From: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/

When Pamela Willsey, a licensed therapist and certified life coach, began a career in Boston 30-plus years ago, there was no such thing as “a college transition coach.”

Of course, since that time, college has become (very) big business, inspiring an entire new crop of college preparatory resources to grow and flourish.Preppedandpolished.com focuses on test preparation. GetIntoCollege.com is a comprehensive resource for parents navigating the competitive admissions process. UniversityParent.com helps parents find a myriad of campus resources for their students, and a plethora of gift-basket businesses now offer “college care packages” for parents to send.

But even as the commercialization of the college experience expanded, Willsey — whose coaching and counseling practice already served teenage girls — saw a disconcerting gap in services for transitioning college freshman. She jumped in to fill it and, in the process, found her niche.

Following her example, we can all niche our businesses — increasing not only our income, but our impact and influence as well.

Step One: Listen for a problem to solve.

Too often I see business owners jumping into a niche because they think it’s “where the money is” or they fall in love with a particular idea. Willsey, however, listened to her existing clients and other voices in the industry, becoming intimately aware of the trends and the problems these trends created.

While business 101 books continue to define “finding a niche” as coming up with a demographic to serve, the more profitable way to view “niche-ing” is defining a growing problem to solve and targeted the people motivated to solve it.

Parents who are investing tens of thousands of dollars in their daughter’s first year of college — and are simultaneously tormented by news stories of campus rape, drug use and the hook-up culture on most campuses — sure fit the bill.

Step Two: Approach the problem with passion.

Before she became known and in demand as a college career transition coach herself, she searched wholeheartedly for outside resources for her clients. While she applauded the increase in academic, fun and vocational resources available to college students, she was appalled by the dangerously limited number of social and emotional resources available to equip young women during this transition.

This gap left freshmen girls vulnerable at a time when they most needed support, and that was unthinkable — unacceptable — for Willsey.

What problems are you most passionate about solving? What makes you mad? Keeps you up at night? What simply can not continue to persist in your world? This is the problem you need to niche your business around.

Step Three: Let your niche grow roots, then wings.

There are, in fact, riches in niches. But a profitable niche will take time to develop. Rebranding your Facebook page, having a new logo designed and pushing out a press release announcing your new niche are all artificial fillers — and common elements of most failed niche marketing recipes.

Instead, dig deep. Serve those within your existing circle of influence with passion and professionalism. Don’t simply identify a problem and market a solution. Deliver a solution. Then, expand your reach.

Before becoming known as “the teen girl expert,” Willsey first worked with dozens of teen girls. It was the reputation of her work that helped define, shape and ultimately grow her niche.

Willsey’s local groups and private coaching could only impact so many students, inspiring her to create the annual Freshman 2.0 College Bound retreat to provide more rising freshman with the community, connection and support they’ll need to navigate the complexities of college.