[Transcript starts at 1:06]
Hello, hello, hello, my podcast people and thank you for joining me for yet another episode of my favorite podcast. So right off the bat, it is so windy outside. If you're watching the video, I'm very bright today. The sun has come out, but it is so windy. California has lost its mind. Just so much rain. So I'm happy it's not raining, but I think if I go outside, I will literally blow away.
Uh, so that's where we're at with that. Um, also quick update on my knee because last Monday I did the knee episode, but like I've said a million times when I record this, it's before the actual, um, you know, day of the, of the thing, obviously the day that it gets released, so, uh, knee is doing great. I'm back to playing volleyball.
There is definitely some residual soreness, I'll say, I'll say, but it doesn't feel like an injury. There is definitely a difference between like it being injured, being sore, um, it's all in that medial area. It almost feels like I need, you know, more padding there. Um, it feels more osseous if you will, more bone related than anything.
I don't feel any instability or anything like that, so I'm just gonna keep working to increase the capacity, increasing the strength, um, increasing the loading capacity, the tissue tolerance there, and yeah. So that's the update on that. But let's hop on in to today's episode, we're talking about how to switch your niche.
Yes. We're saying niche because it rhymes. If you wanna say niche, that's fine. Uh, I was asked this specific question, how do I switch my niche, uh, by two people that are very near and dear to me. They're in the Mafia, they're in my ecosystem, and I was like, let me finally address this question.
Um, so spoiler, like the answer is that you just have to do it. Um, but I will go into some more tactical steps during this episode. And I also wanna talk about how to pick your niche in the first place and when you should switch. There's never like necessarily a super perfect time, but I think there are more like ideal circumstances, um, and things that you can do to kind of set yourself up to make that switch easier.
So we're gonna go into that. Of note to me, niching down is about learning your no. Meaning, you're likely gonna go through different iterations of things and I want you to experiment. That sounds like kind of weird, like a parent, and like I want you to experiment. I do. I want you to try different things and understand that you will learn your no as you go.
Also as a side, your niche is the problem that you solve. It's not necessarily who you solve it for. Inherently you're gonna exclude some people by saying, this is the problem that I solve. But people tend to go real deep with like the demographics, demo, that sounded weird. The demographic of, of who they're serving.
What I really wanna be focused on is the problem that you solve. Uh, but yes, well, yes, we'll leave it at that. Um, the, the big point that I wanna, that I want to get out here is that you will learn your no as you go. So I want you to do the thing, be okay switching. Uh, but understanding that the more specific and intentional we are with things from the get-go, the easier it will be to make those subsequent switches and we can honestly use the experience and the skills that we gain in our initial niches, um, to help us out with moving forward and, and whatever we decide to, to do and what do we decide to move into.
So let's get into tactical stuff. Tactically, as it relates to switching your niche. Like I said earlier, you just gotta rip the bandaid. You just have to do the thing. If you wanna make an announcement about it, I'm all for that.
Just to give some clarity to your audience and being like, Hey, I'm not talking about this anymore. This is what we're gonna be doing moving forward. Understand that not, not everyone's gonna go with you, and that's okay. Uh, then from there, you're gonna do the thing, change the things. You're gonna change your content, you're gonna change your Instagram handle, whatever handles make sense to change.
The question I often get with this is, should I create a new Instagram account? If it's a completely different niche, yes, create a a different account. With a completely new audience, right? If you're going in a completely different, completely new direction, solving a different problem, which typically brings within a new audience,
if you keep that original account, it oftentimes just serves with vanity metrics and you're not actually gonna sell anything. People are not gonna buy cuz you came in, you know, for this specific thing and now suddenly you're over here. That doesn't make sense for them. So yeah, you're like, oh cool, I have this number, but you're actually gonna get end up getting very frustrated because you're like, I'm putting content out, it's not landing, I'm getting no traction, I'm not selling anything. And honestly, we're talking about business here. So if you're going in a completely new direction, then yeah, it makes sense to change.
If you are solving a different problem, but it's for the same audience, then it can make sense to stay with that same account that you had before.
This is what I did, right? So I've always gone b2b. I inadvertently started going b2b, right? Business to business. I was putting out content that was resonating with other physical therapists. I was teaching them how to be better providers, better clinicians. I went from that into teaching them about business.
