Everyone has a niche, which the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines as “a comfortable or suitable role, job, way of life, et cetera.” It goes on to give this example of someone: “He eventually found his niche in sports journalism.” His niche in this case is his core competence.

That is just one aspect of the definition of a niche, the dictionary adds a business dimension: “An opportunity to sell a particular product to a particular group of people. ‘They spotted a niche market, with no serious competition,’ etc.”

From the two preceding definitions, discovering a niche for yourself and finding a niche in the market are slightly different. Discovering your niche is like getting to know your forte, while finding a niche in business is to aim a product or service at a particular group or segment.

I would confuse my readers by dealing with the two distinct niches (that is, personal and business) in the same article. That is why I have decided to present the write-up in two parts, each dealing with a particular niche. I start today with the individual niche we all have, how to identify your niche, and use it to advantage in life and business as well. Next week, we’ll discuss niche marketing as a business strategy.

Socrates said, “Know yourself. That is the first law.” Indeed, that admonition must be taken to heart by everyone. You must know yourself, if you don’t, you would be ignorant of yourself. Everyone should embark on a voyage of self-discovery.

Finding your niche is an exercise that begins with looking inward to find out your real self, your essence, your abilities, talents, qualities and strengths. In doing so, you must be realistic not to overrate or devalue yourself. One way of assessing your true worth is to ask others what they think of you and juxtapose this with your honest opinion of yourself.

In a popular Bible verse, Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do men say I am?”(Mat. 16:13-20). None of their answers was correct. But when He pointedly asked Peter the same question, He got it right when he declared Jesus to be “The Christ, the Son of the living God.” Sometimes, what others think of you may be wrong, yet someone might as well assess you correctly.

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Peter identified Jesus as “The Christ, the Son of the living God.” He clearly recognised the Lord’s messianic mission on earth, which settled the matter. Peter understood the “role” of Jesus, His “job and way of life,” his niche, so to speak.

If you study the Bible, you would see that, in many passages, when Jesus mentioned his niche, he clearly identified his audience. He repeatedly said he came to “save sinners” who believe in his mission to save the world. So, if you discover your niche, the role you are most suitable or comfortable in, you are on the right track. Everyone who finds a niche invariably finds a target market. The journalist who finds his niche in sports journalism addresses sports fans, his target market, because he meets the demand of this particular group.

You may be a gifted footballer, but a coach may mould you into a good goal keeper, if he finds that you perform that role better than kicking the ball in other positions. In this case, although you are a footballer, you are more efficient manning the goalpost. Sometimes, defenders excel when converted into strikers and vice versa. Millions of people do not succeed in life because they fail to find their niche.

After you have found your niche, you have to market yourself. Still going by the example of Jesus, He went on to advertise himself to gain an audience, the business equivalent of a market. He later urged his disciples to spread his message around the world in fulfillment of his mission.

That is what everyone should do. Discover your niche, identify your audience (market), and promote your services. That way, you can be sure of success.

Until next week when we talk about NICHE marketing in business, stay motivated.

Ladi Ayodeji is an author, conference speaker/pastor and life coach. He can be reached at [email protected] and 09059243004 (SMS only).