You Are the Niche. But You Still Have to Pick One.

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it!

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I play golf, do salsa, work a day job in biomedical research, write books, learn digital marketing, and have tried around five different businesses (or side hustles as people label it). I find it genuinely difficult to do one thing.

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And I still believe Dan Koe’s idea that you are the niche — your specific combination of interests, experience, and perspective is what makes you different. No one else has your exact mix. That’s real.

But there’s a version of this idea that becomes a convenient excuse.

Clients don’t hire people who do everything. They hire the person who solves the specific problem they have right now. If your positioning is “I’m a marketer, ghostwriter, researcher, and creator,” that’s not a niche — that’s a list of things you can do. A list is not a reason to hire someone.

Here’s the distinction that changed things for me: there’s a difference between who you are and what you charge for.

You can be multi-passionate and still build a focused business. Keep your hobbies. Keep exploring. Those things make you interesting and they refill the tank the work depletes.

But for the business side — pick one or two things you want to be known for. Go deep on those. Let everything else live in the background of your life, not your positioning.

The people who get clients are specific. “I help B2B founders write LinkedIn content that generates leads” closes deals. “I do content and marketing and strategy” doesn’t.

You are the niche. Pick the part of you that solves a real problem for a real person. Start there.

Everything else stays. It just doesn’t go on the invoice.

I’m writing a book about building income around a full life — The 15 Rules of Building On The Side. Follow me here or on The Sustainable Solopreneur for updates.