Background

I feel like I’ve beaten this dead horse by now.

Niche and business idea was one of the biggest issues plaguing my audience (and myself).

If you already have a business, send me your feedback on this letter.

If you don’t, tune in because I’m going to save you at least a year of “searching”.

Let’s dive in.

Niche has been a big problem for me because of indecision. There are two schools of thought on the topic:

1) Niche down to as specific a person and problem as possible (or as Kieran Drew would call them, your OTF - One True Fan).

2) Create a niche of one by solving your own problems (or talk about all of your interests, the Dan Koe method).

I've written on niche previously but since then, I’ve discovered new insights.

Over a year of exploration, experimentation, and (more bluntly) procrastination include how my thoughts evolved over time. Check them out if you’re interested.

Otherwise, let’s unpack why so many of us struggle.

Core Concept

A niche sets you apart from the saturation of your market of choice.

At the broadest level, the markets are:

• Health

• Wealth

• Relationships

• Fulfillment

Business 101 says, pick a broad area. Then pick a sector within that area, and finally pick 1 problem to solve within it.

Examples:

Health → fat loss → fat loss for men over 30

That’s specific but we can go deeper.

Hyperspecific niche:

Fat loss for fathers over 30 who work in tech using only calisthenics and no cardio or calorie counting.

Now imagine you’re the ideal customer above.

Who would you buy from? Me or the multi-passionate guy speaking about all their interests:

• Anime

• Exercise

• Marriage

• Lofi Music

• Fatherhood

• Video Games

• Content creation

• Stoic philosophy

• Real estate investing

We have a clear winner.

Don’t get me wrong, those are all indeed interesting. I’d follow the guy for sure. But more importantly, if I want to start a real business, would I buy from him?

Maybe.

But “maybe” doesn’t sound profitable.

For a real business, you need customers who are willing to pay.

Otherwise, you’re a wantrepreneur who's going to struggle to monetize.

Why? Simple.

Because you’re not defining how, who, and what you help with. Your offer of value needs to be clear to your potential customers or raving fans.

Next, I’ll show you what’s helped me figure it out. Trust me, I wasted a lot of time showing up without a clear goal on what I wanted.

Don’t become a vanity slave (that’s default human nature).

No need to chase imposed status you don’t value.

Still with me?

Let’s outline actionable steps that can help you find your aligned business idea.

Focus Formula

I read the first six chapters of Million Dollar Weekend and highly recommend it.

Here’s why:

My 5 biggest takeaways so far:

1) Be An Experimenter – NOW, Not How

The first thing you need to do is break any limiting beliefs around building a business.

Choose action over planning.

This part was the hardest for me as a chronic overthinker and perfectionist.

Use the following challenges to get out of your head:

• Ask someone for $1 - it doesn’t matter what it’s for, you’d be surprised about the people who will believe in you. Even if it’s Noah himself.

• Ask a friend for a business idea you’d be good at - people see the value you might miss about yourself.

• Find your Freedom Number - the amount of money you’d need monthly to make to live comfortably. This number gives you a target to work towards as you start a business.

If this sounds dumb, consider this:

2) The Fear of Starting – Rejection Goals

Overcome fear by purposefully getting rejected. Noah calls this developing your “ask muscle”.

No one is going to magically give you money. How can you ever make money if you don’t ask?

The book’s next challenge is to ask for 10% off at a restaurant, for no reason at all (except to get rejected).

I took it a step further and jumped on a sales call I knew wasn’t going to work.

Practice getting rejected by knowing someone will say no.

Trust me you’ll be fine. I did it and I’m still alive telling you to do it too.

3) Finding Ideas – Million Dollar Solutions

What ideas should you start with?

First start with the 3Ws:

1. Who are you willing to sell to?

2. What problem are you solving?

3. Where are they?

Now relate it back to what you’re willing to do sustainably:

Here are some questions that may help spark some ideas:

• What’s one thing this morning that pissed you off?

• What’s one thing on your to-do list that’s been there longer than a week?

• What’s one thing you wanted to buy recently only to find out that it doesn’t exist?

• What products are already selling that I can add to or teach about?

• What’s already selling on marketplaces (FB marketplace, Etsy, OfferUp)?

• What are people searching for on Google, YouTube, Reddit?

• What problems do best-selling books solve?

• What have you spent a lot of money on?

Once you’ve gotten at least 10 ideas, pick the top 3 you’re excited about and proceed to the next step.

4) Validate Your Idea – 1-Minute Business Model

This step is optional but recommended.

You don’t want to start a business only to find out it doesn’t have growth potential. Consider 2 bad ideas.

A) Newspaper business
B) Pho Broth delivery service.

They aren’t growing and aren’t in demand based on Google Trends and common market research platforms.

Look for either steady or growing markets.

Resources on the processes of the book (including market research) are in these videos parts 1 and 2.

5) Get Real Customers – 48-Hour Challenge

A business isn’t real unless you get paying customers.

Use your idea to get at least 3 people to pay you.

It doesn’t need to be a lot at first, you just need to confirm that your idea has enough value for someone to pay you now.

Start with your Dream 10 – a list of 10 people who you’d love to work with and might be willing to invest in your idea.

Hope this was helpful.

Best of luck!

P.S.

Right now I’m working on getting some customers for my solutions.

On that note, I’m interested in your biggest burning problem right now.

What’s been on your to-do list for over a week?

Leave me a reply and I’ll get back to you ASAP!

This is my current offer. For helping you achieve your fitness goals. Something I’ve known well for over 10 years. I have niches in mind but still testing.

Would love to get your feedback on it or help you if it aligns with your goals. Again, just drop a reply or message me on Twitter or Telegram.

See ya next time!