So I was just changing the problem I was solving from them. But the audience in that regard stayed the same. So I know earlier I said that niching down is about the problem that you solve. Absolutely. So it wasn't gonna be for everyone, but if you're looking at the demographic that was served, it did remain the same.
So if you're going, same demographic, solving a different problem for them, but not necessarily completely different, right? I was teaching them how to do the thing, then I was teaching them how to sell the thing. So there was a lot of overlap there. And in that regard, it made sense to keep my, my original account.
I kept my original account for YouTube. This is a little bit different here. I kept my original account for YouTube, had a big discussion with my guy, DocJoeO, about this and we largely did that because of the brand awareness that was already there and established, but I have fully accepted that it's going to take longer for me to start really seeing, I'm kind of starting to see some already, but to really get the success in that realm because, inadvertently, I'm gonna use that word again, I was going B2C on that platform. So I was just putting exercises and, and movements out on that platform, and it was being consumed seemingly by, based on like the comments on some of the things, by the average Joe, by the consumer.
So it was b2c. Now I'm 100% putting the same stuff that I have on Instagram. I'm putting the all my business content out in there, we're going b2b and that's a different audience. So we kept it the same, but I also understand that that's gonna be turning Titanic there, feeding new things and then waiting for the algorithm to serve it to the right people. Um, so that it's like, yeah, okay, I understand who you serve and you know what you're doing. So I've accepted that it's going to take to take longer.
That in mind, or like a good segue there is the expectation management: When you switch your niche, understand that it's gonna take as long as it takes. Like I don't wanna say like, oh, if you do it this way, it'll go faster. Like it takes as long as it takes and I think if we go into everything understanding that, recognizing that, realizing that, accepting that it sets us up for success.
So the concerns now that I see, right. So that's literally it for the tactical side of it. It's literally that. The concerns that I see are twofold, or that I hear are twofold.
One, the big one is that people are concerned that they're gonna be letting people down or that their audience is still gonna want their old content, and the second concern is that they're leaving money on the table. I hear this less, but I know that some people listening to this or watching this, I have that concern so I want to address those things.
So as it relates to letting people down or, you know, having to have that discussion cause people are gonna want this older content from you. Real talk, cut through the bullshit here, it's gonna suck, but ultimately it's unsustainable. That conversation could suck and you're gonna feel bad, right?
But unsu, ultimately it is unsustainable to have, “oh, I'm gonna let someone down” and use that as your a form of motivation. It is 100% unsustainable. It may get you through initially and keep you going for a little bit, but it's going to stop. So I dive into this concept and of motivation, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and developing motivation and helping your patients to develop motivation, in episode 354 of Maestro on the Mic, we will link that. Thank you, Courtney. Uh, that episode was inspired by, uh, I went and spoke at the Raise the Bar Conference last year, 2022 in Florida, Flo-rida, and at that conference, Dr. Lisa Lewis spoke and it was all about motivation. And I was like, holy shit, I didn't know these things existed like this, this framework and these concepts cuz I'm not a psychology major or anything like that. Um, so I go into that in that episode. So if you want to go, you know, dive down that rabbit hole, definitely go check that out.
So as it relates to this, this model of, um, self-determination, whether we're a motivated or intrinsically motivated, ex extrinsically motivated, the concern about letting people down is a form of what's called external regulation and that's only like one step above not being motivated at all. So if we're looking at that self-determination continuum, it's at the very beginning. I'm trying to like use my hands if you're watching the video, but I'm never sure, cause the screen gets reversed and I'm like, is that on the right or the left side?
But it's at the beginning at the continuum. So we're very much towards external motivation, which we all know, we all inherently understand this: external motivation only gets you but so far. At some point it has to be your thing. You have to be doing this thing because you wanna be doing it. Because it means something to you.
So yes, I understand that you're gonna have concerns. You're gonna feel bad cuz you care, right? You're gonna feel bad about, uh, possibly letting people down and not being able to give them what they want. But if you keep doing that, it's only gonna last, but for so long in terms of keeping you motivated to do this thing.
So I know I could have gone deeper into like, oh, you're worth and all the other shit, but like at the end of the day, it's not a sustainable, uh, way of doing things so this is why I encourage you to move away from that sooner than later.
Second point that people tend to be concerned about is leaving money on the table.
