If you could be known for just one thing, what would it be?  Perhaps you’d like to be the expert who helps stay-at-home moms return to the workforce. You might be the woman who bakes the most delicious biscotti anyone has ever tasted. Or maybe you’d like to invent an entirely new niche for yourself—and ditch the rest.

Take a moment to think about what you are truly passionate about.  Is your passion at the core of your business or is it something you only pursue on weekends and holidays? Here’s a hint, just because you are good at something, doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be passionate about it. I once met an accountant who hated her job, but felt she should do it, because she was good with numbers. She was just doing the work because it was an easy paycheck—nothing more.

Your clients and customers can sense when your heart is not in your work, and they will go spent their money elsewhere. The accountant would have been much better off cultivating her passion and passing along those clients to someone else. If you are not truly passionate about an opportunity, pass on it, or–better yet– pass it on to someone who is passionate about it.

When I co-founded 15SecondPitch in 2002, a lot of people told me I was crazy. They said, “Your niche is way too narrow.” Now, 9 years later, some of the same people tell me they wish they had focused on becoming the go-to person in their field. Why? Because people hire specialists to help them solve a problem, not generalists. People get excited about finding the most delicious chocolate hazelnut biscotti and they’ll tell everyone they know about it. No one talks about the cheap biscotti you get at Wal-Mart that tastes like cardboard.

My clients are often afraid to choose a niche because they feel it will limit the amount of business they get. In fact, the opposite is true.  When they get clear about what they are the best at and learn to share it with the world, business finds them. Debra Hamilton is a great example of someone who took two of her passions—animals and the law—and turned them into her own custom niche. Debra, who is a lawyer and a breeder, is now focused on helping pet owners resolve their conflicts, without going to court. (And how cool is it that a lawyer would rather help the parties mediate than go to court?)

Ask yourself two final questions: 1. What am I the most passionate about? 2. Is there a product or service I can provide that no one else is offering?  Now, go out there and make a name for yourself as you carve out your own niche.

 -Laura Allen
15SecondPitch,  Pitch your passion in just 15 seconds!
@15SecondPitch

***This was Best Business Tip #15. Read the other 99 Best Business Tips.***