3 min read Positioning

Niche Without Niching Down: A Smarter Positioning Strategy

Niche Without Niching Down: A Smarter Positioning Strategy
Photo by Ian / Unsplash

The "niche down" advice is everywhere. Pick one lane. Become the LinkedIn guy. The sales funnel girl. The mindset coach for divorced women over 40.

But what if you're bloody good at multiple things?

Here's the truth: experienced professionals don't need to shrink themselves into a box. You need clear positioning, not service restriction.

What "Niching Down" Gets Wrong

Traditional niching advice assumes you're starting from zero. That you need laser focus because you have no credibility yet.

Fair enough for beginners. But if you've been consulting for years? If you have multiple valuable skills? Forcing yourself into a niche can actually hurt your business.

I see brilliant coaches torturing themselves: "Should I help with strategy OR content? I can't do both!"

Says who?

The Real Question Isn't "What Do I Do?"

It's "What do I want to be known for?"

Your positioning isn't about limiting your services. It's about clarifying your perspective.

Instead of niching by what you offer, niche by what you believe.

Take my positioning: I help "brilliant but invisible" experts.

That's not a service niche; I teach branding, content, LinkedIn, positioning, all of it. I do marketing, business, and strategy work.

But my point of view is clear: I'm already an expert, I've been doing it for years.

Same principle applies to you. You just need to translate that expertise into authority.

How to Position Without Restricting

1. Lead with Your Unique Point of View

What do you believe that others in your space don't? What's your contrarian take?

Maybe you believe:

  • Strategy without execution is worthless
  • Small businesses don't need complex funnels
  • Leadership development should focus on systems, not personality

That belief becomes your niche. Not your service list.

2. Define Your Ideal "Type" of Client

Instead of demographics, think psychographics.

I don't work with "coaches." I work with experts who are frustrated by being invisible despite being brilliant at what they do.

Your niche might be:

  • Leaders who are tired of fluffy leadership advice
  • Business owners who hate marketing but know they need it
  • Consultants who want results, not hand-holding

3. Use a Unifying Theme

All your services should ladder up to one bigger outcome.

Let's say you do strategy, operations, and team development. Your unifying theme might be "scaling without chaos" or "growth that doesn't break your business."

Your different skills become tools in service of that bigger promise.

The Fear: "Won't I Lose Clients?"

This is the worry, right? If I don't say "I'm THE LinkedIn coach," won't people go elsewhere?

Actually, the opposite happens.

Vague positioning repels everyone. Clear positioning attracts the right people and repels the wrong ones.

Would you rather be known for something specific, or forgotten because you sound like everyone else?

Real Example: Multi-Skill Positioning

One of my members is brilliant at strategy, operations, and culture work. Instead of picking one, she positioned herself as "the consultant who fixes growing pains."

Same services. Clearer message.

Now when founders hit 20-50 employees and everything starts breaking, they think of her. She uses strategy work, operations fixes, AND culture development — whatever the situation needs.

Her niche isn't a service. It's a moment: when growth creates chaos.

Your Positioning Audit

Ask yourself:

  1. What's my contrarian belief? What do I think differently about my industry?

  2. What transformation do I create? Not what you do, but what changes for people who work with you.

  3. What's my "type" of client? Not demographics, but mindset and situation.

  4. What would I want to be known for? If you could be THE person for one specific outcome, what would it be?

Stop Shrinking, Start Clarifying

You don't need to become smaller. You need to become clearer.

Your experience across multiple areas isn't a weakness — it's a strength. But only if you can tie it together with a clear point of view.

The goal isn't to limit what you offer. It's to clarify why someone should choose you over everyone else who does similar work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my skills are too different to connect?

Look for the common thread in your client outcomes. Every skill you have should solve a piece of the same bigger problem. If they truly don't connect, maybe you do need to focus — but focus on the work that energises you most, not what you think you "should" niche into.

How do I explain multiple services without confusing people?

Lead with the outcome, not the services. "I help growing companies scale without chaos" is clearer than listing "strategy, operations, and culture work." Once they're interested in the outcome, you can explain how you deliver it.

Won't specialists always win over generalists?

Specialists win when the client has a specific, narrow problem. Generalists win when the client has complex, interconnected challenges. Know which clients you're targeting and position accordingly.

Ready to clarify your positioning without limiting your expertise?

Stop torturing yourself trying to fit into someone else's niche definition. Your experience is an asset — you just need to position it clearly.

[PLACEHOLDER: Link to positioning audit or lead magnet]

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