According to the Economic Innovation Group, upcoming business applications increased 24% following the pandemic’s first year. However, it is becoming more challenging to stand out in an entrepreneurial world.
“When entrepreneurs try to do everything, they end up failing at any one of them,” says Steph West. She discovered her super-niche as an expert social skills coach for neurodivergent teens and kids. After more than a decagon of working in public education, she launched her own successful business in San Antonio. West states, “When you work in an area of genius, you can make a bigger impact.” It’s also much more lucrative. Starfish Social Club currently pays West more than the public school system.
These questions will help you determine if you are serious about finding your super-niche.
1. Where is the Model Broken?”
Be aware of your daily life and notice when you’re “making do” by using a product, service, or system that doesn’t offer a real solution. These are opportunities for innovation because humans tend to be adaptable and tolerate minor inconveniences.
West says that teachers were being asked to teach social skills and other skills to autistic students. However, they did not have the knowledge, desire, or even the mindset to do it successfully in my case. “There was a general sense that the kids were not making any progress. But, there was no real solution to either the employee’s or customer problem.”
West suggests asking critical questions to find the problems within your industry.
- What are the industry’s biggest pain points that never get addressed?
- What do customers have to complain about?
- Current companies in the industry answer the question: “I wish I could ______ but ________”
2. How can you get rid of the middleman?
The most innovative companies eliminated the middleman so they could serve customers better. Amazon eliminated bookstores; Carvana eliminated car salespeople. West set up her own business to teach teachers how to support children with autism. However, she soon realized that this wasn’t always the best option. So she cut out the teachers.
West states, “Being the expert, it was essential that I worked directly with the children to get the best results,” “Also, my reach was limited working within the school systems. I could only cover one district of schools in my state. I set out to protect the nation on both an online and personal scale.
West was able to narrow down even more by cutting out the middleman and focusing on her clients directly. The teachers and the students no longer mattered. The focus was on the kids. You can think about ways you can go deeper to impact your super-niche.
3. What would you be able to achieve if the rules were broken?
West understood that she was being held back by the regulations and red tape in the public schools’ system. Maybe you feel that your hands are tied in your day job or as an entrepreneur because of what you are/aren’t allowed or not permitted to say to customers or to people you’re not allowed to work with, company resources, or other restrictions.
West states that “most rules are due to a belief about a lack of money or time” “When you do it yourself, you become the talent. When you’re willing to put your time in, money will be everywhere. All of the rules that were supposed to be there are now gone.
You can think about the flawed models in your field and the mediators who keep you from getting things done. Imagine what you could fulfill if you were allowed to break the rules and solve the top problems in your industry. West states, “You may discover the ways that you can be a disruptor in your industry.”
