She came to me with a long list. It included everything from guitar to history to classic cars to health and wellness to comedy, education, sports, screenwriting, poetry…
“I have a lot of interests,” she warned. “It might be impossible to fit all of these into one business…“
“Lets give it a shot,” I replied.
I do love a challenge.
What the typical business coach would say…
Most business coaches would be thrilled with my student’s eclectic interests—so much to choose from! they would think. I mean, with all those interests, that’s like twenty potential niches! All we have to do is pick one (preferably the one she has the most expertise in or the one with the juiciest market) and position her as an authority in that one specific field. We’ll just focus in really tight…
Can you feel your heart beginning to race with anxiety, just from reading that? Um yea, me too.
But this is exactly how most business is taught.
The benefits of “niching it down” are so clear right? A website all about knitting! Attract all the crazy knitting fans of the world. Hurrah! Dog grooming– awesome! Pet fanatics will love it.
There’s only one problem. It’s called, WE ARE MULTIPOTENTIALITES AND WE’LL GET BORED AND QUIT.
What do you have to say now, great business guru? Oh, I suppose our string of abandoned niche sites are our fault since we’re indecisive. We never “truly committed.” Maybe we’re afraid. Maybe we’re self-sabotaging. It’s our fear. Resistance. Whatever it is, it’s our fault.
Is anyone else sick of this rhetoric?
An alternative to the niche business: the Renaissance Business
One approach to business will never be right for everyone. How about instead of pushing everyone to choose a niche, we empower people to create the sorts of businesses that work with their personality?
Imagine a business that allows you to focus on many topics and use all of your skills. A business that is fueled by your multipotentiality. This is what I like to call the Renaissance Business.
Now I may have coined the term, but that doesn’t mean I invented the idea. Far from it. There are successful examples of Renaissance Businesses all around us: Apple (computers, phones, tv, music), Virgin (record label, airline, spaceship, phones), the Oprah brand (tv show, magazine, books)… These businesses all offer products and services in radically varied markets.
Renaissance Businesses online
There are successful Renaissance Businesses online too. Take a look at this excerpt from Chris Guillebeau’s 279 Days to Overnight Success:
I chose to connect deep and wide on a number of related subjects. I tied them together in a theme (nonconformity, or “unconventional living”) but admittedly, the theme is fairly loose. I wanted to write about my adventures traveling to every country in the world, but I also wanted to present my outlook on life.
Rather than pigeonhole myself and choose one of these themes, I wanted to find a way to do it all. I knew it wouldn’t attract everyone, but as previously mentioned, attracting everyone is not an effective strategy.
Whether this is the best strategy for you or not depends. You should choose what’s important to you and your group of followers. It is probably easier to achieve success (remember, you define what this means, no one else) with a more specific niche. but in the long-run, I think I will attract more followers by doing what i know how to do best. For me, that is a mix of things — “unconventional strategies for Life, Work, and Travel” is what I call it — so that’s what I’ve stuck with.
I don’t know if Chris realized it at the time, but what he’s describing here is a Renaissance Business.
Coming up with an overarching theme
The secret to focusing on many interests is having a cohesive overarching theme that links everything together. Chris’ overarching theme is non-conformity. Mine is multipotentiality+life design. Coming up with an overarching theme is really just a matter of seeking out patterns in your interests.
I go through a few different approaches in Renaissance Business and I walk you through some exercises to arrive at your own theme. One of the approaches I discuss is called the “Common Thread” approach. This is where you’ve got one core motivating force behind your interests– one thing that has driven you in the past to make the choices you’ve made.
My student—the one with all the “disconnected” interests
As we worked through her list of interests, something jumped out at me. First of all, teaching was a big theme for her. In addition to formal teaching, she enjoyed explaining complicated ideas in fun, interactive ways through her design work.
She also cared deeply about educating people about health and wellness. She was funny, she loved writing songs, screenplays and poetry. She described herself as nerdy and a lover of analogies. There was something here…
The common thread I saw was accessibility. My student seemed to love taking an idea, transforming it and presenting it in an amusing, entertaining, creative way. I mean, that’s what art is about– taking an idea and expressing it in a way that moves people. It’s what teaching’s about. What’s more, it’s a skill she can bring to her discussions of history, health, sports.
Mixing in her knack for humor
We played with the idea a bit, going from “accessibility” to “accessibility through comedy” (she’s a very funny lady. Everything she creates will be hilarious).
There we had it. Her community would be a space where people could come and learn about art, culture, history, etc. in a way that’s quirky and easy to grasp.
Now this was only our first coaching session. I have no idea how the idea will grow and evolve. It might stay the same or it might change dramatically. But this is just an example of how your interests, no matter how unrelated they seem, can absolutely be linked up thematically. It just takes a bit of introspection and unpacking.
Your Turn
If you have your own Renaissance Business or blog, what’s your overarching theme? How do you link all the different topics together?
If you’d like to learn more about turning all of your interests into one business, check out the Renaissance Business Guide.
Emilie, fantastic concepts here – really outstanding. Here’s my dilemma – I’m a former print/tv journalist current PR pro. My blogging interests are family, faith, fitness, finance and funny (humor). My overarching theme across those categories might be “unique insights shared” – can you help me tighten that up?
Heh. Maybe your overarching theme should be “the F word”. 🙂 Just kidding…
I would need a bit more information to unpack this, but I would say off the top of my head that maybe you could group family, faith, fitness and finance together under “growth”. That encompasses growth of all kinds: relationship growth, spiritual growth, physical growth, economic growth.
And “funny” could be the “lens” through which you approach this theme of growth. So your theme could be something like: a comedic approach to personal growth.
I would work to see if you could make “growth” more specific though. Maybe pull out the thesaurus and see if there’s a better term. But yeah, I’d play with that.
You my lady are a genius!
Hah- like I said, I love a challenge. 😉
Emilie; I know this is a bit of a late reply; reading your reply to Tor Constantino was intellectually mind boggling and illuminating!
I ended up here on accident and after reading a few articles I felt like I have never ever loved myself and understood myself so much than ever before and I can not wait to one day have my own Renaissance Business and feel even greater!
Thank you so much Emilie, I am very sure you have touched deep into the souls of many repressed Multipotentialites (I know I feel touched!) or a more philosophical term would be; “Promethean’s.”
Yay case studies! Real life examples can be super helpful. 🙂
I haven’t found an overarching theme for all my interests so I decided to start with one thing & then add things if I feel inclined to do so later on. It worked for Apple, Virgin, & Oprah, hopefully it can work for me too.
I think a lot of us are still affected by the idea that whatever we pick for a career is supposed to be what we do for the rest of our lives. Who’s to say that the business we start in our 20s is still going to be fulfilling when we’re in our 30s or 40s?
