The very first step in specializing your business is to say "no". Once you identified what it is that you don’t want to do, then don’t do it.
It sounds simple, and it really is that simple. Remember you are a freelancer and can do anything you want to shape your business.
The very next lead you get that requires you to do anything in the right 2 quadrants that you defined in the last episode, "How to choose your niche", say “no”.
It’s not about finding and launching yourself into a brand new business direction at once.
It’s the incremental changes that you do in your business, the “testing” in your business, the small steps you take in your business to progress forward, that gets you to your destination.
Specialize and Find your niche
More episodes in this topic:
6
What's the best way to pivot if you are serving a new niche?
15
How did you specialize your business?
21
Why should I niche or specialize?
22
How do I choose the niche?
23
How to say “no”?
24
How do I find out if the niche has value?
25
How to do research and land that first client?
27
How to you manage your existing clients when you start specializing?
44
Should I niche down to a specific industry in my local area?
51
Is my niche too narrow?
59
Aren’t I leaving money on the table?
60
What sort of freelance work is available for an individual web developer?
67
How to start out as a freelance translator?
68
What do I need to do to ramp up my freelance business after having been in the game for a few years?
69
How do I go from one-off projects to retainers for all future projects? And is it a good idea?
83
Can I do web, software development and digital marketing as a freelancer at the same time?
111
When niching down, should I target the type of work or the type of customer?
112
How to get over the fear of niching down?
113
How to stay being a generalist but test the waters to specialize your business?
137
What is a Niche?
182
How do you go about breaking into a niche (Part 1)?
183
How do you go about breaking into a niche (Part 2)?
Related episodes from
Live in the Feast Podcast
Best of Season 3 - Get out of the comfort zone
Best of Season 3 - Building Relationships
S06 E12 - Undercharging, Targeting the Wrong Audience, and What You Should Do About It with Alex McClafferty
S03 Bonus - Tom McFarlin on Blogging, Balancing Work and Family, and Building a Business that Lasts
S09 E11 - Differentiation, Reputation, and Pivoting From the Top-Down with Peep Laja
S01 E11 - Kai Davis helping freelancers get more clients with outreach
