If I had a dollar for every time my father told me I’d have a career in the creative industry, I’d be a millionaire by now. As a kid growing up, I didn’t think I had to ‘find my niche’. I already knew what I was destined to be, where I was going to live & what I was going to do as a profession. But life didn’t turn out that way, and boy, was I headed in a direction that didn’t at all match my ‘plans’.
What I didn’t realize when I was young, was that finding your niche really means finding your way, and finding what you were good at and succeeding at that skill, whatever it was. Life always has other plans for you but if you can learn a few pointers along the way that will help you out, then you are well on your way to finding your niche.
Here are some of my key tips on how to find your niche. These have helped me tremendously, not only find my niche, but also grow as a person and master some skills I never thought I had.
Network & Connect
This is #1 in my books. Networking and connecting with the right crowd is key no matter what type of business you are in or the type of position you hold. In fact, I wrote an article about it because I know that if you arm yourself with the right networking ammunition, you can conquer anything & anyone. Connecting and networking with business folks doesn’t have to be invasive nor does it have to seem like a sales pitch. It’s all in the art of how you approach, knowing what you want to take out of the conversation & how you remain connected with them after the initial meeting. Business people ‘get’ that networking and connecting is a natural part of any entrepreneur’s growth in the business world but when you do it right, you will see the positive changes it can truly make.
Do your own SWOT Analysis
If companies believe in making a SWOT to understand what their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats are you should do the same for your own personal brand. Consider it you making the most of your talents and opportunities. In the words of the famous French chemist, Louis Pasteur, once said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Chances are, you are most likely to succeed in life if you use your talents to their fullest extent. Similarly, you’ll suffer fewer problems if you know what your weaknesses are, and if you manage these weaknesses so that they don’t matter in the work you do. If you look at yourself using the SWOT framework, you can start to separate yourself from your peers, and further develop the specialized talents and abilities you need to advance your career.
Your Personal Brand
A personal brand is a great 2nd step after you determine your SWOT. Remember, branding is more that just your ‘visual identity’. Branding reflects your personality, your traits, the way you dress, the way you shake someone’s hand, the way you communicate with others and the list goes on. An article in Fast Company states, “Everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.”
Listen + Learn
No matter how experienced someone is at business, listening is still a challenge for most people and not everyone does it right. “Listen 90% of the time and talk 10% of the time” is a quote I heard that I believe is very true. People love to hear themselves talk, but are they really listening? Making eye contact? Both of these are very important when you are (a) networking and (b) listening to clients what their needs are. If you listen carefully, you ask the right questions and you always learn.
Don’t Be in a Rush
Growing up, if there was one thing I was always guilty of doing it was rushing everything. I was always in a rush to grow up, to get to the next step, make money, own a place, and get to the top of the food chain. You name it; I was in a rush to get there. What I have learned through my experiences: Rushing. Doesn’t. Get. You. Anywhere. Ambition on the other hand is entirely different. Having ambition, drive and tenacity are awesome traits to have because with those, you often find you get to your final destination much quicker….and you do it all without rushing, but taking the time, effort & skills to get there.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
The word ‘fail’ often scares people because it is seen as a sign of defeat and well…. failure. Everyone fails at something in his or her life. It’s what you take away and learn from that failure that makes you a stronger person & allows you to grow. Keep in mind, that what you see as a failure is not necessarily what others see in us. We are our own worst critics and we are always the hardest on ourselves, but what if we looked at ourselves as others see us? Would you consider something you did a failure or a success? If you asked me, I have failed at a lot of things in my life, but I wouldn’t consider myself a success if I didn’t look at those so-called failures, learn from them and moved onward and upward. Now, I look at them as the best things that could have happened to me.
My first company, The Smart Cookies, was founded because of what I considered a failure: I was bad at managing my money, racked up thousands of dollars of debt & considered myself a lost cause when it came to my finances. But because of my situation, I started a money group, got smart with my finances, was a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, wrote 2 best-selling books, hosted a TV show and much more…all because I took something I thought I was a failure at and turned it around into a success. It’s possible….you just have to be willing to see the positive in it and learn from them.
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Andrea Baxter is a seasoned marketing consultant based in Vancouver, B.C. with experience in all facets of branding, business strategy and marketing execution. Andrea’s experience includes work for corporate, start-up, financial services, legal, food & wine, media companies and agencies. In 2009, she started up her own firm, Bratface Marketing, which is a boutique marketing firm that thrives on creativity, culture and proven results. Although Andrea has worked with a variety of businesses, various sizes and industries, her passion and specialties are franchise organizations, start-ups and mid-sized companies.
You can follow Andrea on Twitter and Like her business on Facebook.
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CRAVE Blog
April 19th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
hello andrea
thank’s for your article.
you are absolutely right and gives me a boost again!
regards
monique brouns
May 31st, 2011 at 7:37 am
[...] note, this blog post was originally posted on CRAVE Company’s blog & in Design*Sponge’s Biz Ladies [...]