I wonder a lot if that scary statistic about how many businesses fail in the first few years is actually incorrect. Maybe some of the people just realized that the business they started wasn’t really what they wanted to do & they shut it down to start a different one. Yeah technically their business “failed” but keeping it going when they’re not happy isn’t exactly a great idea. I consider following your heart to be a success, not a failure.
I’m kind of getting off-topic, sorry. Looking forward to your case studies Emilie! (& your book) Thanks for showing us we can create businesses that fit who we are. 🙂
Hi C.C.,
Starting with one interest and letting your site expand and evolve with your interests is a great way to figure things out. It’s always better to take action, learn and revise as you go, than it is to stay put and wait for the “perfect idea” before starting. Your personality will also act as a unifying feature, so it doesn’t really matter if your theme isn’t perfect right off the bat.
I totally agree with your second point too. It’s all about how you define “failure”. I think the definition of that term needs a serious revision!
And thanks. 🙂
Thank you! Great post – I was just talking with my Mom earlier today about this exact subject. Read your post called her and read it to her. She kept saying, it’s like she took our conversation and wrote it out!
It is wonderful to know that I am not crazy and that there are lots of others out there like me :).
I think I know my overarching theme, something I have been working on and that will helps give me the foundation to embrace my Renaissance Soul (love that book!) and move forward.
Hah funny when that happens! Well, I’m happy to provide a little serendipity for you and your mom today. 🙂
And good for you for finding your theme. It’s actually kind of cool, because the process is actually about more than just business. It’s kind of like discovering the driving force behind your life. Pretty neat stuff.
This post almost made me cry. Thanks for helping us all realize that it’s okay (or awesome) to be who we are. I’m so tired of people telling me I need to pick one thing – it’s nice to see someone making multipotentiality work. (And by the way, I LOVE that word, so thanks for that too!)
Aw thank you Sarah! That means a lot. I’m glad I could help. 🙂
Sarah,
You might want to read Barbara Sher’s book, “Refuse to Choose”, too. She calls folks with “too many interests” Scanners. (I know people who cried after reading her book, too, for the same reason you mentioned.)
Best of luck.
Hi Emilie! I came back to this article because I was sharing it with a client (I thought she might like your perspective, though our methods are similar :D)
I realized I didn’t answer:
My over-arching theme is Creative Success. With this umbrella I am able to pursue all my interests (uplifting success-focused art, writing, music, video, digital, community, spirituality, and more.)
Rock on!
Nice article Emile. And this concept of Renaissance business came to my rescue when i was blaming myself for not focusing on one thing. However finding it difficult to find a common theme. Could you please suggest a connecting theme for my interests? They are:
1. The Why behind the universe and our own existence, Cosmology, astrophysics, etc (my maths sucks though)
2. Entrepreneurship esp Business intelligence
3. Wild Animals and getting attached to social cause related to it
4. Living your passion
5. Sci-fi movies
6. Reading a lot..actually not just reading but learning
7. Writing (though I am soon to make a world record for number of abandoned blogs)
8. Long Walks
9. Travelling places
I am not able to find a common theme may be because my list is tooooo long. Will appreciate your help.
Hi Ally! Welcome to the community 🙂
Good for you for wanting clarity on a common theme.
What I’m picking up from this is: Space, animals, blogging/writing, business.
An over-arching theme might be: Nature and self-discovery.
So you could start a blog/writing based business on this, something like:
-NatureMe.com
-NaturalGuidance.com
-HumanNature.com
Does that shed any light or jog any inspirations?
I’m on board with Jason’s analysis. I’d take it a step further even. What does nature and the “world beyond” teach us about ourselves? How can this knowledge help other people evolve?
Look for the motivations behind your choices. Don’t worry about the particular topics. Instead, look for the why. What attracts you to these fields?
I would also say that you sound very interested in the “order” of things. The blueprint behind nature, behind human motivation, business, etc. Sci-fi is really about a search for the similarities between different worlds. Maybe there’s something there.
Oh sNAP! Pure fire, Em.
🙂
Seconded.
I usually rarely use the word Thanks, but when I use it I mean it from my heart. Thanks Jason and Emilie. Thanks for the prompt reply and also for caring. I must admit that you surely have put some of my neurons to work. Curiosity has always been the theme of my life, somehow it got buried deep down somewhere in this capitalist world.
On the second thought if I am not eating up too much of your time, is it possible to start a business in an area which I like (but not love) and use weekends to follow my true passion, which is learning about the universe? Something like 4hour work-week? In Einstein’s words “Astronomy is very interesting so long as it is not your profession”.
(Again apologies for asking too many question 🙂 )
Awesome Ally! You totally can do that 🙂 You can do anything. We believe in you, and from what I understand, Emilie is skillful in this area.
I am my own person, with a different, powerful, sometimes misunderstood perspective:
What you suggested is one of the funniest things to me, because my entire being is focused on ‘The Dream.’
I spend my days studying people who Do What They Love and Success Through That, like Napoleon Hill, Lady Gaga, Abraham-Hicks, Bruce Lee, etc.
I put my attention on anything and everything that I can be passionate about that’s also win-win for all involved, myself included.
I coach artists + creatives on how they can Have It All, free of compromise or sacrifice.
How about curiosity through nature?
Breath of fresh air reading this post. Thank you.
I had a feeling you’d enjoy, I’m glad you swung by 🙂
Hey I don’t know if you’re still giving out free advice on finding an overarching theme, but I am seeking. Seeking so hard. I’m into writing, natural health & wellness, travel (want to do more and write about it), helping artists & healers market themselves and their work online, discovering and living your passion, making meaningful change in the world. and yeah, a few more things. But if I could find some sort of theme to weave all of this together I’d be one happy camper..
Thanks for this helped further illustrate some of the points I’ve seen you make elsewhere..
Love the idea of the overarching theme, makes so much sense..
Hi Emilie,
I love this post.
I certainly have the problem of being too broad/having too many interests. My question is when you think you’ve found a theme, how do you know that it’s enough?
e.g. I am passionate about helping people to get more out of life and enjoy every moment (lifestyle design?) but to do so for less (efficiently and effectively). My website is called Life’s Too Good, my tagline is ‘Enjoy Life More For Less’ and my design is minimalistic.
So I think I’m on the right track, but I don’t know, I have wondered about changing the branding altogether, I’ve wondered about getting more specific (though that hurts) and I often wonder about changing the tagline.
The problem I think I have is that my tagline can mean different things to different people. Sometimes I think that’s OK, then sometimes I think it’s not clear enough.
