Niche Yo'Self!

When I was in school for theater, I was told what most theater kids are told:

"Try EVERYTHING. Say yes to EVERYTHING .”

So… I did that. For a LOOONG time. And it was SUPER useful in many ways. Theater is the reason I know how to use a drill, paint on a badass bruise, use nail polish to fix nylons, run a light board, organize a rehearsal schedule, pump up a group of people, manage a group of people, LEAD a group of people, etc.

But, once I was no longer in school, it was super NOT useful.

• Because I didn’t know where to show up.
• I didn’t know how to demand my worth.
• I didn’t know that my time SHOULD have an hourly amount attached to it. Even if that is situation specific.
• I didn’t know that burnout didn’t have to be my way of life.

At least, not until I started a business. And started learning BUSINESS things. And started having to MARKET myself (HELLOOOOOO! Isn’t that what ALL performers are doing ?!?!?!?!?!?!!)

The most useful thing I learned through marketing?

Find. Your. Niche.

Your niche (in biz) is the super specific sub-sub-sub-type of what your business does. For example, I’m a voice teacher and health coach. So let’s take the health part. 

I could, in theory, shout my services out to anyone who wants to pay me and they could, in theory, hire me for whatever I want to charge.

But that’s not actually how sales works. Sales works by speaking to SPECIFICS. Specific people, about a specific problem.

So, I’m a health coach who works primarily with performers who have hectic, non-traditional, lifestyles who need their energy going often late into the night so they can show up and be their best on stage in roles that are frequently super physical.

That's SPECIFIC.

And it means that when people who are in the performance world need help with their health, they know exactly who to come to. And they do!

In performance, we call “niching” your “type”. The super specific thing you do best on stage.

I will forever and always be able to show up for most auditions for “Mom” because that is my type.

Yes, I’m good at many other things as well. Yes, I find doing other roles fulfilling. And yes, I will sometimes go for those other roles.

But I REGULARLY don’t have to audition for shows BECAUSE people know they can count on a good performance from me within this type. I’ve sold myself this way as a performer and show up and do my job WELL.

And, because I know what I want to go for and what is appropriate for me, I know that I’m not wasting my time at auditions that aren’t going to go the way I want them to.

Meaning…

• More time for friends
• More time for family
• More time for work
• More MONEY because I can work outside of performance
• More time doing less time intensive gigs that STILL pay me

You can be the go-to guy for EVERYTHING…. 

But ultimately that means you’re becoming very mediocre at MANY things…

Instead of EXCELLENT at just a few.

SPECIFICITY and FOCUS breeds EXCELLENCE.

Niche yo’self!
Not sure what your “type” is? 
OR think your type only exists within, like, 2 roles? 
Reach out to me! I can help with that ;)