Take a breath. You can stop trying to niche down.

Would you prefer to listen to this post Instead?
Listen below!

I’ve been having a lot of conversations lately with fellow business owners who seem to be quite disheartened with and disconnected from their own marketing strategy. It seems as though they’ve been following a decent rhythm for a while, but there is a burgeoning desire to shake things up that they can no longer ignore.

As I delve deeper into these conversations, I’m noticing a pattern — a very honest and human one at that.

We have a tendency to look to others for knowledge. For those who have journeyed before us, we seek their wisdom by listening to their accounts of how they made it through. (Case in point: Check out wildly popular podcast How I Built This, which chronicles the start-up stories of some of the most successful entrepreneurs, business owners, and thought leaders of our time.)

And this makes total sense, right?

It’s in our DNA to learn through observation and demonstration. We learn to walk, talk, cook, play by watching others. Our ancestors watched as their kin tried the certain berry that made them sick, and then we learned to not ingest that one. (After all, it made a lot more sense to observe others learning those hard lessons when life or death could be at stake!)

So of course, it’s only natural to follow this very basic human instinct to watch and observe. And in regards to our survival, it was a helpful skill throughout the millennia.

But what happens when we extrapolate this observational approach to our own marketing strategy?

Things get complicated quick!

This approach works beautifully for matters of physical survival, like learning that not cooking food well enough leads to illness, or touching fire means you will get burned.

But when we move beyond survival and into matters of the spirit—like creating a high-conscious business—simply replicating what’s been done before doesn’t cut it because what works for one person’s business and soul may not work for another because our spiritual needs, aptitudes, and definitions of success vary wildly.

When we become overly attuned to what others are doing and begin working to retrofit others’ strategies onto our own businesses, we deny ourselves the richness of honoring the complexity of our unique background and experience.

Additionally, these blueprints we’re encouraged to conform to only allow for one narrow definition of success: to make as much money as possible, and all other benefits (such as sound mental health, white space in your schedule, and the freedom to do what you love) are secondary at best.

I’ve talked to many folx lately who are struggling HARD with trying to whittle themselves down into this perfectly crafted niche because they’ve read and have been told that this is the only way to be “successful.”

I call this practice of dismembering ourselves to fit a narrow niche “reductionist marketing,” a style of marketing that believes that one size fits all. That has us contorting ourselves into simplistic models and unrealistic timelines in order to have us believe that’s the only way to do it. That puts the fear in us that venturing off this path is like eating the poisoned berry.

And fuck that.

I want more people to embrace their raw, unedited, fullest selves, knowing that in doing so they are modeling for others how to do it for themselves. I want to help folx break free from that convention and allow their whole, multitudinous self to come forward. Business can be one of the most fulfilling endeavors one can undertake, and it can allow space for incredible growth and creativity while allowing us to sculpt our lives and livelihoods into something that sustainably supports our needs in all areas of life.

And one of these needs is self-actualization, which means being the most unfiltered version of ourselves possible to allow our fullest potential to shine through.

This is my goal with Mindful Marketing, which I like to think of as a form of liberatory marketing, which allows for all of your human needs to be present, honored, and celebrated. It’s not all about competing in the marketplace and driving maximum profits.

While it can be helpful to learn what others have done (especially when we genuinely feel inspired by them and their work and might want to create parts of that for ourselves), you do not have to conform to those guides. You can bring your whole self forward in business. You do not have to oversimplify and deny parts of yourself just to fit into a niche that someone told you is an easier sell.

You are more than your next transaction.

There is and only will be just one you. You’re in a niche of your own. You can take ownership of that and be your true self in business and in your marketing practices so the folx who truly want what you’re offering can see you clearly.

Your business is your own creation, not something to carve down until there’s only a sliver of you left. Consider this your permission slip to question everything you’ve ever been told about business and forge your own path.