I think your site looks deadon. Great design and very clear what it’s all about. Your title and tag line work.
If I can do something equally well with my own collection of interests, I’ll be quite satisfied.
It’s good to know I’m not alone in this! I often suffer from option paralysis when it comes to choosing just one thing.
Emilie, maybe you can help me figure out what’s connecting all of these?
1. Psychology (fears, dreams, positive/negative thinking, self-defeating behaviors, strengths, weaknesses)
2. Creativity (ideation, reducing ideas/theories/concepts to their basic components, seeing ideas from various angles)
3. Writing, reading, learning
4. Martial Arts
5. Science fiction and fantasy
6. Femenism
I can see how the first two might connect, but not the rest.
I have a blog, sarah-bates.co.uk, which is basically… my name. And I’m sad to say I’ve been feeling really ashamed of it lately because I post so much about my own projects and they’re all so diverse nobody has really been all that interested in what I’m doing.
For example, a few years ago I set up a website design business. For the first 3 months, I loved it. And then I got bored. I blogged about the whole process of making a business, what I loved about this part about website design or the other. And when I got bored, I stopped blogging about it too.
Nowadays I post stuff about what songs I’ve recorded recently, what story I’m working on writing at the moment, what pictures I’m drawing, what my travel goals are, what I’m thinking about at the moment and what my exercise routine is. All things I am absolutely passionate about. And I’ve been frustrated for ages because I don’t have one theme.
Dummy me. Now I’m going to figure out what my overarching theme is, and I have a fairly good idea where to start – I’m an explorer. Part of what I love about my many passions is it’s impossible to find out everything there is to know about the subject. There’s always something new to explore!
Now I’ve read this post I feel a lot better about my blog, even though I do think I want to take it into a slightly different direction. I’d like it to be a lot more interesting for other people to read, and I think for that I would need a lot more organisation.
Waffle over!
Hi Emilie,
I’m a Renaissance person myself, and I LOVE this site.
As I was reading your post and your description of niches, it occurred
to me that you described exactly what I believed about niches. I was really frustrated too.
Then I went to a business conference on marketing. One speaker built a $20m/year businesses in info products and here’s what I learned. It cleared up a lot of misunderstandings and frustrations about niches.
I hope it helps someone!
First, a niche isn’t necessarily an interest. It’s an emotional need, or desire, that a customer is experiencing.
“Niching down” has nothing to do with us, or whether we get bored and quit, or want to pursue all our interests.
It’s about the customer!
If a customer is searching for “how to grow a tomato garden”, they won’t care about anything except that result. The “result” is the niche. We are free to use all our other interests, gifts, talents, humour, etc… into building the product, as long as it helps the customer get the results they want! …
So “niching down” is about helping the customer get a specific result they are searching for… which is usually to experience an emotional need.
So that’s what I learned. That helped me a LOT to clarify my understanding of niches. I hope it helps someone else too!
Quick question: What’s the difference between the “overarching theme” you are referring to (which is an awesome idea) and “branding”?
Is there a difference or is it about the same thing?
Anyway keep up the great work!
M.
Thanks for the comments, M. That’s a good way of looking at it, though I still don’t like the word “niche.”
An overarching theme is the idea or mission statement that brings together your multiple interests in a cohesive way. Branding is how you express that theme. (I wrote more about it here: https://puttylike.com/addictive/)
Hi Emilie,
I just discovered your site last week and I’m in love. I’m leaving my current job on Tuesday (tax preparation – YUCK) to start my Renaissance business, and I’m thrilled and scared to death at the same time. I’m starting out with web design and Paris travel / study abroad writing, but I also want to do copywriting, ebook publishing, design English courses for children here in France, tutor SAT prep and college essay writing, and a million gazillion other things. I suppose my overarching theme is “education.”
I’ll be hanging out here a lot from now on and I’m looking forward to more of your advice for building my very eclectic business 🙂
I love your site and your ideas !!! Finally I found something that speaks to my heart, all these years I was blaming myself for not being satisfied with anything.
I’ve been a teacher for 13 years which was always my back up job but never really liked it (or got bored of some parts of it). However I absolutely love love kids and their beautiful energy that’s why I always tried a creative approach in teaching which I wouldn’t mind sharing. I’m also really fond of Art, spiritualism (holistic therapies etc), writing, nature, positive thinking, parenting ! My idea is to create a space where somebody will enter to read something relaxing, happy, wishful, humorous and perhaps give ideas for being positive and happy!
I hope tomorrow I won’t change my mind ha ha ha
I had a wonderful friend suggest that I get your book, because I’ve struggled for years now with being told that I need to “find a niche, find a niche, find a niche”. As a result, I’ve had a string of business attempts, all of which I was technically capable at, but emotionally wasn’t vibing with.
So I’ve been working my way through the book with great delight. I’m a little stuck on the common bond, but at least I’m on the way. I want to talk about combining creativity, health/beauty, and your home biz, into a cohesive concept. Too many people focus heavily on their business, and their health & creativity suffer as a result. Or they get wrapped up in being creative, and their business suffers. But I’m trying to figure out a good way to phrase all of that into a tagline/concept. lol
Thank you so much for standing apart from the crowd and saying it’s OKAY to be quirky, random, and passionate about a slew of comments!
Hi Emilie,
It is sheer fate that I ran across your website. I am so excited because I am a multipotentiality! Boy does that feel good to say! I feel a huge sense of freedom after coming out with this! Makes me want to have a coming out party! HAHAHA….My problem is trying to putty all of this together to make something from it. Right now I am in the process of starting my own Seafood Seasonings Business. I’ve also joined in with a Directs Sales Jewelry business, and I’m crocheting (or trying to crochet) some really nice summer tops to sell. I want to be my own boss for sure. Oh, I’ve also started ordering jewelry on-line wholesale to sell too.
All I ask is to see if you could help me out! I would so greatly appreciate it!
Here is my experience:
Gardening
Hairdressing
Secretarial
Waitress
Dogs/Animals
Cleaner
Here is my interests:
Crocheting
Research
Computers
Sales
Cooking
Consulting
Adobe Illustrator Designer
House renovations (taking an existing house and re-designing a new look)
Always coming up with new business ideas
Business Seminar Speaker
These are the things I’m most passionate about:
Consulting (advising others)
Designing
Sales
I have a gift of being able to think outside the box in any situation. I don’t have a clue about carpentry but I seem to have no problem giving my husband advice on doing a project easier or cheaper!
I literally have dozens of notebooks of ideas and things I’ve wanted to try or tried and let go because I couldn’t pick just one!
