STUDIO NOTES 004.
When you feel like your audience is small, remember: niche isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. A focused brand builds deeper trust and clearer demand.
There’s a quiet pressure in business to appeal to more people. To go broad. To be the kind of brand that everyone might love. But in reality, most of the strongest artisan businesses are built on specificity, not scale.
Being niche doesn’t mean limiting yourself. It means anchoring into who your work is really for and letting that shape how you show up. When you get clear on what makes your brand different, and you speak directly to the people who truly value it, your business begins to deepen.
It might not grow fast at first. But it grows in the right direction.
Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, a niche business focuses on resonance. And resonance leads to loyalty. To word-of-mouth. To customers who not only come back but tell others why they should too.
Take a moment to think how a customer might rave about your business to their friend. Do they have a way of elaborating why exactly their friend must know about your product?
Let me give you an example.
A soap business who makes a broad range of soaps. The customer who loves them needs to be able to articulate the why when telling their friend oh you'll love this soap brand (why?)...
Because they smell nice just isn't enough to stand out in a sea of possible soap businesses.
But if that soap brand is known for using foraged botanicals from the Cornish coast, or creates blends based on ancient rituals, or caters specifically to people with sensitive skin using a unique process — now there’s something to say.
Niche isn’t about excluding people. It’s about making your work more memorable. More talk-about-able. It gives your customers language to advocate for you — because they get you, and they want others to get you too.
So when you feel the pull to go broader, to appeal to more people, take a moment to ask: would this make it easier or harder for someone to explain what makes my brand special?
Resonance is rarely found in the general. It lives in the specific.
I’ve seen founders feel stuck in the early stages because their audience is small but often, it’s that same specificity that sets them up for long-term success. Their message is clearer. Their product stands out. Their customer knows exactly why they choose them.
As a fan of
Ela Life bath salts, I asked founder Anna Schmidt how their products make their customers feel.
There's something powerful about the little rituals we create for ourselves. The scent that greets us in the morning, the quiet pause before the day begins. The feeling of coming back to ourselves, even if just for a moment.
At
Ela Life, we've heard so many stories from our community - stories of connection, of comfort, of clarity. Whether it's a calming oil blend, a nourishing balm, or a refreshing body wash, these products aren't just part of a routine, they've become part of a rhythm. A way to anchor the day, a way to feel more you.
For some, it's about rekindling a memory, a feeling long forgotten. For others it's about creating new ones. What matters most is that these moments feel meaningful, intentional and real. And that's what we hope to offer, not just something to use, but something to feel.
Don’t rush to dilute what makes your brand unique. Being niche allows you to build something memorable. Something rooted in purpose.
And in a noisy world, clarity is more valuable than reach.
You don’t need to appeal to everyone. You just need to connect deeply with the right people. That’s the beauty of being niche.
