By Shanon D. Murray

One decision that has been the most helpful in growing my coaching practice is defining my niche. A coaching niche is a specialization in a particular area—a type of industry or service company, a type of client, or particular leadership skills—and having expertise in that area.

If you don’t know your niche yet, it’s easy to research the possibilities. Top 10 lists of “the hottest” or “most profitable” life coaching niches abound. Some examples of different types include:

1) Executive Coaching: Helps senior leaders enhance their personal development and leadership skills.

2) Retirement Coaching: Helps individuals prepare for and transition into retirement, primarily focusing on the non-financial aspects of this significant life change.

3) Health Coaching: Empowers individuals to make sustainable changes in their health and well-being

4) Relationship Coaching: Helps individuals and couples improve their interpersonal relationships. 

According to “The Professional Coaching Handbook: Helping People Take the Next Steps to Success” by Dr. Brenda C. Chand, identifying your niche helps coaches focus on potential clients as you market your coaching practice. 

Instead of being a generic life coach in a saturated market, you can set yourself apart and stand out as a specialty coach, according to the Handbook.

In my coaching career, I’ve zeroed in on executive coaching as a niche. Even more specifically, I focus on helping high-capacity leaders discover and activate their “next.”

This particular niche has proven to be an effective focus area for my coaching business, which is based near Washington, D.C. This region, and many others around the country, has been immensely impacted by the recent mass layoffs at federal government agencies – some 275,000 layoffs haven been announced this year so far.

I’m currently coaching high-performing professionals who are now at the end of rewarding careers and find themselves wondering, “What now?”

Navigating the tension between their sense of accomplishment from a successful career and the uncertainty of what comes next is where executive coaching comes in. 

Achieving their “next” requires these leaders to bridge the gap between what they are experiencing (sudden job loss and an uncertain future) and what is possible (activating their passions and dreams).

Whether these leaders are considering stepping into their next chapter, or a new role, or stepping into their purpose and discovering their power, coaching helps embolden them to courageously dream out loud.

Sometimes when a career comes to an unexpected and abrupt end, finding one’s “next” may seem like a daunting task. This is why I’ve chosen executive coaching as a niche. I want others to realize that this isn’t the end of their story—it’s the beginning of something greater.

Whether you intend to be a generalist or a specialist, coaching is transformative for clients. But I’ve also discovered that having a niche may also transform your coaching business for the better.