I couldn't resist! Maybe my niche is wrong? What do I do?
I love cats and all animals, but cats rock my world! I live for cats, but I don't know what to do with it.
I don't care if they're considered cute, so-called ugly, disabled, geriatric, feral or shelter cats, I want to help them.
The niche I chose is far from this.
And I do love my small space, but my mind has been going back to cats.
Do I change? What do I do?
Here's the video that tugged at my heart.
https://www.facebook.com/myworll/videos/254367132094136/UzpfSTExMzIzNzQxNDU6Vks6MjUzMTU4ODMzMDIyNTk5MQ/?multi_permalinks=2531588330225991¬if_id=1559445510976796¬if_t=feedback_reaction_generic
Please let me know what you think. I am confused.
Recent Comments
36
I think that you should, at least temporarily, if you feel far enough along in your online business journey, try 2 websites (if you are prepared to put in the extra time and effort.) I think the cat site will probably quickly surpass your current website that does not fulfill you emotionally or spiritually. There are TONS of people who feel the same way you do about cats. They will find you, as long as you're out there.
I noticed many years ago that there are 2 things people will almost always spend their time, and especially money, on: their kids and their pets. Make some of that feline expenditure money come your way while forming new emotionally and spiritually enriching relationships at the same time.
I'm sure you've heard it said way too many times before, but now that I have been middle-aged for quite some time, I know just how true it is: life is UNBELIEVABLY SHORT. There's no time to waste at all in not following your passions. The #1 thing that people say they regret the most about their lives when on their deathbeds is the things they did not do that were they passionate about that they did not pursue or try. That doesn't have to happen to you. I followed my dream of being a professional musician for a long, long time, because it was my one true passion in life. Eventually, it paid off in more ways than I can count. DO WHAT YOU LOVE!! If I can offer any more assistance, please let me know.
Brian
That is awesome Brian. Thank you!
What is your music genre? Do you play instruments, sing, compose or all of the above. I love music as well.
I play drums, and contributed to some writing projects. The writing didn't go far, but the live performances on a very regular basis is where I had success.The bands I was in were classic rock/metal.
I'm semi-retired now, but only because my drumset was stolen several years ago (a $10,000+ loss!!). I am still putting money together to buy my next drumset. Professional level kits are outrageously expensive, but I'm getting there, and I will definitely be back out there again. It is deeply embedded in my soul, and I will play until the day I die!
I truly hope you both follow and achieve your passion. No matter how tough things get, if you persevere relentlessly, you WILL get there. Thanks for replying, Desiree. Let me know how things go for you. I am interested.
Brian
Thank you. I love classic rock and metal I'd love to hear what you've done!
Good drumsets are very expensive! My youngest son, who recently moved from Hawaii to South Dakota also had a band. He played the grunge style that I can't get in to but I supported him anyway. He played drums and "sang." I know he'll do it again because he had a band here in the mainland before he and his family left for Hawaii. It's in his blood.
I love cats, small spaces and I also love to write, but that's another story altogether. LOL
I have two novels completed, one 3/4 completed and the other in planning. Gotta love vampires. :)
Thanks for the reply and the support. I really do appreciate it!
Congratulations on writing your novels. That is quite an undertaking. That shows you right there that you can accomplish anything you want. That seems to me to be very difficult, time consuming, and frustrating at times.
Unfortunately, the small amount of recordings I've done are things I don't have copies of anymore. What I did was almost exclusively live, and my Mom recently accidentally sold my last copy of any live performances at a garage sale. I gave it to her for safekeeping, but I didn't label it clearly, and she sold it for 25 cents. Ouch!!!! I will be doing this again in the future, and hopefully at least some live recordings will be made (probably just video.) Money for studio time is a long ways away. Those places cost a couple million dollars a minute, it seems. This will all occur again in good time, though. I have faith!
Our BELOVED cat, Lyla, just turned 20 a couple of weeks ago. She's really slowed down a lot, so our whole family is kind of in pre-mourning a little right now. We will really, really miss her! But what a blessing to have her in our lives for so long.
Great to hear back from you. I've enjoyed our conversations today. I see great success for us both. Keep on keepin' on!
Brian
My novels were a work of love, so to speak. I didn't write them for money. I wrote them because I loved my characters and the world I created and guess what, my beta readers loved them too! Great reviews.
Mom means well...she didn't understand.
I understand about your kitty. I had two cats years ago that I had the privilege and heartbreak of helping them cross the rainbow bridge. I was there and when they crossed it, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I had o wipe away the tears on this post. It's okay.
I have one cat now. She needed a good home and she's spoiled. Ooops!
I'm here for you..
I just loved that video it was really cute , thanks for sharing . your niche is what you know how to do or like to do so go for something about cats . Thomas
Thank you. I'd been toying with the idea of adding a category for pets and the small office (I'll think of another name).
