Most of us know that to succeed in business we need to find a niche. But often other factors take precedence. Many women start a business to work around family commitments, and so choose an industry that is conducive to that, rather than researching possible directions. But finding a niche is essential to long term success.

But how do we do that? What does ‘finding your niche’ look like?

Recently I had lunch at a new local restaurant. When I arrived at the restaurant it was immediately obvious to me that this business has found their niche. It was not that they are doing any one thing that makes them stand out from other restaurants. But they have worked hard to pull together a number of small, but meaningful aspects that combined, are establishing them as a memorable eatery.

What stood out to me was that the business owners have done their research. They have responded to what they know their local community enjoys. A key factor in their success seems to be the experience they provide for people: they have a great ambience, the food is upmarket yet not overpriced and staff are friendly and interested.

As you can see by this example, ‘finding your niche’ does not necessarily mean finding one unique product or service. Your niche can be a combination of tried and true factors. If you are still not sure how to find your niche, just start doing one area exceptionally well. Simply by doing that you will begin rising above all the other businesses who are content to keep doing what they’ve always done.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender