART OF SPEAKING: Our award-winning speaker training retreat. Dates and prices for this year’s event coming soon. Reply to this email to register interest.