Sometimes you just need someone else to look at what you’ve got. They are able to sit back and look at the big picture. I unfortunately sit back and immediately start coming up with more ideas…Yikes! My husband just laughs when he hears me start talking about another great idea I have. Our office is filled with past ideas that I just left because I just got bored.
Can you please help me!
Thank you!
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
It sounds like you are great at helping people see their visions come to fruition, whether through design help, tech solutions, logistics, or sales strategies. One idea would be to provide services to small businesses. You could target a particular type of business in one of the areas that you’re familiar with, like home construction or design, or you could keep it open.
I think what will be most important is thinking about your Why. What value do you want your organization to stand for? That is what will draw in your ideal people.
Thanks so much Emilie!
Great advice! and now that I can sit back and see it I can start planning. Think I may keep my options open 🙂 the Multipotentialites in me will love that. Plus it will give me flexibility to grow. Now I just have to figure out how to put it all together! 🙂
Thanks again for all your help!
Debbie
OMG, I am SO happy I found this, I’m NOT unreliable, indecisive, crazy, immature and I am obviously NOT alone! Thanks so much for writing this all down, I’ll be back after I let this all sink in and did some crying.
Pfew.
Siggy
I usually don’t think of my blog as being a Renaissance blog – it’s just my personal space online. Still, I blog about my interests, which at the moment include board games, podcasting, painting miniature figures, learning how to ride a motor scooter (and the trials of getting it registered), growing vegetables and renovating our house. I also talk about my efforts to make a career out of what really interests me.
I think my overall theme is, getting the hell out of my own way – i.e. fear, uncertainty and lack of self-worth derailing my following of my interests.
So I finally clicked on an idea last night and immediately planned it out. I love music and I know a lot of other people do, but I want to incorporate music socially and spiritually. So I am in the process of beginning a group of people that meet at a public place and kick it while listening to music. That way we can meet new people and enjoy music. But here is the interesting part, I really like to show people songs that mean a lot to me and I know other people do as well but it’s hard to get the mood right when trying to show off your favorite song. So during this social meet up, 30 minutes will be dedicated to a collaborated playlist of songs that mean a lot to people that attend the meetup. 30 minutes of pure silence and soaking in the sounds and lyrics of the music. I think this is a great way just to focus your mind on the songs and emotions it brings you. Hope this works out!
I have to say that reading the material on your site and your guest post on paidtoexist.com was a revelation to me! I have done so many things, and have so many interests that it’s difficult to find that “one” job to satisfy me. I am curious if you could tie in music, technology (my current job is managing all the tech in our building), art, teaching (I LOOOVE helping people understand the ins and outs of things and have them “get” it). I like to think I’m funny too, but that may be just a sad delusion. 😛 Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you!
It took me a while to come up with it, but since I’m a psychologist who blogs about lots and lots of things, I realized that the overarching theme was sanity-saving ideas. I love it. I write for homeschoolers, Christians, and have a growing group of productivity junkies (like me) following me.
Hi Emilie,
Today is my 59th birthday and I feel like I’m about to start life over again (again)!
Earlier this week I stumbled across Puttylike and connected almost instantly as a multipotentialite. I’ve also been reading some of Barbara Sher’s stuff this week about scanners. I have enough experience to know I need to take a breath, apply a bit of critical thinking and explore this some more before declaring it as final but I’m excited to find so much common ground. Thank you!
Today I got your newsletter and started wandering around the links. I read your piece about finding an overarching theme and instantly realized I’ve already begun to explore this idea for myself. I am a road painter! Here’s why: http://jimbeachtulsa.com/about-road-painter/
I’d love to know if you think my concept of “Road Painter” makes sense as that theme and how you’d see applying it so others would get the tie.
Thanks a million for what you’re doing and what you still have to offer.
Hey Emile! Just found your blog and funny enou I was talking about this the other day. I’m trying to find a way to fuse everything together into my current business which is auto transport broker. I love my job but I want a way to incorporate everything and stand out in a crowded market.
Here’s my history/interests
I love women portrait photography (the idea of making someone beautiful and feel good about themselves is empowering.)
I’m an auto transport broker (I love educating my clients on the real way the business works and what to expect. I love it really)
I started out as an enclosed truck driver hauling exotic cars 7.5 years ago and been a truck driver up until I had my daughter and started the business this year (she’s 8 months now)
I have a unimaginable obsessions with military spouses. I am the daughter of a deceased Air Force veteran, a sister of a navy veteran and the niece of a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and many others. At 19 was going to join Air Force myself did testing and all but when leave date approached I chose trucking instead.
I started out in college as a psych major. Never finished but I loved it.
Overall I don’t take life serious, I love making people laugh even at the expense of embarrassing myself.
I’m an Internet-a-holic I spent about 7.75 of the last 8 years on the Internet according to hubby. Smh
I don’t know what you can get out of that. Ugh. Smh. Anyways good luck and any opinions/help would be welcomed.
Xo,
Ashley Your Favorite Auto Transport Broker
Hey Emilie (and all the readers!),
Great article and hits home. I want to work for myself but can’t settle on that great idea with all the competitive advantage or anything that relies on more than one of my strengths.
My day job is an Operations Manager for a video game testing company. I’ve also got this list of things going on:
-Self improvement (goal oriented).
-Running
-Motorcycle riding (long distance, touring, etc)
-Guitar/singing (toured in a rock/reggae band for a couple years, secured endorsements, managed the effort and did the bookings)
-Writing (can’t seem to stick to blogging but I love putting articles together when I have a clear assignment). Published a few articles in magazines.
-Solving problems for other people (I can organize, prioritize, and get to the bottom line/point of things. Provide new perspective, etc).
-Coach others and unify vision. Rally a team. Providing support and removing impediments.
I feel like a go-getter without an idea and that’s incredibly frustrating. Any suggestions to pull it all together?
I’m no expert, but I think that a unifying theme is making visions into reality. You seem focused on logistics, on the ‘how’ of making things happen. That seems very powerful, because many people have great ideas and no idea how to make them happen!
I love this so much I can’t help but comment again, lol. Your posts are just like you were reading a script out of my mind. In searching for my “niche” I’ve actually studied both Apple computers and Virgin Records and the richard branson philosophy I have found strikes a chord within me and that’s actually what I’ve been considering putting into action. I have had and continue to have micro obsessions that have varied from how to generate green energy (ethanol, concentrated solar power, etc) to learning how nuclear weapons work (I once thought that only if I understood them that I could help lobby to eliminate them…)This blog has helped me figure things out. My common thread is life unbounded. Having the capability to live off grid, to be self sufficient, to find inner peace, to wander the world, to own a company that provides me with unlimited financial resources. Thank you Emilie for this.
Emilie,
I love your site and your newsletter. This has given a lot of food for thought. The more I see of your work and vision, the more I want to find a way to help. You are creating so much value!
