An Eastern Philosophy Look At Niche

When I was in college (the first time around), I was always told to find a niche and keep it simple. Little did I know at the time, I was learning a sound business principle. After all, there is nothing simple about Ebay, Yahoo, or Google.

Could I be mistaken?

I had to ask myself after this time in college, "Has the Internet really changed things that much?" The answer is yes and no. People still want and demand quality products and customer service. But they want some "mystique" the web offers not found in many shopping mall stores.

I'm an entrepreneur. My mind is complex. Chances are, if you are reading this, so is yours. Some days we are ready to conquer the world, some days we are in bed late licking our wounds from trying to conquer it yesterday.

Zen is at work here. There is a yin and a yang pulling us in either direction. The secret is to get centered, focused, and open to learn.

May I make a suggestion regarding Internet gurus? The whole idea of the Internet is iconoclastic. It is anti-guru so those who try to build themselves up as Internet gurus are going against the grain. All of us or none of us are gurus. We are all in this together. We live in the information age and just because someone else has more information, resources, or money than you, does that make him/her a guru? Ever hear Bill Gates call himself a guru? He could buy out every "so-called guru" on the net with the click of a mouse. He knows better. He doesn't have to be a self-proclaimed guru. He offers a service and product, like it or not, that gives us *all the chance to be gurus.

Why sell what everyone else is selling, even if they are the "hottest products on the market". Unless you are a trust-fund baby, you won't win. I'd rather sell kitchen cutting boards that sell well than Calvin Kleins best fragrances. Why? Why not. Why beat my head against the wall competing with people who have been doing it for years, have a name, have more resources, etc. Provide a service or product that is needed, carve a niche, get wealthy, and have fun.

There are billions or products and services just laying domannt waiting for the right person to come along and market them correctly. It is all a matter of taste and style. It need not be the next hybrid car or Pentium 10. It could be a vacuum cleaner that does something very different. It could be a special pet food that improves the quality of life. It is all up to you.

You have an advantage if you owned copyrighted art or slogans. Take advantage. There are plenty of print on demand companies who will do all the worl for you.

My successes were mostly hit and miss and by accident. i did not follow the rulebooks but ignorantly just kept plugging along. This is okay, I could have "arrived" much sooner, but I didn't research or study much early on. I was too busy creating. I should have been creating balance and doing both. Live and learn.

A nice shop is your best bet. Wal-mart pretty much has the monopoly on "we please everyone" type of store. So why go to the trouble unless, again, you are a trust-fund baby and can afford to waste a lot of time and money just to stay busy. I can't. i have to work hard for mine. Such is life.

Once you've found a basic product, or created one, and see that it is just a bit different enough to focus and advertise on that difference, you are on your way to a good living.

Find your niche whether it is cell phones (a certain kind), chocolate, pet treats, organic dried fruits, your own private coffee label (yes I have one of those too), or whatever you think will sell; perhaps do an informal survey or focus group and you would be surprised what people want.

Then promote, promote, promote with blogs, article marketing, ppc engines, pinging, and every other method of which you can think. Suddenly you will wake up successful. The odds are on your side. The harder you work, the more research you do, the more action you take, the luckier you get. In fact, the big dogs did the same thing to become big dogs, and they have nothing on you, if you just allow yourself to take the action. Keep an open mind and be prepared for failure and success. You will have your share of both.

It is not how many times you fall down that count, but how many times you get back up. And if you use your "Zen", you will get back up. It's all a matter of physics, getting pulled back into balance.

About the Author

Cartoonist Rick London, founder of Londons Times is legendary on the Internet. He started in 1997 with nothing, in a metal warehouse, and now has one of the biggest cartoon gift and t-shirt mega-stores on the net. He recently launched Londons Times Superstore unique content 'unique gifts' articles are available with free reprint rights.

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