When it comes to finding the ideal niche for your Internet business, there are many factors to consider. Traditionally it is advised to consider your interests and personality traits. However, there are two key aspects that you should consider and that few people take into account when looking for an occupation that motivates and fills them.
When it comes to doing an Internet business, one of the main objectives is, apart from generating abundant income, that it is also in an area that the owner likes, right?
However, this is not always easy to find. Many subscribers to Success Education ask me on a daily basis how they can find a niche for their business that is profitable, but at the same time they like it.
How to find a business that is satisfactory in these two aspects?
The traditional answer to this question is found in the most popular books on career guidance:
According to these guides, it is generally necessary:
1. Make a personal assessment
2. Define what you want to do with your life
3. Find an occupation that fits one's passion and personality
In summary, they consider that the ideal job for each person is found when defining the personality traits and interests of the people.
While I agree with this approach - and I have trumpeted it among my followers - I think it is incomplete.
There are several other aspects that must be taken into account when defining the niche of your Internet business.
It has been shown that satisfaction in an occupation does not necessarily have to do with our personality or our passions.
According to studies carried out by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, authors of the SDT (Self-Determination Theory), it is necessary to supply 3 psychological needs of the human being so that he works in a happy and motivated way:
1. Autonomy: control over our time
2. Competence: having a level of mastery that makes us feel useful in service to others
3. Success in human relationships: Feeling a connection with others; the need to give and receive.
From Deci and Ryan's studies, two key ingredients can be concluded that are hardly mentioned when advising others about their vocation:
1. The benefit of being an expert on a subject
2. Manage your skills in a way that allows you to achieve a lifestyle that gives you autonomy.
Key ingredient # 1: The benefit of being an expert on a subject
Working correctly can lead to greater satisfaction than finding the right job for you.
This should be a great relief for those people who do not feel a strong passion in one area or have multiple interests and do not know which one to pursue.
It must be taken into account that many people are happy with what they do, because they reached a level of mastery that gives them the satisfaction they need in one of the most important psychological areas: competition.
The point is, you don't necessarily have to be passionate about what you do. But you should always try to reach a level of mastery that sets you apart from the rest.
The person who only takes their passion into account when looking for a job can be frustrated. It is known that a good business is one that knows how to supply the customer's needs with excellence. The fact of bringing a passion into a business context implies that customer demands must be met and that these will not always agree with the offer, or the passion, of the entrepreneur.
So, will you have to dedicate yourself for life to an occupation that you are not passionate about?
No, definitely. And this is where we come to the second key ingredient of the recipe to find the ideal occupation for your life:
Key ingredient # 2: Manage your skills in a way that enables you to achieve a lifestyle that gives you autonomy
Your occupation must give you the freedom to nurture your human relationships, inside and outside of work, and to be able to dedicate yourself to what you are passionate about, inside or outside of work.
One of the biggest mistakes a human being can make in the area of choosing his profession is not to make a mistake in choosing his occupation, but to allow his occupation to invade all other areas of his life.
Typically, a person who is successful in his job begins to be promoted. This necessarily leads to more money, more work and… less freedom.
The end result is a life dedicated to an occupation that can be exciting, but does not replace the 3 psychological areas that your job should provide. A person whose life revolves around his work may be competent, but overwork takes away his autonomy, because he has become a slave to his business. Furthermore, this enslavement has a negative effect on their human relationships.
In conclusion
To find the ideal niche for your Internet business, it is advisable to take into account the interests and personality of each person, but you must also consider areas of knowledge in which you have excelled or will be able to excel.
Additionally, it is important to design a business model that allows you to live the lifestyle you like and that is not enslaving or affects your relationship with others in a negative way.