I’m going to work on my theme and how to communicate it today. Just wanted to put in a quick thank you 1st.
Best Wishes,
Justin
Thanks Justin! 🙂
Emilie,
I’ve found your post and all comments of great value for most multipotentiality people who have interests mostly on the non-technical areas. By non-technical in this context I refer to those areas that are not “brick and mortar” so to speak.
For many years I’ve tried and I am aware of others who tried to come up with an overarching theme for technical and non-technical interests in view of developing lucrative businesses.
Here is an example of a list of interests that don’t seem to fit under an overarching theme:
Ships, boats, floating equipment
Motorcycles, backcountry riding
Luxury cars
Avantgarde technologies
Social and economic trends
International trips both for business and pleasure
Fairs, exhibitions, seminars
Learning insights from wise and successful people
Counselling and facilitation for people of value
Leadership of people in business and politics
Movies, theatre plays, concerts
What’s you thought about the possibility to create an “umbrella” for all these interests and making any money out of them?
Thank you in advance.
Olandy, check out Simon’s Sinek‘s work. I think that the best brands all have a strong Why. There are also clear brick and mortar Renaissance Businesses like Virgin and Apple that house products in multiple realms under one strong ethos.
Hi Emilie,
Just stumbled across this and am really excited to find out that I am not alone! I constantly feel anxious about my lack of direction and feel like I am constantly getting inspired my something then quickly moving on. It would be really helpful if you could help me connect my passions. They are primarily food and wine, travel, sports, architecture and design and photography. Very broad!
I’ve worked in the hospitality industry and also do some modelling, business writing and social media management.
I’m just looking for strategies that can help me ease the anxiety about the constant search for fulfilment. Is there a specific technique that you find helps? eg. yoga etc.
what a find you are, sugar! like i say in the tag line on my blog: some people have a theme, i have a theme park. i’ve spent more years than i can count patting around in the dark for my life’s tag line to the point of complete (well, almost complete) stoppage. i just may give you to me for my birthday . . .
Haha thanks, Wholly! 😀
It feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life for a message like this… I’m devouring Renaissance Business and am so excited for the contribution it will help me bring into the world.
THANK YOU!
Aw thank you, Natalie! 😀
I am a 31 year old wife and mummy to 1 son, who will be 6 years old next week. I live in North West England in the UK. I am wanting to create a blog.
I de-registered my son from Primary school on Monday 13th January this year. He was in Year 1 at school but the school environment did not suit his personality, which surprised me as he is very chatty and outgoing, however I think that is what the teachers and staff couldn’t handle. He was also diagnosed as having an information processing disorder by a speech therapist.
I am awaiting an appointment with CAMHS who will assess him for other disorders as I believe he has ADHD. I also think I have it. My son is very physically hyper, where as I am more internally hyper, in where I cannot slow down my mind alot of the time. I have to use hypnosis and meditation music to slow and calm my thoughts and brain activity down alot. I was sent to the doctors aged 9 for my lack of concentration in class but my doctor never referred me else where.
I have been Home Schooling my son now for nearly 4 months.
I would I have never stuck to 1 thing my whole life, I have dithered through several different college courses, to a few part time jobs and mainly I have enjoyed motherhood the most, despite it also being the most stressful.
I would say my Core Life Values are:
1)Freedom/Flexibility
2)Love/Empathy
3)Creativity/Expression
4) Growth/Experimental “I believe in trying anything once and if you don’t like if don’t feel pressurised to do it again.
5) Wealth/Experience: Experience of learning, life lessons as well as wonderful experiences such as motherhood, holidays etc. Wealth is something I feel linked to freedom, more like a needing and desire for flexibility, variety and freedom and abundance!
I believe areas I am passionate about include:
1) Home Education/Family/Parenting
2) Design (web, technology, fashion, interior, beauty, art)
3) Creativity (Not artist in the painting and drawing sense although I appreciate looking at other peoples art work, I am more drawn to Photography and an Urge to write.
4) Relationships (Not just family and friendship, but networking online with people)
5) Growth/Experience (In learning, self development, I like the idea of creating passive income streams)
6) Social Media and technology (Very much into my technology and love social media.
I have currently for the last 2 weeks, just short of last 2 weeks, been working on a friends Facebook Business page, creating a posting schedule for up to 6 months in advance, and this Sunday it will have been 2 weeks since I agreed to do that and have nearly completed the 6 month schedule in 2 weeks, while home schooling my son. I also also going to be learning more about WordPress and web server management. I have written 1 children’s story in rough as the lady I am doing social media for has a company selling rag dolls and she wants stories to sell with the dolls. The lady may also be starting a dating agency website soon, and has asked if I want to help manage it.
Well I like the idea of creating a blog but feel abit scattered and overwhelmed on where to start and to create a good theme/tagline.
I also suffer abit with self doubt when it comes to writing articles, however I have managed to write 2 articles and actually put them in them in the hands of someone to read and edit for me.
Sorry for the uber long comment, when my mind gets into over drive I can not stop typing! : )
Yours should just be called ‘freedom to be’ and be about your personal journey & day to day experiences. Your own thoughts/musings and how you feel about all of the different areas of your life. You have a lot to share with others in similar positions. You can express the self doubt and also the feelings of overcoming that too. I think that can really help others too. You sound like a bit of a superwoman – but even superhearos are human on their days off!
I would like to know how to combine my interests in philosophy, education (as in I cant help but give people advice & ideas and love teaching), creating art – but high art vs craft (eg. I make installations but also cushions, I would make an abstract film and also a comic style drawing), homemaking and home design, lifestyle & socialising in a city, being an emerging artist/arts professional, fashion- illustartion, design and garment construction, playing guitar, being silly/funny,books & films – especially dystopian and fantasy, science and facts about nature and biology. I think I’m pretty much a realist in – maybe with a touch of the optomistic romantic from time to time!
Love hearing about other people’s ideas, passions and life stories! Keep it up people.
Katie, abit like myself, you interests appear to focus on education or learning in general, experimenting and creative design stuff with abit of science and nature thrown in. I think our themes border on freedom and creativity within the learning experience.
I am very much into Psychology too!
Great post. Just curious, though. What are the success rates like? Are these multipod entrepreneurs making good, stable livings?
Emilie,
I’m so thankful I found your site! I have to say, I was skeptical when I first read your article on the myth of your one calling. But as I was reading, I felt like I was breathing in fresh air after getting used to the stale rhetoric of “find a niche of a niche and then niche it down some more.”
After reading a few more articles, I’m ready to let my platform expand to all of my interests.
Thanks again!
