EP 46: Narrow Your Niche, NOT Your Mindset - a solo episode with Tracy Cherpeski

Welcome to a solo episode with me, your host, Tracy Cherpeski. I’m here today to share with you from the heart, how to narrow your niche and focus without narrowing your mindset. 

Before I dive in, I want to share with our listeners why you won’t find us on Spotify anymore. I’m going to be blunt and say that I believe that when we have a platform (or multiple platforms) we immediately assume responsibility for taking great care with how we show up, and with the information we disseminate.

I’d been hearing a lot about Joe Rogan, his controversial topics and his skilled and engaging interview style. I’d also gathered he was pushing a lot of boundaries. I didn’t really think much of him beyond a sort of “shock jock” until I heard he had used a terrible racial slur multiple times, AND that he issued a non-apology for his despicable behavior. Then I started to ask myself why Spotify wasn’t doing a better job of reigning him in or speaking up to make a statement about how his views do not reflect their own.

You see, hate speech isn’t protected by free speech, and Spotify is a business with a massive platform. If Spotify wanted to stand up to his bigotry and stand by some kind of company standards where bigotry and hate speech weren’t tolerated, they’d have done it by now. In fact, Spotify’s silence has been deafening on Rogan’s appalling and offensive language and rants. 

After I read an opinion piece by Roxane Gay in The New York Times where she laid out the difference between censorship and curation, I was able to put my finger on why I felt such a strong urge to leave the Spotify platform. I’ve linked the opinion piece in the show notes if you’d like to read. It’s very thoughtful, and Ms. Gay’s words are so much more clear than my own.

So, I’m sharing, and making a statement for myself, my company and our podcast: we have chosen to leave Spotify because we are sticking to our values as humans, and we take our responsibility very seriously. 

One of our values is inclusivity, followed closely by compassion and service. We feel strongly that we have a responsibility to use our platform to share good news, positive support, and love for all of our fellow humans.

We will not stand by and watch, clutching our pearls.

We therefore choose not to support Spotify.

Silence is complicity. 

As business owners, we need to make a lot of decisions. Some of these decisions are easy, some are difficult or painful, and some put us at risk for upsetting people. But, we need to take decisive action if we want to keep growing.

The decision to leave Spotify was one of those decisions, and another HUGE decision I recently made was to dramatically narrow my niche.

Learn how narrowing your niche, but not your mind, can set you free. 

1. It can make your marketing copy SO.MUCH.EASIER to write!
2. You’ll be able to convey your message, and HOW you can support your clients so much more clearly.
3. You don’t have to wear multiple hats at all times and be circus-ready with your juggling skills.

Narrowed niche. Broadened horizons and mindset. Let me lay out how I help my clients do the this.

First, clarity. Get super clear about WHY you do what you do, and what’s most important to you. I started with my vision of success, combined my values (inclusion, compassion and service) and THEN added the metrics I wanted to achieve.

Second, decision time. Make a decision about what you’re willing to do to achieve the goals and vision you lay out for yourself and your company. I have always found, both for my own self and with my clients, that EVERYTHING starts to change with the decision. It’s as if you give a huge thumbs-up to the powers-that-be and suddenly the portals open for you to jump in and go gitterdun.

Third, decisive, inspired action. Once you’re clear and committed, you’re ready to take action. One of my fellow founders in the coaching program says, “Take massive, messy action,” and I really like that, because if you’re a perfectionist, you’ll likely get stuck in the details and miss a lot of opportunity to grow and learn, and to get stuff done. 

Fourth, and finally, rinse, repeat. This is what I call “constant course correction” and I’ll tell you this: 2020 can have its pivot. I think it called and asked for it back anyway. Unless you’re ready to rebrand or the phone has stopped ringing and the road you’re on has become a dead-end, you don’t need to make a sharp right turn. 

I hope you found this episode supportive and helpful on your journey. To learn more about developing a success mindset, make sure you subscribe so you can always catch our newest episodes. If you haven’t already left a review, I am always appreciative, because your review helps other entrepreneurs find this podcast so they too can learn and hopefully feel less isolated on the “entrepreneur island.”

So, grab a beverage or a snack, and listen to my journey and how I help my clients narrow their niche, but not their minds.

Link to NY Times Opinion Piece by Roxanne Gay: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/opinion/culture/joe-rogan-spotify-roxane-gay.html 

Link to Eleanor Beaton:https://eleanorbeaton.com

Tracy's Website: https://www.tracycherpeski.com