One of the many benefits of a life coaching career is the flexibility it offers to its coaches. More than just location independence or work-life balance, the field allows new and seasoned coaches alike to have the flexibility to choose a niche that allows them to create a practice that is aligned with their personal interests, values, and skills.
Establishing a coaching niche not only allows coaches to feel more personally fulfilled and energized by their work, but it also helps attract the clients who really need and want the services that you offer.
Let’s look at why choosing a niche might be right for your life coaching practice as well as some ideas for choosing the niche that works for you.
A niche is simply an area of specialization within a field. In a large and growing field like coaching, it can also be a way to stand out from the crowd. There are nearly endless niche options available to coaches depending on your unique passions, skills, experiences, work style, and knowledge. Assessing these areas will help you to narrow down a potential focus for your practice and aid you in attracting the right clients.
Won’t a niche limit my life coaching business?
Contrary to what you might think, choosing a life coaching niche for your practice will not necessarily limit the growth of your business. In fact, many coaches find that their businesses grow after focusing on a niche market. The reason is that the process of choosing a niche encourages coaches to get very clear on who they want to serve and how they want to serve them. This knowledge serves two very important purposes:
- It creates the space for coaches to be fully authentic in their work because they are working with clients that they wholeheartedly want to serve. Clients will tend to be more motivated to work with you and more likely to maintain a long-term coaching relationship when they sense that you are authentically present with them on their journey.
- On a practical level, when you tailor your practice to a specific client group, it becomes much easier to market to your ideal clients. Everything from your online marketing campaigns and social media to your speaking engagements will become much more fruitful because you will be targeting the right people for your practice.
[x_custom_headline type=”left” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h4″ class=”mtn”]How to Identify My Life Coaching Niche
There are hundreds of possibilities for coaches who want to establish themselves in a coaching niche. Some coaches find it easy to identify their niche; others need to do a little more investigating to find the right fit. If you are thinking about working in a niche, there are 4 questions that you can ask yourself that will help you get closer to finding your perfect niche.
What am I passionate about?
When your work and your passions intersect, you can achieve a high level of overall satisfaction and effectiveness. People that are energized by their work or the people they work with tend to do their best work. Think about the things, people, causes, or characteristics that really light you up and make you excited.
What are my unique skills and experiences?
We all have a unique set of skills and experiences that cannot be replicated by anyone else. What are the personal or professional experiences that you have had that make you different than the average coach? What skills have you gained from these experiences that other people may find useful, special, or motivating?
What do I know a lot about?
Apart from our skills and experiences, we all have some subjects that we are knowledgeable about. The subject could be anything – from cooking to dancing, or even 19th-century novels. It doesn’t really matter. The point is that there is something you know about that not everyone else does.
How do I like to work?
This question has a lot to with your unique personality. Do you prefer a professional office setting or a more laid back environment like a coffee shop or park? Are you energized by millennials or do you prefer working with older adults? Getting clarity on how you like to work will help you further hone in on the right life coaching niche for you.
Answering these questions will get you on the right track to choosing a focus that best meets your personal and professional needs. It will also help you to attract your perfect clients and grow your ideal coaching practice. If you have questions about choosing a life coaching niche or becoming a life coach, contact us to learn more about our Life Coaching Certification Programs.