Keegan
Stumbled on your site today from the desperate what-on-earth-should-I -do-with-my-life Google search: “What if I dont have a passion”. Found myself right at home, and have been reading obsessively for a few hours, when I should definately have been doing other stuff 😉
So you love a challenge? How about this one. I just turned forty last week. I have a masters degree in math and physics specializing in math history and didactics. Post degree I started working as a high school teacher and found out that even though I love teaching, I just could not cope with teenagers.
Was fortunate enough to land myself a job as a marketing coordinator/web editor/desktop publisher in a small engineering Company. That was fine for some time as the small size of the Company allowed me to put on a lot of different hats and dive right into a lot of new subjects – so now I’m “sorta good” on things like photo editing and webdesign, I know about basic marketing strategies, SEO and social media marketing and are pretty proficient in Indesign. None of this makes my heart beat faster though – when the initial thrill of learning something new has gone, that is. I have been in this job for 10 years now, and I really feel like I have to “move into my next lifetime”
One day a week, I’m a communications assistant in my church doing newsletters, brochures and and poster design among other stuff.
In my free time I have periodic obsessions with things like:
Knitting
Harry Potter
Recipies
LCHF food
The power of introverts
Kitchen gardening
Zumba
Crocheting
Ancient Egypt
Blogging
Web development
Home decor
YA dystopic litterature
Personality tests
Childrens rights
Spelling and grammatics
Disney musicals
Drawing – zentangle patterns
Digital games
Typically I’ll dive into one of theese and read, think and speek of nothing else for a few months. Then I’ll loose interest, something else more interesting will pop up or I’ll think – better do something else, as I’ll never be able to make a living from this anyway.
Now please squeeze all this into one for me, if you would 😉
Emilie! I am so thankful I ran across your information. My first exposure to you was through your talk at TED. Amazingly freeing.
I love this post and think it’s incredible that you helped your student find some direction.
I’ve run into this same dilemma many times. I believe that culture has pigeon holed me into choosing my “niche.” But I’m not comfortable with simply settling down with one thing.
I have an extremely eclectic list of desires and don’t want to simply give any of them up. There have been a number of times where I wanted to start a blog (so I did) but quickly lost steam because I think it’s been engrained in my mind that I need to be specific to one or two subjects or else. I’m afraid that I have the same outlook on a career.
Without writing you a novel I simply want to ask you to help me find some direction (even if the direction you point me down is a multi directional path 😉 )
My passions are my Faith (I worked in full Time ministry), sports (I was a division 1 football player), Software-as-a-service (I’m currently an IT Staffing consultant), music/stringed instruments, poetry, business-to-business sales, entrepreneurship (I take start-up classes for fun), outdoors (I live in the mountains) and restoring broken things (physically- I make the furniture for my house and fix old rustic pieces as well; metaphorically- I interned in the nations #1 impoverished and crime rated city for a non-profit focused on restoring the city).
How do I make a living off of these without giving up on certain things (and things to come– like learning coding languages which I’ve recently taken up)?
Wow, I’ve been reading through everyone’s comments and I’d love to get some input on where I’m at. I have a B.A. in Liberal Studies and a multiple subject teaching credential with an emphasis on early childhood education (what a mouthful!) I taught for 3 years, then after some fiasco of no fault of my own, I was asked to resign, so I quit and started my own wedding consultant business. I never really liked doing that, brides and mothers were difficult, the hours were long. I made decent money but it was sporadic. During that time, I also dabbled a bit in photography and made a little bit of money on the side doing parties, weddings, and portraits, but never felt I was that good. After about 3 years, I went back to teaching and taught for 3 months and quit. I then went to massage therapy school and spent 6 years running my own day spa, which I liked (most of the time). I lost interest and so income started to dwindle and I went back to teaching. I tried to quit last year and decided to stay. I think I panicked about the loss of the income. Now I’m ready to quit. I miss having my own business but I’m not sure if I want to go back to massage or start something new. Here are my interests:
Making beer soap
Upcycling furniture
Painting signs
Marketing
Photography
Home Interior Design
Writing
Owning my own business (especially the start up and day to day running of the business)
Baking
Animals
Creating
Wood crafts
Houses (especially old houses)
Creating websites
Blogging
I have two websites that define a little bit of who I am: http://www.throughthedutchdoor.com and http://dutchdoorclovis.blogspot.com/
I have a really hard time coming up with my own ideas. However, I am amazing at replicating anything 🙂
Thanks for your input!
You do have a theme – it’s “the hipster/DIY lifestyle” 🙂
Does Writing to Teach make any sense? I dont want to stand up front of people, but I love writing and am happy to teach through writing. I have so many interests. Lets see, shall I copy everyone else and list them?
History in general
Apologetics
Genealogy
History of Science
Antiquarian books and Bibliography
History of books
Reading non fiction
Writng book reviews (off and on)
History of scripts, languages and manuscripts
Certain areas of health (mostly pertaining to family illnesses)
Art History
Pretty much all the social sciences – Archaeology, Psychology, Librarianship, Museums, Archives, Records Management, Anthropology, Sociology, (I do refuse anything to so with religion – except apologetics)
Am looking into perhaps getting into copywriting, as long as I can narrow down the areas I want to work in – but those sound too much like a niche as well. I HATE niches. I’m not very good at deadlines either.
I will have to get your RB business book ASAP.
Emilie. I was blown away by the TED talk. In 38 years I have never been more understood than when I heard your explanation. Finally I can see a light at the end of the tunnel (hoping it’s not a train).
When I was a small kid I wanted to be a bunch of diferente things when I grew up. My parents didn’t understand my lack of focus. I graduated as a Mechanical Engineer.
Some years ago I got my airplane comercial pilot’s licence (which cost me alot of money and I am still paying the loan), but I am still unemployed as a pilot… But the thing is… All of the sudden I do not see me flying as a comercial pilot although I do love flying. Most of my career was as a Ground Instructor for Pilots and Aircraft Mechanics and teaching is something that I do love.
My other big passion is Nature (big big fan of National Geographic)and finally, I am starting to pursue the most recent passion… Photography! Addicted to it! Now… As you can imagine, this is very frustrating for me. I was in a dilema of what I should invest for my future. I did spend a bunch of money in my flying passion but I do want something that has to do with my other passions:
– Flying
– Lecturing
– Photographing
– Nature
Could you please help me find my overarching theme?… Or should I try another approach?… I find this overwhelming and I do confess it is consuming me. Your TED Talk was a “breath of fresh air”…
Best wishes and THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving me hope.
