When I asked Tim Dean to describe his ideal client for me, his answer blew me away.
Tim is a life coach whom I ran into at a networking event.
His ideal client: “Parents of a millenial son or daughter who is living at home.”
We’ve all heard the old adage about finding a niche for your business.
But I had never heard of such a nichy niche.
I was very intrigued, but a little skeptical.
Me: “That’s actually a market?”
Tim: “Oh yeah. Lots of parents hire me to guide the son or daughter. They tell me, ‘We were going to turn the (kid’s) bedroom into an office or yoga studio, and then…’”
The kid came home and wouldn’t leave.
I have twin 21-year-olds about to finish college. I shivered at the thought.
“A lot of millenials are dissatisfied, unmotivated, not feeling like their work is working,” Tim said. “They’re much quicker to jump jobs. The parents want to help.”
Because they want that new office or yoga studio…
…and, Tim added, because they want to be good parents.
“This provides validation for what they’re doing as parents. Some of it is fighting their own stereotypes. They don’t want the world to perceive their children or themselves as failures. Some don’t give a darn about that. They just want to extend their dream of being great parents.”
Sounds like Tim has…
…identified a target market with very particular needs and…
…devised great solutions to address that market’s fears (“junior may never leave and I won’t get my yoga studio or office”) and aspirations (“I want to be a good parent who raises good kids.”)
That’s a good formula for any business: identify a target market with very particular needs and devise great solutions to address that market’s fears and aspirations.
What is your target market? What are the fears and aspirations? What solutions do you offer?
Tim reminds us how important it is to ask and answer these questions.
Tom
MarketVolt