I Got Called Out...
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"Julie, you preach to have a specific niche and you don't follow your own advice." I am actually surprised I'm not called out MORE for this honestly 🤣, but I wanted to do a bit of a deep dive into this idea because I think it'll be helpful for others. This person who said this to me was NOT totally wrong, but the comment was incomplete. Let's talk about niche for a second. I like to use the analogy of an outdoor farmer's market. You're a pumpkin gardener and want to sell your pumpkin goods. You sell pumpkin pie, pumpkin candles, canned pumpkin, and pumpkin seeds. Your niche you say... is pumpkin. When you go to the farmers market though, there is no "pumpkin" section for your tent. The sections at the market line up the way the CUSTOMERS think, not the sellers. You have:
If you think "Oh well my niche is pumpkins" you might head over to corner 3. Problem is, you're not selling pumpkins, but canned pumpkin *might* work. Maybe just the seeds. But the customers over there want fresh veggies and fruit. You aren't going to sell much. So instead you have to choose either 1 (focus on pumpkin pies), or 4 (pumpkin candles). Your other two goods aren't ideal for this market. If you choose 1 (focus on pumpkin pies), you enter that market in the niche of "Delicious Homemade Pumpkin Pie". Now people heading into the area of the market for baked goods, will be looking for the best tastiest baked goods they can find. You will be there waiting, and chances are... if people like your pies, they may also pick up some seeds, a candle, or some canned pumpkin (especially if you have the homemade recipe on the can). You will sell MUCH MUCH more, especially if your pies are the best. This is why niche specificity is so important. The bigger and more crowded the market, the more specific you must go. So back to the semi-snarky scolding I got (and probably deserve). As a social media influencer and thought leader, I do NOT follow a niche very well. This is true. Her comment was/is correct. When you follow me, you're guaranteed valuable, thoughtful, well written information, but the topics might be:
It's a WIDE range of content between my platforms. I want you to hear my next statement clearly... THIS IS HOLDING ME BACK FROM THE NEXT LEVEL OF FINANCIAL/AUDIENCE GROWTH. If you choose the path I've chosen, it will limit your reach and your finances. Please know this. It is something I've chosen (willingly and voluntarily) because of my current financial position, the status of my companies, and my personal mission. I also am 50% of a company (Funnel Gorgeous) that is clearly staying in its lane, affording me the luxury to be Julie the niche-less. That said, here's what I think got missed in the comment... Whenever I create a course, workshop, class, I am HYPER specific. Painfully specific. The problem, big idea, and solution are all dialed in. There is zero question what I'm teaching or why it's important. This specificity allows my audience to pick and choose when to buy and when to pass by, and because of a high degree of trust (10 years online and a lot of consistency). In essence, each offer is its own little tent at the right spot in the market, and my built in audience is there (no need to build an audience). I also began 10 years ago in a specific niche (funnels) and while that's too broad today in 2025, it wasn't too broad in 2014. The market maturity went exponential over the last 10 years. I spent years being the "funnel girl" and many people who find me today for coaching, still think of me that way. The work I did then, is paying off today. In fact last week, I booked a $6000 consult - without a phone call - simply because of my reputation as an expert in sales funnels. Despite the fact I do much much more, I'm happy to continue to carry that flag, as a provider and also as the co-founder of Funnel Gorgeous. I also try to keep my varying topics somewhat isolated on different platforms (loosely, you'll find exceptions everywhere because I'm not disciplined at all):
So for you. If you do not have an audience, you should pick a hyper-specific, transformational niche. That is a non-negotiable. If we work together, I will insist. If you're a multi-passionate entrepreneur trying to grow multiple companies, a few questions to ponder:
If you can answer those three questions with "YES", then you can proceed with building a second/third/fourth business. But keep in mind, certain platforms only give you one personal profile. LinkedIn, Facebook for example. So you'll have to choose how you show up. With TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, etc. you can start multiple channels (but like children, they exponentially increase your ongoing expenses and workload lol). As an aside (not exactly on topic, but related), what about when you start to infuse politics or religion into your platform? This is risky (unless that IS your platform in which, go for it). Step lightly and carefully. As I've become more vocal about my faith, publishing more regularly on The Dandelion Report & on Facebook, I've had some push back. It remains to be seen if it'll affect my financial bottom line. But again, I am in a season where my values and mission are stronger than my bank account. Yes, I still need to make money. But not in the way I had to before. And this affords me freedoms and the ability to take larger risks than when I started. I share all this because I see people all the time trying to imitate or follow in the footsteps of someone else (like when Alex Hormozi decided to make all his education free because he didn't need to make money there), and that is not a good idea if you're not Alex Hormozi or in his shoes. Same for me and building your audience. Don't necessarily follow in my footsteps, unless you're ready to trace back 10 years. Instead, follow my advice for what works in today's market. Hyper-specific transformational niches. Have a great weekend! xx Julie P.S. I published a bunch this week and didn't email about it once. 🤦♀️ Here are some pieces you might want to read/listen to. On The Podcast: On The Dandelion Report: Funnel Gorgeous: Products of Mine People Are Buying Like Crazy Right Now: |
Julie Chenell
Co-Founder Funnel Gorgeous® | Turning Ideas Into Profitable Ventures