All of this is amazing. I’ve read article after article on here but honestly I’m ready to cry. I’ve never related to anything more than this. This is all so fantastic. I just cant accept it though. Most of my interests involve earth science (Geology, Meteorology, Anthropology, Archeology, Hydrology) exploring different wonders of the world (again relating back to the science) as well as making people happy. I love when someone smiles because of something I did. I’m currently an event coordinator for a chamber of commerce. I have been here 2 years and I’m not happy at all anymore. I love that I can relate to all these posts, and now everything makes so much more sense, but with all this new information about myself, I have no idea where to go from here. I stopped going to college after I got my associate of arts because I can’t figure out what to waste my money on. Obviously I can seem to pick a career path.
Any tips for someone struggling to accept being a multipotentialite? I just want to make a difference and feel like what I’m doing matters. So far the only thing I have come up with that I truly excel at is being a mother. Everything else, I just learn fast then move on.
Sorry for the huge post. Just trying to make sense of everything. I truly do love your post and I’m so glad my mother passed this website on to me.
Hi Emilie
I first saw your TED talk a few days ago, I’ve struggled all my life with problems of wanting to learn many different things and not wanting to be stuck in one area… I started 4 different university courses! and only got my degree because i was forced too finish the course! I didn’t even want the darn thing.
I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression since 2010 and the main issue seems to be my ‘inability to commit to anything’. I can’t pick a job because I want to do so many things, just doing one thing feels like i’m wasting my life away.
I’ve ended up quitting so many jobs and i’m only 26 now, it took me 6 years to finish university as all i wanted to do was learn new things and I feel like i’m getting older and going nowhere!
I have experience in Photography, visual arts, graphic design, and a fashion degree but just feel like I need to bring this altogether somehow!
I’ve had therapists for years trying to figure me out and still nobody can help. My mood has gotten so low sometimes that I just feel like my life is destined to go nowhere. I would love to travel, draw, photograph, make and learn but at the moment, my situation has gotten so bad I have ended up on benefits struggling to do anything!
I am in need of help and was so glad when I stumbled upon this!
I know you wrote this article a few years ago and probably wont reply, but any advice on where I should be going is so much appreciated. I am sick of feeling like a failure who is misunderstood and looked down on like the ‘black sheep’ of the family.
Thank you for what you have done for me
xxx
Hi Amy!
I know it been very long since you wrote your comment, but I just wanted to say that there I felt so many similarities between what you said and my own experience. I’m 26 as well, also went through depression starting 2010 and I also felt during most of my young adult life I wasn’t going anywhere with all my varied interests.
I don’t know much about your current situation, but it seems to me you have really valuable creative skills that could be marketed by creating your own brand. I’m thinking something along the lines of photography, graphic design and fashion, you could start taking photos for emerging models’ portfolios, and then branch out from there.
Know that you’re not alone! I hope that, wherever you are now, you’ll be able to get through difficulties. Your passion for learning is definitely an advantage in today’s career market.
Hi Emilie, I just heard your TED talk and ok, I am struggling trying to connect all puzzle’s pieces of my life. I had a lot of fun reading your About page, when you say you studied law not to be a lawyer: I studied Math to have a wiser and trained mind to have a richer approach to the arts, the literature..not to be a mathematician.. Well it overcame me and I couldn’t avoid to be trapped in a niche life, after a phd and a master. And now, even worse, I have an engineer job. I guess a Karma joke!
But I do need to escape. I love so many things in a so various ways that it is difficult to me to overarch them…. can I try? in a shed order:
reading
writing
photograph
traveling
logic and clear reasoning
deep analysis (everything from me to all I am interested in)
meaning…I need meaning in the things I do, I listen, in my life…
psychology
traditional chinese medicine (O_O)
martial arts
motorbiking
horse riding
singing
I would love to play instruments, but I do not
chatting
body listening
I love stories of people
I love ancient soies, mhyths..
I think our time would need new heroes pushing us to be more freely ourselves
I would like to find my way to coach people, after having coaching me, for sure!
To me the puzzle is too complicated. I always felt my ‘true path’ is a connection and a overlapping of many paths, so I always stayed in interdisciplinary fields (I mean for example math applied to medicine).
But I suffered my way to be so I forced myself to stay in a specialized nich. Fortunately a horse broke my leg and I can see with more clearness I have to find my multitasking path, because going back to work is terrifying!
During my dreams I try evoking Arianna with her wire to find the steps in this labyrinth
However great inspiring job your website, Emilie, thank you!
Hi Emilie:
I found your Ted talk at the perfect time and am just digging into your book. Multipotentialite all the way. My story is that I left corporate 3.5 years ago as I was a tad bit burnt out and decided to start a floral design business which is likely the complete opposite of a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics. Anyway, I am looking for my next gig but would love (and be grateful) for any thoughts on how you would connect the dots below. Additionally, as I look to return to a corporate role (one that wears many hats), I am trying to determine the best way to reflect the business that I started (floral design) without it being a turnoff to potential employers as it is way outside of the work I was doing before.
Thanks a million.
Kristen
Jobs & Interests
Consultant
Ph.D. Agricultural & Natural Resource Economics. Focused mostly on interdisciplinary water policy modeling (math optimization models)
gardner
business strategy
Floral design and entrepreneur
wine / cooking
skiing/ paddleboarding
yoga
meditation
spirituality
web design
analytics, analysis, etc.
international travel (happy to live abroad)
Lately, I have been doing a bit of small business consulting but am looking to head back to corporate. Any thoughts on how I might weave
Hi Emilie,
I went through a couple of the comments and replies thereafter, and getting pretty much curious as well as excited about the word “multipotentiality”, because coincidentally I am also having the same approach towards life(I should say this way.
I have a deep interest in
health & fitness
Home & garden
Self help
and
Spirituality
I am being unable to find out a common theme which can correlate all of these apparently 4 different fields. Could you please find anything for me? I shall be very much grateful for that in that case.
Thank you.
I can’t believe I never knew this was a thing! How validating! I have two businesses and multiple things within each business I do. I have a problem though in that I’m a therapist and my governing board of my license ethical standards prevents me from having any dual relationship. So I would be unable to have a business that offers therapy and other products or services. I really wish it worked because I’m so all over the place with my businesses and none of these ‘specialties’are really taking off. If they were all under one business theme I fell I would so much more confident and saying what I do. Any tips?
Just found your site after hearing on a webinar about a person sharing at a blogging conference about “How to combine different passions into one blog” & didn’t catch who it was, so googled the topic & found another article of yours.