I really don't like that phrase at all. I've said it numerous times because if it's on the table you can go back and get it, but, realistically, your better bet is to switch your niche when that money doesn't matter. So if you need money, right, not just cause you are like obsessed with money, but money's a resource and if you need it, you need to pay your bills and things like that, don't switch your niche yet, pay those bills, right? Sometimes you gotta do stuff that you don't want to do so that you can do stuff that you really want to do later.
Uh, so yeah, that's the two points that I got with that.
Okay, so let's move into theback half of this episode. Alright, because we talked about kinda the tactical side of things for switching.
What I want us to consider is if we are switching, then let's switch into something that's we're, is sustainable, right? That we're gonna wanna be in for quite some time. So this point I think it's gonna be helpful for those that are switching and looking at the new niche, um, and also helpful for people that are just starting out and just looking for your niche in general.
100% right now I'm gonna plug my workbook. It's free. It's called the FT3. FT3 stands for first this, then that. Uh, and I developed this because I wanted better answers, and we know if we want better answers, we gotta ask better questions. The drills that I saw people doing down, doing down the drills that I saw people using to help folks niche down, they just were too nebulous. They weren't asking enough questions. And so I was like, well, I'm gonna create a worksheet, create a workbook that asks more questions. So this thing has 41 questions in it, and it's designed to help you understand and identify the problem that you solve, the problem that you're the best at solving, who you're solving it for, and kind of give you like an an overall granular approach of what are you currently doing versus what do you want to be doing, and you know what makes sense for you to lean into.
Like I said, it's a hundred percent free. If you go to themovementmaestro.com/ft3 it'll take you right to the landing page where you can put your information in or you can go to the show notes, themovementmaestro.com/443, which is this episode number, your choice. Um, everything's linked in the, in the show notes though, so at least on an Apple, I don't, I don't listen, I don't know how to Spotify, I'm old and I don't like change and I just, I never got into Spotify, but it definitely is all there on Apple. And if you're like, it's not there on, uh, Spotify. Okay, sorry. Uh, you go ahead to head to the, um, the actual page on the web, on the interwebs and that's themovementmaestro.com/443. So, as it relates to picking your niche, whether we're moving into a new one or, or we're just starting out, understand that, and I've said a million times, I, I borrowed this from Danny Matta, businesses are built on solutions to problems, and people wanna pay people who they believe can solve their problems.
A k a, they wanna solve experts, people with a track record or people who have demonstrated that, yeah, I have proficiency with this. To that end, if you're picking your niche, it's easier to go with something that you have established expertise in. But if you're like, man, but I'm trying to switch away from that, totally fine.
Just accept that this will grow slower as a business because you haven't demonstrated your proficiency, your expertise yet. People don't trust you yet. They don't believe that you can do the thing yet. Perfect example would be if I'm like, Hey, I want to switch my niche and I want to go into coaching, volleyball, or you know, doing volleyball stuff on the interwebs and on social media.
Now, there's a little bit of a caveat here in that I am The Movement Maestro so I have an audience that under knows that I understand movement inherently, so I have that leg up, but if I was to just like start from scratch, I, so I didn't have The Movement Maestro behind me, I'm just starting out. I don't know that much about volleyball. Like I am, I've only been playing since 2020.
So if I was gonna switch my niche on, I have to understand that this is going to grow slowly because my ability to demonstrate my expertise, my ability to actually solve problems for people is, is fledgling. It's very young, it's very, you know, it's, it's in its infancy. So if that's where you're at and you're switching into a niche, you're like, well, I'm just learning about this thing as I go.
Okay. But it's going to grow very slowly. The line that's out there about, you don't have to be like one step ahead of your clients or customers is, is a lie. You gotta be like 50 steps ahead of them. You gotta be able to answer their questions. And if, if me saying this makes you feel like insecure, I want you take a step back and just say, cool, I have more to go.
I have more room to grow. I have more to learn and more experience to gain, and that's an awesome place to be at as well, right? I just don't wanna be blowing smoke and being like, oh, it's gotta be fi one step ahead and you'll be fine. No, you gotta be 50 steps ahead. That's when people are be like, yeah, I go to that person. I know that they got me. I know that they can solve my problems. I know that they can answer my questions and, and I trust them.
Okay. All right, so that is the how to switch and ya know how to identify your niche if you are switching. Second part is when should you switch? Now again, I don't think there's like a necessarily a perfect time for this, but like I said earlier, in relation to the people's concerns about leaving money on a table, I do think that switching your niche, we should perhaps wait until it makes sense financially.
