Yeah, I said it 😜

You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it, we’ve all heard it: “You have to niche down in order to be successful!” And it’s always rubbed me wrong.

I recently signed up for Skillshare (you guys! It *actually* is a treasure trove of amazing courses for SO CHEAP! I thought all the podcast ads were exaggerating…) and I am taking a course on Illustration (I’ll share if I’m feeling cute, we’ll see).

The instructor was talking about how when we are beginners, there are infinite possibilities with no clear limits, but as time passes and we gain more experience, we start to understand both what we are good at and enjoy, and we also learn what we are not great at and/or don’t enjoy. 

The only way to figure this all out is through experience. Not through a course, a questionnaire, or journaling (no hate on any of those things! Just time and place, you know?)

And that right there is my issue with telling new entrepreneurs to niche down before they’re actually ready.

You don’t know what you don’t know about your business. What if you niched down into an area that you end up not enjoying? What if you find something else you truly LOVE down the road?

I started in the online space as a Virtual Assistant. (although funny story, I kept landing jobs for random design projects and I was so annoyed lol). I worked with incredible clients who gave me the freedom to dip my toes into a little bit of everything, and that’s how I discovered that I love designing. I’m so grateful I didn’t niche down into a specialized VA before I had the chance to find out.

I’ve also heard that “you won’t find success without niching” and I’ve worried about it as a designer. But I haven’t actually found that to be the case.

My design style isn’t super niche yet. I oscillate between editorial + modern and boho + feminine daily, and it is what it is. I’m not ready to choose yet! 

So here’s to embracing the infinite possibilities and honoring the (long and messy and sometimes frustrating but ultimately rewarding) journey. 😘

P.S. AND that being said… probably don’t invest in a brand and web designer until you know you’re in the right business 😉