Diversifying your business (Jack of all trades) and why this is a plus. Another term for this is the old adage of "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket". I have worked as an independent contractor in the mortgage industry for several years. That was my primary income. With the current mortgage downturn, my business has gone to nil. This is why it is important to have clients in several different industries so when one bottoms out, you have the others still going.

While I spoke of diversifying in the previous post as an aspect to supplying different services, you can also supply similar services but to different target markets so that, as stated above in this post, your business and income are not at the mercy of one industry.

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Linda Kassis, Halitek Industries, LLC
www.halitek.com

Michelle - thanks for posting this question. I was pondering the same.

Ladies - thanks for all the advice! Now to pick a niche!

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Anjanette
Precise Assistance

Great information from everyone. My niche in Commercial Real Estate. It's a market that I'm deeply in love with!

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Shan Bennifield
www.data-n-design.com

I believe that finding your niche in the world, whether we're talking business or not, is important but sometimes it takes a little time to find it. And once you DO find it and specialize on the tasks that you really enjoy doing, after some time it just might change because we're all growing and changing, and then you can choose a new niche.
Niche marketing allows us to focus our energies and resources on a specific market but we don't have to be limited to just one or that one forever. Nothing has to be permanent.

Sandy,
You are so right! As for business, it is always changing. We have to be willing and ready to change with it. While we may find a particular niche, we have to constantly look to the future, be aware of the trends and be ready to alter our thinking, our processes and our niches to accommodate our customer and/or potential customer's needs.

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Linda Kassis, Halitek Industries, LLC
www.halitek.com

Michelle,

I often wonder the same thing. I have lots of skills and I am not afraid to learn new ones. But does it hurt me to not have a niche being that there are alot of areas where my skills can be used and I don't want to pigeonhole myself.

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Cam McMillan
http://www.virtualgirlfriday4hire.com

I agree that finding your niche may not always be out in the open when you first start up. (Mine isn't at this time.) However, I am confident that it will just hit me one day. Wow, that is my niche and what I am great at. Good post.

Hi

Great discussion. I've been trying to work out where I fit in and this has helped me understand my speciality (niche) is really event management and my target market is the wine community. However, at this stage as it says on my webpage and any other written material I've put together - I'm adaptable and more than happy to help with any project.

Thanks
Tania

Thanks for sharing your class information. I was EXTREMELY stuck on finding a niche; it was holding my business back. I feel that I should just push forward and gravitate towards a niche I find interesting.

I look at as we are the pioneers, and we carve out the niches. We take mainstream practices and with new and emerging technology we provide new possibilities. This business of being a VA is the only one I've seen that seems to appreciate and thrive on a varied education and work background. Brick and mortar companies see this as an undesirable trait.

I agree that we need to hone our skills and targeting practices and let them grow from there, but not be settled into a rut that will bite us in the behind later. For some, that is why they transitioned into what they are doing now. For the rest of us, we need to understand that endless possibilities can be detrimental if we don't focus.

Wow, after reading this I hope it doesn't come off as too philosophical!

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Charlotte

I have never really defined a niche outside of "administrative office support", to tell you the truth. I have thought about streamlining it, but I would never go as far as to "nail it down" specifically with one particular thing. My experience along the way may open new doors for me in other areas of interest, allowing me to branch out a little further into something additional. You just never know!

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I am in the research phase of starting a new VA business and the niche idea has been a mental roadblock for me. Thanks for the comments, wisdom and advice!