Brooke, 3 questions for you.
1. My planned niche is mid-level/mid-career minority professionals (women and people of color) who need coaching through the newness and discomfort of transitions (e.g., promotions/job changes, managing individuals for the first time, managing groups/teams for the first time, starting a family, M&As, etc). While I think the niche is very specific, are there too many variations of “transitions” that overly broaden my target market?
2. If I focus on coaching people through transitions, am I creating a baked-in stop to the work with my clients? After all, transitions are a phase. (I’m thinking I would create enough value to continue work with them beyond an “initial” transition phase. Or encourage them to create their own new transitions for growth opportunities. Lots of options, perhaps?)
3. I will be doing this as a side hustle for 1-3 years before focusing on it full-time (I have a great paying job right now). I have strong opinions for ensuring mid-level professionals are successful as managers, but when I put myself out there in the podcast/blogosphere, there’s a chance my current employer might not like what I’m advising if it goes against a traditional “do what’s best for the company” mentality. (Ex: always put the employee first before the company, good leaders know how to break rules, etc.) Should I worry about this creating problems for my current job? I’ve been very successful as a manager (measured by employee satisfaction and their professional development and contributions to the company), so I kind of figure if my current job has a problem with my “secret sauce,” they can just learn to deal with it, and I shouldn’t be concerned. What do you think?
Thanks! I love being coached by you.
Nikki