Most people have a pet and if you have a home office, large or small they will be a part of it and we need things that will keep our furry or feathered friends happy while we do what we need to.
A penny for your thoughts...
I know that my brother is a VP for Bank of America and works for home. At every party he always has a comical story of his cat and his keyboard, or something on his desk, or the 'talking.'
I'm sure there are many others who have dogs and cats and work from home.
But, you're right, are there enough to sustain an Affiliate Program?
Go with your passion. Commune with people like you.
It will keep you going.
Best of success to you.
Mike
Cats and dogs can be truly funny and very entertaining!
I'm figuring it all out, which I do believe now is part of the journey. Where you start may not be where you end up or where you start morphs into an amalgamation of what you've imagined.
Thank you for your kind words and support.
Many blessings to you!
First, ask yourself if your current niche is a passion of yours. If it's not a passion, switch to a kitty niche because you will get bored.
If your current niche IS a passion though, stick it out. You can always do another website for your kitty niche at a later time. :)
Well, this will come from a dog person. If your heart is not in it. It will be difficult to keep your eyes on your main goals you wanted to achive. Maybe bite the bullet keep focusing on what you doing now until you reach the level of earning an income for your efforts and then start with the cats' niche. This how I see it.
I have been where you are. Interesting to see what responses are given to this post. After doubting my niche at one point and having a break from it ... I googled my
posts and seen nearly 75% of my posts rankings had climbed, with two posts ranking and holding 1, page 1. It kept the fire going on a niche I thought might be a failure that I was “ over” working on anymore..My niche is not my “ favourite” but has an element of safe business potential ? so I’m sticking with that ... I came here to learn to make money online and I think a balance is what is needed. A balance between passion and business. The niche your doubting or “not passionate about “ just may be your money maker. ? It’s probably no help if your completely over your niche but if it has at least 10 posts and some basic structure with boxes ticked , then it’s worth keeping and breaking through your doubt with a new take on your niche. You could change your theme , edit posts ,images or layout or writing style to recapture a new and more exiting web presence to reignite your motivation with your chosen niche. Best of luck :)
Thank you! I love small spaces, but I think the cute cat pics got to me.
I'm not over my niche. I've lived in small spaces all my life and love them.
I'm still working on my website.
I'm on level 3 of the entrepreneur training, just got stalled at the create a new post. I was on the part about the buying cycle and catching folks at the part they're looking to buy and the nested what if statements started running through my head. I over analyzed once again!
Thanks for all your comments, they're greatly appreciated and I will come back to them.
Maybe stay with your niche of small spaces.
And develop a 'comic relief' Button on your Main Menu for Pets in the Office.
Everyone likes to relieve their concentration with some warm fuzzies.... or chocolate, or cafe au lait, or ....
Mike
Believe me, I understand loving cats. As you know, I have a cat website.
There are many, many people with cat blogs online. Go on FB and see how many cat groups they have. So you have a very large audience, and that is the up side.
The down side is that there is not a lot of money in cat products. Oh, yes, you can make some $$ if you sell a few large cat trees, for example, but most cat-related things are not too expensive.
There is also a lot of competition, which is not necessarily bad, but it is not necessarily good, either.
Perhaps that is my experience because I sell many books, and there isn't much money in affiliate book sales.
I think it boils down to you. If you have a good start on your present website, it might be a waste of your time to start over. However, you need to be happy with what you are doing.
Did you get a chance to look at my website, by the way?
Click on my picture, which takes you to my profile page. On the right side, under my posts, all the way at the bottom are my web addresses. The cat website is on there. Strange as it is, I can tell you that, but I can't just type the web address on here.
I love your website and what a unique name for it! It's clean, well organized and funny! I love your style.
Gotta love cats. They are unique creatures and full of wonder and sometimes (or maybe most times) orneriness.
There is no easy answer here...from what I've seen and heard in our community. Many of our experienced affiliates have offered that changing niches is usually not a good idea.
The obvious problem is that when we made our initial decision about a niche, we were just starting out and some could have rushed the thought process a bit in the hurry to begin a website.
Now, I have no idea if that was the case with you....but, I am certain one needs to be passionate about their niche!
We can of course, conduct research on any subject..and perhaps, "fake it till we make it".
My belief is that passion about a subject, usually equates to knowledge, enthusiasm, and a certain comfort level difficult to match.
We need to be knowledgeable, we must be enthusiastic, and we should feel great about what we are doing!
I hope this helps a little, and I am sure that other affiliates will be able offer even more insight.
Regards,
Billy
It does help and thanks for your reply. Maybe I need to be more like Data from Star Trek the Next Generation or the perennial favorite Mr. Spock from the original Star Trek series. Sometimes. my logical side malfunctions.
