By Molly Gordon

niche...1. A recess in a wall, as for holding a statue. 2. A

cranny, hollow, or crevice, as in a rock. 3. A situation or

activity specially suited to a person's abilities or character.

4. Ecol. a. The set of functional relationships of an organism or

population to the environment it occupies. b. The area within a

habitat occupied by an organism.

The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition

* * *

For years I struggled with the concept of niche. I knew that

choosing the right niche market was considered essential to

business success, yet for me, as for many professionals, choosing

a niche felt like the kiss of death.

When we dig in our heels against choosing a niche, we are

probably responding to the first two definitions above. After

all, who wants to do business in a hole in a wall or in a tiny,

rocky place? If you believe that defining your niche market means

choosing a hard, cramped, and confining space, no wonder you

resist.

People who bring their heart and soul to their work will resist

niche marketing that tells them they must restrict the ways in

which they offer value to the world. The good news is that

choosing your niche market will do exactly the opposite: it will

free you to be the biggest, most authentic, and most complete

offer possible.

Consider the third and fourth definitions of niche. When you look

at niche in this light, you will see that your perfect niche

market is that location or domain in which you are most readily

accessible to the people who are most likely to benefit from (and

thus value) the offer that you are and in which you are

simultaneously most free to exercise your brilliance.

***Your niche market is the place in which you have a natural

competitive advantage because you occupy the right place in the

right ecosystem.***

A good niche market is one in which:

* You are highly visible and easily accessible to the people who

are most likely to benefit from your work, including prospective

clients and customers, prospective collaborators and partners,

and others with whom value-adding activities are most likely to

be mutually beneficial.

* You can employ the widest range of your talents, skills, and

training (your offer.)

There's a paradox in naming your niche market. When you give

people a category to put your products or services in, it is

easier for them to get a handle on what you do and to remember

it. It's also much easier for them to appreciate how you differ

from other professionals in that category. In other words, by

putting yourself in a category, you can also make yourself stand

out because you distinguish yourself from others in that

category.

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Molly Gordon, MCC, is a leading figure in business coaching

(www.mollygordon.com/coaching/index.html), writer,

workshop leader, frequent presenter at live and virtual

events worldwide, and an acknowledged expert on niche

marketing (www.authenticpromotion.com/niche-marketing/index.html).

Join 12,000 readers of her Authentic Promotion® ezine to grow

your strong business while you feed your soul, and receive a

free 31-page guide on effective self promotion.

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