Business as usual.... before it wasn't.

Charlie Boudreau is looking for recommendations
 
I'm looking to niche down. I am currently serving too many areas.
I'm struggling to settle in on a niche. Aside from picking a niche "I love", does anyone have any suggestions for niches that attract more clients than other niches or are easier to work with?
I'm currently debating on restaurants or cleaning services.

Sam Phelps
I could be spelling out the obvious but make a list of:
1. Businesses that work really hard to get consumers (easy to get leads and get pitches heard).
2. Businesses that have autonomy on local levels/authorised to spend.
3. Have a model which is scalable (or at least they have intent to).
4. High margins or monetise attention in other ways.
Restaurants for example tick three, hard to figure out the fourth without research.
Write down as many industries as you can and tick off which boxes they tick... The best place to start is categories actual ads you see going about your life - for example I see way too many insurance ads, way too many mobile gaming, gambling, alcohol, supplements, fitness and online courses lol so they all must have huge margins (advertising is worth the cost)
The only one I can think of which ticks all 4 at the moment is education - it's a bit of a gold rush at the moment, I think most of us will wake up in half a decade. But education traditionally, education to educators, education tech and of course... online course education.
Once you have the ones you least hate or most like, narrow down the subgenre. Insurance could be pet insurance, education could be STEM, restaurants could be local source only, cleaners could be natural cleaning products only etc.
Then go test the assumptions and get to know the people who you think matter.
Or you know, just go your original thoughts of restaurants or cleaning, because: why not.

Stay or move?

Work where you live, or live where you work?

How to get rich?

Work hard and play hard,  but my work is play,  so it's never really work...  So just go hard at it!.

S. Phelps

Hard Work is Meaningless Unless...

Thomas Merton, "People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."

The Cycle of Greed (rise and fall)

Greed.  Greed can be the builder and the destroyer.  Think of someone with a good idea,  works hard,  is resourceful, takes time to develop the product and idea,  finely tunes and ultimately becomes a success...  This success gives them  more money and options which is then used to build up more and then to build on top of that...  They becomes more successful than was ever planned...  Where is the peak? At some point,  they realise maybe you could make more by cutting costs,  speeding up processes,  floating the company,  bringing in outsiders to diversify and reach wider audiences... Now there's not just expectations but targets that an accountant,  a lawyer and a stock broker start to enforce,  you have a bad week...  Oh no,  profits are down,  cut something from the budget,  investigate what happened,  create safety nets but can't spend any more money...  Cut costs,  move funding from the original projects and departments to stop legal proceedings,  satisfy the spread sheets,  cut more staff,  get fewer to do more,  simple maths right? Bad reviews,  people are complaining,  customers are leaving,  loyalty is down,  skepticism is up...  Share prices fall...  Panic...  Cut more costs to keep profits up,  product suffers, quality people no longer want to work there or be associated with your brand...  Hopes of less skilled cheaper workers with expensive consultants/managements become the plan...  It turns from practice to pure theory and numbers on a page,  why is the company still failing. There are only so many excuses investors will accept,  they leave in droves,  debts are piling up,  sell and sack and ship to keep a float... It sinks with nothing left but the thoughts that inspired,  maintained and destroyed it.

Know where to start,  know where to stop. 

Knowledge, Motion, Action, Avoidance.

Aristotle said, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” 

I wonder if we put too much emphasis on learning...  Sometimes...  I feel like some people study because it's an excuse to not take any real action...  It's like preparing for a meal,  buying the food but never cooking it...  At some point,  a good quality of your investment is wasted...  Maybe...  Sometimes you just gotta start doing it,  not prepare for it...  I don't think we really ever truly feel ready for big steps forward,  so stop waiting for the feeling

Even if know one reads this,  I need to hear this for myself...  Follow my own advice.

I learnt the difference between motion and action recently.  Motion is reading that book on health,  buying those running shoes,  getting that gun membership... Action is actually following that books advice,  running in those shoes and attending that gym. 
I'm the first to admit I usually put way to much into motion and not enough into action...  However I know many people that are reverse,  they put a lot of effort taking action only to find it was a waste of time and effort,  they can spend their whole lives working their ass off and not really have much to show for it.  To put it a simpler way...  They worked harder,  not smarter.

I guess the key like so many things, is balance.
I've been thinking of doing a blog for a while,  imagining the topics,  thinking of the benefits  like having a mental history for myself and being able to reflect etc but it's only me doing it that makes it a reality,  so maybe if in doubt go for action over motion... Maybe.

"Work beats talent when talent doesn't work"