IMHO, we may have to draw a line between what our emotional passion is and what a sustainable niche may be.
It may sound cruel perhaps but the emotional side is being pitted against an analytical, keywords, SEO, etc, driven system.
Can the two meet? Surely I think that they can, but perhaps not always and not as often as we want them to.
I will give you and example and I hope that it will be useful to you.
A while ago here in chat at WA a new member was asking the opinion of others of how to best choose a domain name for her website which was going to be geared towards the minimum wage earners.
At first, I thought it may be an emotionally guided decision for her to choose that niche.
After I gave her my suggestion for the domain name, it became clearer that she had a brilliant idea in promoting WA to help out those minimum wage earners who undoubtedly would love to not only escape their predicament but to also fully prosper using WA and affiliate marketing.
Do you see how the two met in her case? Both the desire to help (emotional) as well as promoting WA (affiliate marketing) niches fused together in one.
I hope that this helps and that whatever decision you make it will bring you great success.
Blessings!
PS: The video is truly touching and I see how you may feel torn in your decision-making process.
AffMktgrt, good point about sustainability but I'd have to say I'd be very surprised if cats or even a lot of subniches related to cats *aren't* profitable or sustainable!
There is nothing wrong with emotionally guided choices if that emotion is passion. Perhaps I am biased because I like cats too, but there are billions of dollars being spent on cats, you must agree. I just looked up the pet care industry, 131.7 billion dollars per year. A lot of that is feline related!
The pitfall is, as you say, related to that which is not profitable nor sustainable. 'Cat's' doesn't have that problem.
I suppose it could be possible to get emotional about keyword choices. that would be a mistake most likely, as such choices need to be based on rational and logical motives.
cheers Marc
Thanks, Marc, I have tried to present both sides of the coin and if possible, like in the sample I gave, the one-sided coin which fuses them both.
Blessings
Yes, emotionally based keywords may not be a great option. It's just confusing right now.
Cats are a big market, the problem is drilling down into it. Oh dear, that sounds so awful. It's not meant that way. I really do want to help.
Honestly I think emotional passion is a benefit.
The problem is launching into a niche that doesn't make money.
Fran has posted below remarks related to the pertinence of profitability in this niche for affiliate marketers. So there is money to be made.... but maybe not on high ticket sales very much. I suppose one could do webinars about cats, who knows?
But, it looks like if one is passionate about cats and making money on top of it, one is going to need to write some books of their own about cats -- fiction, non-fiction, children' books, whatever -- and then market the hell out of them and themselves, get a following, get a forum going, sell retail products, and the like.
I could be missing something but I can say this, to do all that one needs to be very passionate about cats cats cats no matter how many coins are in the fountain.
cheers
no not all!
you will have to drill into the cat sub-niche that's manageable and find some long tail keywords and so on.
If you are passionate about cats, maybe if you like to write, get some books going about cat adventures in outer space or whatever ;) (maybe that's too outside the box!)
But you got me thinking...What about including cats as part of your small office? If you have them, they will be a part of it. So, what do you do when your cat lays on your keyboard, besides pet it? Are there things that you can have that will keep your cat happy while you do the needful things? Yes, I do believe so.
The same goes for dogs, although I don't think many lay on your keyboard. :) I love dogs as well, but have a cat (notice I didn't say own one?) LOL
Pets are a big part of most people's lives and how to keep them happy while doing what needs to be done, priceless!
"Of Cats And Keyboards, Beware The Mouse" a new gripping drama which will make anyone seeing it an expert blogger and SEO guru expert. Coming to the WA TV summer line up.
The cats will follow your fingers and you type on your keyboard and pounce with open claws.
It is like an advanced version of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing but with a lot more pain and BandAids.
Place the cat litter box near the PC for a quick pit stop and then back to work.
Last but not least, look out for the mouse or mousepad.
Blessings!
Sounds very entertaining and could be quite painful as my cat has her claws.
Oh dear, I thought I was the only one that remembered Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing! She did teach me how to type though.
Well, my "litter box" is very close by, gotta love small spaces so I think I'll keep my kitty's box in there as well. :)
You are too funny! Thanks for the funny and thought-provoking post!
It's better to change your niche now, than wait and agonize and change it later.
I've already changed mine twice! Yes, I lost time and effort but in the long run I think I made the right choice.
I think you are watching Tiffany's new training on the Minimum Viable Business Plan, right?
My best suggestion is to continue to track her ideas on these trainings and use that as your guide. She's had some real experience with false starts and so on.... I know I am watching her training closely, that's for sure :) Intro to the Minimum Viable Business Planning Series
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Hi Desiree, quite funny. Got hooked there, couldn't stop watching some of the stuff.
Me too...It is seriously funny and cute. Got me hooked as well.