So, yeah, you gotta know your numbers. Y'all already know anytime I bring up numbers, I plug my, my, my woman, my girl, um, Sandi, she's my CPA. She is Fit Money Coach on Instagram. We'll link that. Um, learn your stuff, learn your numbers, get a, uh, understand how much you need to be making and when it actually is okay and safe for you to switch so you're not operating from a place of urgency. Like I said before, sometimes you gotta do stuff that you don't really love, but maybe you're good at, it comes easily and you have proficiency and you have, you know, ability to make money so that you can ultimately do the things that you love.
Outside of that, I, again, I don't think there's necessarily a perfect time to switch. Um, you just kind of gotta rip the bandaid. I will, however, say, use any assists, any, you know, alley oopses that are tossed up there, that may come your way. For me, that was Covid. So y'all know, or if you're new to the podcast, you don't know, but, um, you may not know.
But if you've been following me, my OGs, I started off, I'm a physical therapist. I started off providing movement content for other movement professionals. My first post was September 24th, 2014. I switched and went all in on business in 2020. It wasn't that long ago, folks. Maybe you're like, oh yeah, that was before then.
No, I was doing things in the behind the scenes, so I didn't like bring this content front facing and be like, I have no idea what I'm doing. I have been doing business stuff behind the scenes and helping people and knew I had proficiency with this for years, but I didn't switch the forward facing content and truly like switch my niche and the problem I was solving for this demographic until 2020. And Covid served that up to me on a silver platter. I was like, I don't wanna travel anymore for work. I'd been traveling for five years and I was like, listen, I don't care about hamstrings. I don't wanna do another post about hamstrings. I don't do another post about hip flexors. Little cheat code for you folks if you're in the movement space.
Posts about hip flexors, hamstrings, and SI joints do very, very well because everyone's all messed up with those things. We could go into why, but I don't have the time for that right now. So if you're looking for a niche, become the hamstring helper, become the SI joint savior, I have yet to see one, and I promise you, you would do very well.
Uh, but I did not switch until 2020. Um, but Covid handed me that. I was like, I don't wanna talk about H showings, I don't wanna talk about SI joints. I don't wanna be traveling anymore. And when Covid was like, Hey, you don't have to travel anymore cuz you can't travel anymore. And everyone is online right now and everyone's asking, how do I bring my business online?
And I was like, here we go. This is what I want to be doing.
Understand I said this before, I'm gonna bring it back. Not everyone is going to come with you, not everyone's going to move with you when you pivot, and that's okay. That is totally okay. Take the ones that that come with you and you know, overdeliver like crazy and thank the ones that were there.
And if you want, then what I did is provide resources for them. If you're like, Hey, I'm moving, I'm changing, but here's some great accounts to follow, here's some great resources. And also for me personally, I still had like 2000, 3000 plus posts all about movement. And they are categorized by, uh, by, what is it called?
Hashtag. So if you go to #maestrofyyourX, where X is whatever body part you, you wanna learn about, there's a bunch of posts for each of those. #MaestrofyYourLowBack, #MaestrofyYourAnkle, #MaestrofyYourKnee, bunch of posts. I'm like, they're still there if you want 'em, but you'd be best served by following and learning from people that are still in it and really, really passionate about it.
Okay, I'm looking at my notes and I'm like, but, but I think that's it. I'm really passionate about this one. Um, also I'm standing and I, I do definitely speak better and faster when I'm standing, so maybe we'll continue with this, and I'm sorry if that means that you can no longer listen to me on 1.2 or 1.25, whatever it is, times speed. Apologies.
But there you have it. That is, in my humble opinion, how to switch your niche. Ultimately, it is about ripping that bandaid off. There's never necessarily a perfect time. If you, if the universe does serve you a little ally-oop make sure that you take it. Boomshakalaka! What is that reference? If you know that reference shoot, shoot me a DM. Shoot me a text. 3 1 0 7 3 7 2 3 4 5. What is that from? Boom shakalaka! He's heating up. I'm showing my age.
Uh, but hopefully this episode helps you with either identifying your niche if you're getting started or identifying the direction you wanna go in, if you are switching that niche. Kind of how to time that, uh, and subsequently hopefully ensuring that the new niche that you have moved into is not something that you're going to want to leave immediately.
All right. That's all I got for you. As always, endlessly appreciative for every single one of you. Until next time, friends Maestro out.
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MOTM #354: How to Motivate Your Clients
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