When I first started building my online business alongside my full time job, I made a fundamental mistake that many people make when they try to build an online business. It's a mistake so common, yet so limiting, that it keeps many talented experts stuck in the starting blocks.

Let me explain what it is, why – and more importantly, how to avoid it.

The Offline Business Reality

Think about your local high street for a moment. A bookstore can't survive selling only economics A-level textbooks. A dental practice would struggle if it only served women aged 40-50 wanting veneers. Why? Because in the offline world, you're limited by geography.

You can't sell cakes to people in Australia if you're based in London. You can't fix cars in Birmingham if you live in Cornwall. Distance and geography force most offline businesses to be generalists.

The only time offline businesses get specific is when there's enough volume. When you see five coffee shops in one town, that's when someone opens a cat café. (We had one in my town - sadly closed down - but it was there for a few years!) When there are plenty of mechanics, one specializes in VWs. It's Business 101, right?

The Online Shift

But here's where most people (including me initially) get it wrong. They apply this same "go broad" thinking to their online business.

Big mistake.

Online, you're not limited by geography. In the English-speaking world alone, there are around 650 million people online in developed countries. Customer volume isn't your problem.

Your real challenge? Getting noticed.

The Power of Niching Down

Nobody "drives by" your website accidentally. The internet doesn't work that way. Instead, people search for specific solutions to specific problems.

Think about this: If you're a 45-year-old man trying to navigate a visa system in a foreign country, who would you rather work with?

• A generalist who has helped a few people get visas
• A specialist who's spent 10 years helping people in their 40s navigate visas in that same country

The answer is obvious. And here's the reality – you'd probably pay more for that specialist, even if they're not local to you.

My Personal Wake-Up Call

I learned this the hard way. When I started my online coaching business, I offered three services:

• Writing and self-publishing coaching
• Public speaking training
• Helping people build their first online course

The result? Confusion. My content about book writing didn't connect with those wanting to learn public speaking. My coaching content missed both groups entirely.

Then I made a crucial decision. I niched down to just one area. Within three months, I hit my income goals. And I was doing it all in my spare time while keeping my 9-5 job.

People asked me how I was doing it and I realised my real passion was helping others create their first online course. I'd coached and trained people online for over a decade and I knew that I needed to pivot.

But I learned enough by then to realize that I couldn't just add this in. I had to stop one niche to open up the other. So I stopped promoting or talking about writing your first book and started talking about building your first online course.

The Surprising Bonus

Here's something fascinating: Even though I haven't created content about book writing in over 9 months, people still reach out to me for it. Why? Because in that short period when I specialized, I became known for it.

That's the power of a niche.

(And I still do help people who come for me for help - and am very happy to!)

The Truth About "Saturated Markets"

So you need a niche. But here's what people say to me. "Simon, I'm worried that my ideal niche is too saturated. There's already loads of courses on it and some of them are free."

Worried that your market is too saturated? Don't be. Everyone has a unique niche inside them – a special combination of experiences, skills, and expertise that makes them perfectly suited to help a specific group of people.

I've yet to meet anyone who couldn't find their perfect niche within a few minutes of focused conversation.

And those free courses? Here's the truth. You could and still can exercise for free. So why do people have gym memberships? You could and still can get a cheap gym membership. So why do people pay for personal trainers? 

Simple, we all know - if you want transformation most of the time you'll need help. If you want it fast and you don't want to waste time the help is needed all the more! 90% of those free courses are never even finished! Why?

No accountability + No support + No community = No Transformation.

So, here's the thing. You need a niche or you'll never make it in the online world.

But the good news. You already have one! The trick is to find it.

Ready to Find Your Niche?

If you're a 9-5 professional sitting on valuable expertise and wondering how to package it into a profitable online course business, I've got something special for you.

I'm hosting a free training on "The Proven System to Build an Extremely Profitable and Scalable Online Course Business Without Quitting Your 9-5 Job."

In this training, you'll discover:

• How to identify your perfect profitable niche
• The exact steps to create and launch your course while working full-time
• My proven framework for generating consistent income without sacrificing your job security

Click here to save your spot for this free training. Let me show you how to turn your expertise into impact and income, all while keeping your 9-5 job.