‘Don't Weaponize Your Niche Against Yourself’

If you’ve followed the launch of Natalie’s new show, Leadership That Shines, you might not know that the brand (and company behind it) was created 10 years ago.During that time, here are just a few career highlights…* Speaker, facilitator and coach* Director of Community Growth at KW* President of the Colorado Association of REALTORS® (2023)* RISMedia Real Estate Newsmakers and SP 200 Watchlist (2023)But Natalie could feel that something was missing. And a question came up…Am I building something that will actually be relevant in 10 years?A very powerful question, but that’s just scratching the surface, let’s dive into the…Non-Obvious Insights from our Conversation:Choosing a Niche Feels….Dangerous“As you’re identifying your niche, it’s also important to not turn it into a weapon against yourself. So weaponizing your niche against yourself, which is something that I did. When you find that niche and then you feel like you’re pigeonholed…and that’s not the case…” - Natalie DavisThat quote unlocked something I hadn’t been able to articulate in 10 years of working with coaches, speakers and authors.Why does choosing a niche feel like a prison sentence? A cage you can never break out from?Because that choice triggers our nervous system. We know we’re going to weaponize our niche against ourselves.Deep down we believe that once we choose a niche, we’re stuck.It’s going to feel restrictive at some point. Anything we try outside that niche puts our reputation at risk. If that niche doesn’t work, it’s not a test or an experiment…it’s a failure. With all the guilt and shame that comes with that label.So our nervous system protects us from future guilt and shame….by avoiding the choice entirely.Better to stay in the safety of generality.But as Natalie points out…You Are Never Limited to One Niche“Just become the expert within that space and then look for the opportunities that open up as a result. Not letting the discovery of your niche feel like a pigeonhole because it’s not. There are more opportunities out there…but just get really good at something first.”Let’s say you become a ‘household name’ in one niche…One kind of agent loves you and everything you put out…That doesn’t mean you’re invisible to all other agents.Agents talk to each other. So do event organizers and show hosts. Breaking out of a niche happens organically, which is how it happened to Natalie…“Almost two years ago, I started to see an increase in a need and the requests that I would actually receive from clients about challenges that they were seeing within their leaders. Up and coming leaders…losing potential leaders within the organization… And so realizing that I had a solution to the pain points…but I was just sitting on them and not really sharing them. That’s the thing that keeps you up at night…”Want to launch a video show or podcast? Check out our Done-for-You Production & Strategy service.We turn raw footage into professional YouTube videos, podcasts and email newsletters. All with zero overwhelm, guaranteed.From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors. Click here to learn more.Create Content for Your Next step…Not Your Past“I’m definitely in a space where I’m creating for the next step I’m taking…not for where I am today or where I’ve been the last decade. It’s making sure I’m building something that will actually be relevant in 10 years, right? That’s the biggest thing…Can I continue to do this for the next 10 years ahead?”A great niche hits a sweet spot. Big enough to be profitable…small enough that you instantly stand out. And ideally, a niche you can serve happily for 10 years.One of my favorite mentors spent almost a decade coaching business owners in a bunch of industries. Then he stumbled onto executive recruiting, and fell in love with the industry. He customized his coaching and his content to attract them.He happily spent the next 3 decades of his career serving them. He became the default coach for the biggest recruiting network in the world. At one point he coached the #1 and #2 firm owners in the network …at the same time. Yet other types of coaching clients came in organically. He happily chose a niche, made no efforts to break out, and even he couldn’t contain the referrals and word-of-mouth.Choosing a niche isn’t about restricting yourself.It’s about making a few things crystal clear to the market…* who you serve and why* how you can help them* who you don’t serveThe market is noisy. The more specialized you can be, the more specific you can be in your content. And the more easily you can cut through the noise.Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file for the full chat, or search Real Estate Thought Leaders on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Natalie also shared…* How being a deliberate late adopter isn’t a liability…it’s a positioning strategy that’s kept her from building a career on someone else’s trend* How she measures impact and success…in a way that’s far more sustainable than chasing millions of views* What an audience remembers…and it’s not your signature framework* How publicly admitting what you won’t teach creates a credibility signal most speakers avoidOr Hit Reply and tell me what you’re seeing, who’s putting out great content for agents? Who is dominating an interesting niche in real estate?Steal This:Natalie is testing both Substack and a LinkedIn newsletter. Early results show more feedback and engagement on LinkedIn.And that’s with real estate agents not being known as super active on LinkedIn.The simplest subscriber growth tactic Natalie found wasn’t a funnel or a paid ad…it was sharing her LinkedIn newsletter on Facebook.Quick Links & ResourcesLeadershipThatShines.com - Learn about Natalie’s story, speaking, coaching, etc.Leadership That Shines - Apple PodcastsReignite Resilience - Apple PodcastsConnect with Natalie on LinkedIn and InstagramThanks so much to Natalie for a fun, fast-paced conversation! I really enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm, and we covered a LOT in such a short time. If you’re running a podcast or video show and need a guest, I’m happy to make an introduction!Talk soon,-MattAgency Founder & Author of MicroFamousPS When you’re ready to launch your own show, here’s how we can help…Done-for-You Production & Strategy - We turn raw footage into professional YouTube videos, podcasts and email newsletters. All with zero overwhelm, guaranteed.From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors.We start every client engagement by developing your ‘Signature Talk’ - So you have a message you’re excited to take to stages, guest interviews and all your content.Then we launch your flagship video show - supported by audio podcast and email newsletter, delivered with pro-quality and relentless consistency. We promote with short video clips and social posts on any platform where you’re active.Each month we give you research-based video title and topic ideas, scripts, outlines, even slides. Plus all the support you need to stay consistent, from email updates to strategy calls.So if you’re not putting out the quality of content…consistently…to become the thought leader you’re meant to be, let’s talk. Click here to learn more and schedule a Free Brainstorm Call. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethoughtleaders.substack.com