Choose your people and choose your future. When I heard that from ‘my’ teacher Seth Godin, my mind (along with those who were in the same cohort of learners) was blown.
It posits that the people we seek to serve should direct our efforts. In some ways, it also indirectly means that it doesn’t matter what we think our work is or what it is we do.
This has been proven true so many times over the years for me. You’d be surprised to know the kind of projects I work on and get paid for beyond what you perceive I do as a personal brand mentor. My revenue comes from all kinds of work. That’s simply because I work with those I want to work with even if it’s not brand-related work. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter what it is I get to do, as long as:
- Our values are aligned
- The work is meaningful
- There’s learning
- The results benefit others.
I’m not suggesting here that you ‘get distracted’ by doing all kinds of stuff. What I’m saying instead is that just because I brand for (say YES to) a very specific segment of the market (and say NO to others in my messaging), it doesn’t mean I’m stuck doing only one thing for the ‘same people’ all of the time.
There’s a huge amount of freedom in niching tightly, sending out a very specific signal, and saying no to some people, because we get to choose who we want to work with. Once I found those people, I started having the freedom to serve and work with them in whichever ways work for all concerned.
Let me repeat. Niche your work to serve a very specific group of people, then market and brand the work accordingly for that small group. Let go of the fear of ‘missing out’ because saying NO strategically means you get to say YES to more important things and people.
Whom will you choose so that you could have a better future?