Anyhow I’ve been blogging for a few years, starting by blogging about food intolerances (Feed My Family) but then added in some parenting & faith articles. So changed the tagline to body, mind, heart & soul to cover feeding my family in multiple ways. Now looking to start a business but have ideas for helping others with recipe adaption to cater for food intolerances as well as lots of ideas around helping churches/individuals grow in faith. Keep coming back to can I combine the 2, is it ok to blog about all of this, etc. Your articles might help me get some clarity around this. Thanks
Typed in Google, “can’t just have a niche,” and this article from 2011 appeared…..in May 2019!!! Wonderful article!!! Do you still coach?
I do not. 🙂 But I do lead a huddle in the Puttytribe every month.
Emilie,
I just discovered your blog and the multipotentialite type. I have many interests, but seem to flit from one to another and back – like a ferris wheel where I hop onto different cars to see if it’s the right one. I want to be able to support myself financially with my interests, but I can’t figure out what is right for me. Perhaps your insight can help? I’ve read through your comments on others and I’m amazed at how well you see what everyone else is missing.
My background has been in the health profession – mostly pharmacy. I did get a degree in Public Health. Before that, I worked jobs as a teen/young adult in retail, restaurants, etc. – but they were only temporary starter jobs while in school. I did run different etsy shops (digital, shirts, perfumes, decor), but ultimately, I couldn’t get them to make a decent income – I really poured a lot into the shirt etsy shop and started to do somewhat well, but eventually it lost it’s momentum and I couldn’t save it.
My interests vary (of course):
-I love learning and researching, about anything really, but not super in-depth. For example, I love learning about lots of things – from nature to health to animals to personal finances to climate change (but more of the superficial as in health diagnosis and treatment vs. intricates like cells and bacteria).
-Health
-Travel
-Taking pictures (not professionally – just on easy point & shoot or phone camera) and doing simple edits to make a theme to post on social media.
-Planning (budgets, social media feed, vacations – you name it, but sometimes hate schedules – oxymoron?)
-Animals
-Touristy Things
But I also desire something that can make good money, but is RESPECTED as a job. I like to appear as having a purpose that contributes or betters society in some way – and thats where sometimes I like a proud title and important job. I do well with high reward/feedback, ideally in a monetary AND verbal sense (or social sense with likes/comment/etc).
I struggle with monotony and long projects that either are the same task or don’t allow me to delegate and keep everything running smoothly (in group settings). I also have some social anxiety, so being stuck in a 9-5 really exasperated my anxiety & I value freedom immensely. I don’t like to be stuck at a workplace for set hours, unable to leave when I want – or unable to take days off when I want or work from anywhere I want.
I hope that gives you some insight! I really look forward to your advice. 🙂
@Emilie,
As you discusses in another blog, multipotentialists do things in different ways.
I have a webshop in one niche, where the products are a hobby of mine too. Constant new things and developments keep me interested.
However, on the side I have lots of idea’s for other “niches” I could do business in.
Overarching theme is that I just like to build a business, and I get random idea’s from everwhere.
I would say that an overarching theme, and building one business is not necessary. Having multiple smaller businesses that are not really connected is a way too, right?
Would you agree on that, or how do you look at that? from the article I got a feel there should be a theme, while I see this as an option too.
Niche ideas are very important; it molds and shapes thought of service to create. I call it the flying model. You put in one idea , you may take it out and put another thought idea. It has to fly . Same with self employment; you either fly or die. So you have to fly .
Niche ideas become part of your brain storming; or sometimes it could be with a group .
****Long comment***
Um, I just discovered your website a few minutes ago and I think I love you, lol. (That’s not creepy at all ??).
Seriously though, this may be what I have been looking for. I don’t need to take the quiz to know I am a multipotentialite: lawyer (no longer practice but I keep my license), opera singer (no longer pursuing it professionally), started a dog walking/pet sitting business because I love pets (closed it because it wasn’t right, even though I was great at it and my clients loved me) had a string of day jobs that haven’t worked out. Started a t-shirt business, closed that. Had a podcast, stopped that after a few episodes. I had been working to launch an ads manager business because it is a great skill and good money and I paid a lot of money for a course, but recently realized I would likely end up closing that too. And not to mention my interests and identities: LGBTQIA+, Nigerian, African, immigrant, Black, mental & emotional health, spirituality, wellness, books, disability, public speaking, ADHD, astrology, trauma, relationships, sacred money archetypes, interviewing folks, podcasting, public speaking, content creation. People tell me that they love my energy, I am beautiful and that I should model, and I want to do that too. As you can probably tell, I have ADHD. ? I want to do all the things, I feel like I have so much to give to the world, but I haven’t been able to get it together. It’s been extremely frustrating and I have been feeling like a failure. I googled “how ADHD folks niche down” (or something like that) and your site came up (good SEO btw!) I almost don’t even want to hope that I can have a business that encompasses my many interests, but I am willing to explore it. ADHD folks are persistent, and I certainly am that. So even though I don’t need the quiz, I will take it anyway for new insights and to get on your email list. I also downloaded the first chapter of your book. I probably will buy the whole thing, but I tend to impulse buy so I am going to wait. I will likely check out your TED Talk. Thank you so SO much for all you are doing. ??? Chichi
Hello everyone! I’m new to this space and absolutely love it here! I’m currently a paramedic and have been in medicine off and on since my 20s. I’m almost 40. I’ve had so many interests throughout my life and have always wanted to start my own business. I just don’t know how to merge everything I’ve been into. I took it upon myself to list everything I have dabbled in and I’ve definitely noticed a theme with them. They are as follows;
Medicine = healing
Spirituality, life coaching, hypno, yoga= healing
Educating people about spiritual and narcissistic abuse = healing
Writing = creative
Graphic art/design = creative
Coding = creative
Hairstyling/wig making/makeup = creative
Fashion design = creative
Interior design = creative
Crocheting = creative
Music production = creative
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
After losing my job in February, I’m taking much of what I’ve learned in the corporate world (communications, marketing, design, process, program management, and more) and helping my wife build h er pottery business, which encompasses making, selling, and teaching pottery. I have two daughters who artists (illustrators and designers) and I’m hoping to work with them to broaden the business to include design and marketing for other small businesses. Our long-term vision (overarching theme) is what we call the Big Red Barn, a non-profit, community-focused creative center that can provide learning, events, and workshops. I hope to squeeze in theater and music, two of my personal joys. Really, anything could happen in this environment. We bring people together in a safe learning environment to grow as individuals and community.
Hey Marcus, I love your idea. It’s so sweet and will no doubt bring a lot of good into the world. Best of luck!
You TOTALLY just described my business. I chose to to push against the advice to have my business do / be known for one thing. It didn’t feel authentic. And by not picking, by promoting generalism, I am now KNOWN as the Generalist Consultant. My theme is critical thinking, making better, faster decisions. Emilie, you always seem to write your articles right on cue with what is going on my world.