Introverts often feel reluctant to jump into the fray of competition with their solopreneur business. Prone to “comparisonitis” and second guessing ourselves, and feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of people seemingly offering the same services – no wonder we sometimes feel paralyzing resistance!
What if you could create a niche that puts you in a category of your own, with no competition? Imagine how you would feel when you offered something to the world that is naturally and uniquely “you.”
The idea is that crowded markets result in a feeding frenzy of competition, turning the ocean bloody; and a blue ocean is where “value innovation” results in new and uncontested market spaces. (You may have seen the books by co-authors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne on the Blue Ocean concept, which the authors apply to large organizations.)
As a solopreneur, you can adapt this concept to your own situation and find your own calm “blue ocean,” where there’s virtually no competition – and so you can peacefully float in your own section of the ocean. Does that sound appealing?
As a solopreneur, one key way you can swim in a blue ocean, far away from the frantic red ocean, is to create a unique niche by combining two (or more) of your passions and skills. Doing so differentiates you in a way that pulls you out of the red ocean where everyone else is and automatically puts you in a blue ocean.
When I work with introverted solopreneurs, one of the things I do is see if there’s a blue-ocean way they can differentiate their services so that their business is a true reflection of their values and talents and they can then enjoy living their true purpose through their solopreneur business – without competition.
Here are some examples to show how one crowded area – the “healing” sector – can be transformed into a blue ocean niche. Use these to spark your own imagination:
- Expert with an emotional healing system + passion for artistic expression. She can incorporate artistic expression into her program as a fun, powerful way to aid in the healing journey of her students/clients.
- Expert in using clairvoyant “tuning in” for healing emotional trauma + deep love for animals. She can teach owners of rescue animals who have experienced abuse trauma how to tune in to their pets to help heal them – which can also help the human pet owners heal from their own issues.
- Physical therapist/expert in gentle movement techniques for healing + passion for knitting. She can bill herself as an expert in preventing or healing knitting-related injuries. There are many teachers vying to teach workshops about knitting techniques at yarn stores and knitting retreats, so competition is strong. But those yarn stores and retreat coordinators also like to include a workshop that helps knitters prevent or counteract injuries that cut short a knitter’s ability to keep knitting. This is a blue ocean because there are very few who specialize in this area.
- Expert trained in several healing modalities + clairvoyant. Her sweet, angelic, compassionate nature and her clairvoyance ability made it clear that clairvoyance was her main offering, and the other modalities, such as her customized Bach flower essences and tapping techniques, serve as ways to support her clients through the changes they go through as they act on the clairvoyant readings.
When you create a niche that truly reflects YOU, you’ll find it easier to show up and shine as you promote your services. You’ll feel totally connected to your offerings, so you can be authentic and enthusiastic, and you won’t be spouting the same messaging as everyone else.
And you’ll find that narrow, specific yet rich segment of the population who says, “That’s ME she’s talking about, and I want to work with her!”
To belabor our original red and blue ocean metaphor hinting at fish hunting for food: There’s nothing wrong with being a big fish in a small, very blue pond!
If you’re a woman solopreneur looking for your own “blue ocean” plus ways to move forward in introvert brain-friendly ways, let’s talk! Let me know more about you and your challenges by clicking the green button you’ll find here: Connection call