Now that you have decided to start making money online, are you wondering where to begin?

After rummaging through the Internet looking for the money mine, you could be worried that this ‘niche’ jargon will end your life even before you start earning. But the real question is, “How do you choose a suitable niche for your online job?”

After all, choosing your niche wisely is your ultimate game-changer. So, let’s get this party started!

This is where you put your comma. Take a rest, relax and serve yourself a cup of hot chocolate or coffee. You have just found the table at which ALL your questions will be answered. If you are into online freelancing, this is your starting point.

If you are going to do any work online, first thing; it had better be something you are madly in love with. Click To Tweet

Seriously, if you try something that you can’t go to bed with, why the heck would you be wasting your time with it.

*Hey I didn’t mean sleeping with it- jeez- that means something that you are willing to entertain in your dreams when your sleep- Nkt- dirty mind*.

So, how do you begin choosing what you can do; the product that you can offer and particularly “YOUR AREA OF SPECIALIZATION aka THE NICHE FOR YOUR ONLINE JOB”?

Everybody can offer the same product as you can. Think about it, by now you know over 100 people who write or design great graphics, right?

Don’t sweat, that is just the PRODUCT. The reason why there is an emphasis on the NICHE for your online job is – this is the area you kick butt at.

Oh Yes, it needs to be that great!

If you want to be a freelance writer (product), you need to be specific about what you write. This blog focuses on ‘Talent-based Entrepreneurship’ – you haven’t seen any Sports news here, have you?

Unless of course you want to run a magazine like this one. (Don’t sweat it, I started from a blog level. The Business Category that is.

That’s because the writer has not been able to differentiate Rugby from wrestling (smirks).

So, if you decide to be a Freelance Writer- for goodness sake choose a freaking hot NICHE.

You can specialize in Politics, Press releases, Sports, Lifestyle, Music, Videos, and Visual arts. Be freaking specific, your blog should not look like a crowded mall.

So, here are some guidelines on how to choose your niche. But first answer this question: If you were to go to the beach today and found just the people you deeply love- who would you sit next to after shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries?

The answer to that is HOW YOU CHOOSE A FREAKING KILLER NICHE for your online job!

Everybody at the beach is your product but the dude or chick you sit next to is the niche.

Got it?

This is how to choose a niche for your online job

1. Serve what you love

What are you really really passionate about?

If it is sports, be wise enough to pick your favourite. Choose the sport you are willing to stand at the gate of the stadium for hours in the baking-hot sun just to get a ticket.

If you are Kenyan and you are mad in love with football (your niche), featuring the rivalry between Gor Mahia’s and AFC Leopards’ fans can be a great shot for you.

The point is, pick a niche that you are able to passionately write about; something that you are passionate to the marrow about it. (Picks enough rocks to throw at the rival, the Kenyan style).

Richard Branson once said, “The best advice I could give anyone is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life.”

So, pick a niche that you can swear your mad love to.

2. Serve what you know

It would be awkward to try specializing in an area that you don’t know a jack about, wouldn’t it?

There are specific things that you have learned to do so far. Those are the things to serve your online audience.

Think about it, if you are a Pro in graphics design and your offline clients can’t stop preaching about the killer logos you design- that’s should be the niche for your online job!

The rule for making a kill in your online work and wowing your audience is to start with what you know.

3. Learn what you don’t know

Truth be told, you can’t be a jack of freaking everything even in the niche you have selected. (swallows hard).😓

Don’t be sad about that though; even the best geniuses lack knowledge in one area or another.

If you can understand that your niche is not about you but your clients, then you can expect the fact that you will need to learn new things. Very soon.

Why?

Because your clients expect you to continually teach them something new all the time. You need to serve them with steaming hot content so that they can loyally stay with you.

You need to commit to learning all the time to ensure that your product is evergreen.

Do not depend on recycled matter; you can only serve this so many times and then your clients will figure out that you are out of ideas aka YOU SUCK!

Think of fashion designers, have you ever wondered why they continually come up with new stuff?

What makes you think your niche is different?

Innovation will save your skin more often than you can imagine. So invest heavily in continually learning new skills and fusing the old with the new to create more exciting content for your audience.

4. Serve what you can access easily

Imagine putting up a blog about winter sports, advertising ice skates in it while living in Mombasa, Kenya.

That must be insane!

For one, Mombasa hardly experiences temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius. Again, putting up an ice skating rink on the Coast of Kenya is not only unwelcome to the residents but may be a failing business because the beautiful beaches would give it a run for its money.

That would mean that you will lack first-hand inspiration; photos and information necessary to bring out the magic of your story will be lost. Get the point?

Access to resources majorly includes physical access to things that will inspire you to serve your product in your chosen niche to your clients without having to depend on the Internet 100%.

Do not totally depend on watching movies, reading other people’s articles, or listening to music from the Internet to bring out the magic of running a profitable blog, website or YouTube channel. When you begin experiencing a mental block when seeking new ideas, you will need the inspiration of something tangible. That’s why physical access ROCKS!

5. Serve your talent

A singer who participates in various competitions is likely to be more inspired to run a website that showcases her music and that of others, better than a sportsman.

You have a better chance of serving the world with your talent than any other things you come across in your life. But don’t forget to sharpen it before serving your audience with it though.

Think about it, most rappers having been born with the gift of crafting together catchy words and spitting them out faster than they are made, have the ability to sell offline and online merchandise that is music related.

This would include luxurious headphones and slogan-branded t-shirts. The orange doesn’t fall so far from the tree, does it? (Slides on Beats by Dre headphones: courtesy of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Lovine).

This can go on forever, but my hope is that you can now pick the perfect niche for your online job, and serve. If you are feeling freaked out about settling for one niche and you have three, here is a challenge for you.

How about mimicking an online life creating content on all three and sharing it with your friends and frenemies ?

See which one gathers more votes and start with that one. Fair enough?

Something for you to remember before picking a niche for your online job:

• Having a niche is all about being able to serve your online audience effectively with it.
• If you can’t have fun, entertain, teach your clients and make a profit while serving them in your niche, ditch it. (If it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense: P Diddy)
• A niche can be changed (just like an underwear); know when to move on.

Warning: Don’t serve stuff, serve class.