BY SHANA LYNN YAO

You've heard it a million times - "pick a niche". It's probably the most heart wrenching question most multi-passionate entrepreneurs and bloggers struggle with.

Pick a niche when you have so many different interests? How do you put your passions into one restricted box? Yet when it seems as though everybody is saying you have to choose just one, most people set off and follow what the "best practices" and status quo are preaching. 

You're a health coach, a blogger, a person who loves your life and when someone tells you to "niche down" it makes your heart crumble. How do you put your multiple interests and talents into a small niched-down box?

The truth is, the term "niche" and "niche marketing" has been so overused, diluted, and taught by inexperienced business coaches that it's inaccurate and mis-understood.

So let's all make sure we are on the same page and gain clarity around the REAL definition of a niche and why choosing just one could be the biggest blunder you could make in business and for your heart.

niche /niCH,nēSH/noun
1. a shallow recess, especially one in a wall to display a statue or other ornament.
2. a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.

Now I don't know what stands out to you when you see that definition, but the words SHALLOW, ORNAMENT, and COMFORTABLE seem to call my eye's attention. And the truth is, those words make my multi passionate heart cringe.

But upon further exploration, I uncovered another definition of a niche.

niche /niCH,nēSH/noun
1. A place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted.
2. The role of an organism within its natural environment that determines its relations with other organisms and ensures its survival. 
3. A position or activity that particularly suits somebody's talents and personality or that somebody can make his or her own. 

The real truth is, choosing a niche and the reason why people tell you that you need to choose one, is that you DO need to be known for something and sell something. But what that is and how that is defined is found in your BRAND and overall foundation of your brand.

The New Multi-Passion Niche

Did you miss the announcement? There is a new niche in town and it's called MULTI-PASSION. 

In fact, I don't really understand how we, as humans with multiple interests (that applies to everyone AND their mothers) are expected to do one thing in life. Back in the "olden days" people got jobs. You were a secretary. An accountant. A lawyer and you were that for LIFE. But it's called "olden days" for a reason. It's the PAST.

Today, you can not only do what you love and be who you are with tools and resources at your fingertips. YOUR FINGERTIPS. 

So let's get clear on what this new niche looks like and how you can make it happen for you.

The secret to the multi-passionate niche is found in your overall brand. As a human, while you may have multiple interests, you actually have one STYLE.  That style is what I call your personal identity. It's that quality about you that make your friends love you. It’s a concept you develop about yourself that evolves over the course of your life. Everything from where you grew up or the color of your skin, as well as choices you make in life, what you do for a living, and what you believe.
 
In business it’s called a PERSONAL BRAND - how others perceive who you are, what you do, and your personal value. The keyword here is PERSONAL. Your brand - the multi-passionate niche - is personal.

So let's say you are a mom. You happen to love fashion and also maybe had a career as a human resource specialist. That caused you to learn about psychology and understanding how to work with people to place them in the right opportunities, to deal with organizational problems, and to be a great listener.

What is your niche? Ok - if you know you want to make money doing whatever you do - you have to solve a problem for people that someone would pay money to you for.  So as your multi-passionate mom, human resource specialist and fashionista, you could help moms who struggle with their fashion. You could be a consultant who helps organizations with their HR and in your marketing you blog about how to dress for success at work, how to manage your family and kids when you have a job.

You see, your personal brand is what YOU DECIDE It is . You don't have to pick a niche as a multi-passionate entrepreneur, you have to DECIDE it and CREATE it.

The truth is, "niching down" is just about understanding who YOU are and why you exist. Who are you and why do you exist? At the end of your life, what do you want to have been known for?

For me, as a multi-passionate person, I love fashion. I love all things holistic health. And I happen to know business and marketing from my 28 years as a retail and shopping center marketing director, like the back of my hand. But what I want my life to be about is to solve a problem that has plagued me for years. And that is understanding my personal value. To stop the random thoughts in my head that sometimes hold me back. That one hidden blessing caused me to study human psychology, holistic health and wellness, the science of the mind, positive psychology and so much more. 

And that's it. That's my BRAND. Now as a multi-passionate person, knowing I have to do something that makes money (the reason people say you have to pick a niche) and incorporating ALL of my passions of fashion and holistic health, I'm a business strategist that helps people understand their worth through the power of business. How I do that is with THE DAILY <<<(Subscribe here) my daily insights on helping business owners and bloggers live your best life by learning about holistic health, how to express your personal style, and how to build a multi-passionate brand and marketing strategy.

Who are YOU and why are you here? How can you use that to then build a brand and creative marketing strategy that let's you live true to your heart's calling AND live your best life?

DON'T pick a niche. CREATE your own. 

So let's here it below - what are your passions? Share them in the comments and let's unite the multi-passionate people in the world! The more everyone can realize we are all just living the same human experience, the more eclectic and FUN business and life will be.

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