Niching Down in Your Business with Chynell Moore

Kirsten 0:04

You're listening to the creative teacher podcast, a show for busy teachers looking for ways to engage, inspire and make an impact in their teacher businesses. I'm Kiersten, a teacher business owner who is all about simple and actionable tips, strategies and resources that result in wins, big or small. If you're looking for that extra spark of creativity, you've come to the right place. Let's dive in together.

Hi, there, and welcome to another episode of the creative teacher podcast. You are going to really love this episode because I have Chanel more on the podcast. And she is going to talk all about niching down. Some of us might be thinking, Is it even worth it to niche down? What should we do to niche down? How can we tell if we should niche down and how to even start thinking about niching down in the first place. So this is a really great episode to listen to, if you're not sure if you should continue uploading different products, or if you should really focus in or hone in on something. If you don't know who Chanel is. She is the host of the routine, your dream podcast. And she's also a marketing and business coach for teacher entrepreneurs who want to scale their business to six figures and beyond on TPT. You're going to love this episode, and I can't wait to share it with you.

All right, so we have a wonderful guest today. Chanel is on the podcast. So thank you for being here. Welcome.

Chynell 1:58

Thank you for having me. I'm so happy to be here.

Kirsten 2:02

Yes, I was really loving chatting with you before we recorded. So I know that there's a lot going on with you and your life and your new baby. But just tell us about yourself and what you do. And you know what life is like for you right now?

Chynell 2:21

Okay, well, my name is Chanel and I am a coach for TPT sellers who have matched their teacher salary most likely and are looking to like take it from I have a TPT store too. I have like a thriving six figure multi six figure business. So that is my sweet spot. And specialty. I like to say I'm kind of a gross like strategist in a way. Because that's what I love to do.

Kirsten 2:50

Yeah, that sounds great. All right. So let's go into our topic for today. niching down, I've seen different avenues different opinions about this and Facebook groups about like, Should you niche down? Should you just upload different things. So I'm excited to talk about this with you. But let's just kind of set some groundwork lay the basic framework, what is a niche? And why would this be something that's important for sellers, can you give us your thoughts about this?

Chynell 3:22

Sure. And also, if you've heard like contrasting viewpoints, we can also explore that to help you know the listener make an informed decision about the route they want to take. Absolutely me a niche is like where you're putting your sign in the ground or whatever. It's something that you specialize in. It's what people know you for your products are all centered around that niche. And I always like to say you're not married to your niche, it doesn't have to be a forever thing. But it is something that like you commit to for at least a year to three years before you say okay, like I'm moving on I've outgrown this niche I actually think of it like a department store. So if you were to go to Target targets kind of like very general you can go to the shoe section you can go to the toilet paper aisle like you have a lot in that store happening where as let's use the cleaning aisle for example inside of target. If you were to niche down into like cleaning products like your scrub daddy or whatever, you're gonna be in that like yeah, a lot of sellers start off with like a little bit of the shoe section over here but they don't have like aisles and aisles of shoes they have like a couple of shoes aka like a couple math products and then they have like the makeup section which might be a total like social studies and like all those things are multi grade level. There's all over the place. Whereas a niche to me is somebody being able to like walk in your store and have everything at that they need for that topic at their fingertips. So you're going deep set of broad.

Kirsten 5:06

Yeah, I love that point that you made about the department store with scrub daddy like niching down in that. But also, there have been comments about like, oh, people are gonna just find you in the search results anyway. So you can just kind of upload whatever you're teaching, like, whatever, you know, that kind of thing. So some people have said, we don't really need a niche in that kind of sense weed, all we have to do is just whatever selling we just make whatever is selling, and just kind of put a little bit of everything out there. So what would you say to somebody thinking in that realm of like, and I know, like, I started out that way, I was, of course, uploading stuff that I've taught. And because I was teaching multiple grades, and I was like, I taught this in kindergarten, I taught this in fifth grade, I'm gonna upload it and try to sell it, you might that might work for some people listening, it actually is going to go down to your vision, and where you see yourself taking your business.

Chynell 6:06

iched and after she niched so: 2020

Kirsten: 11:13

Yeah, that's a really great point of view. Yeah, I love how you laid that all out. Because it is kind of hard to be going at you, you try to get advice. And everybody's telling you all these different things like, oh, this podcast says to niche down and this, this person, and this random Facebook group is saying, Well, you don't need to, you can just upload whatever you want. But like you said, it comes down to the vision. So I love your point of view on that. And I think a lot of my listeners are probably in that boat where like, well, if they're, if they're listening to this podcast, a lot of them are likely going to be in that boat of like, they want to make a good amount and you know, in this and try to really focus in on like the business goal, rather than, you know, just kind of dabbling around and just seeing what happens kind of thing. So I love your take on that. All right. So going into kind of what you mentioned about how we are trying to like the example you said about this person who like she really wanted to see like, Okay, this was just one year of niching down, like, let's see what we can do with the next year kind of thing. Like how like she was really, it seems like very motivated cheer, he was very motivated in like, what more can she do to scale with this niche? So maybe there might be some listeners out there who, like, they're not really sure where to go of like, Okay, do I need to focus in on this subject or this grade level? So taking kind of like a little look or audit, what are some clues someone might have, like, I can take this avenue into niching down, like I want it like maybe their vision is I want to niche down, I want to make as much as I can to match or surpass my teacher salary, or just scale as much as possible, where should I look to see where to niche down?

Chynell: 13:10

Okay, so like, let's just break this down, then in first, if you're listening and you're like that, then we need to at least first decide like where you're at in the niching spectrum. So I have a broken down into like, four milestones from completely clueless to, you've mastered your niche. Okay? So if you're listening, and you're there, let's let's start by identifying like where you're at in that spectrum. So if you're in the first phase of this, then you're still seeking, you're still exploring, but you're not sure where your focus should be. You're trying things but you don't have a groove for sure. You're still open to whatever, like you said, like you, you're like, Oh, I taught this, you know, like Mozart, you know, there's various grades I've taught, so like, where do I specialize in? If you're at that stage, then the best thing you could do right now is start by thinking about the fact that you I'm assuming most people listening have like an education degree like you, you paid like 10s of 1000s of dollars to like, specialize in like, you'd have knowledge. Maybe you've taught kindergarten, but you're currently in second grade, you have to like shift that mindset of where your passion is. I know I was like, ripped out of my favorite position and put into a testing grade because they wanted me in a testing grade. And it was like heartbreaking. So like you don't have to create based on what you're creating for your classroom you can create to grow a business so like, that's one thing I want to make sure everyone's clear on because most people start selling on TPT by just saying, Well, I'm using this in my classroom anyways, let me throw it up on TPT and see if it works, which is fine. Like a lot of people find their niche that way. But if you're thinking phase you can you can also consider what your gifts are like where your knowledge and passion are. And it doesn't have to be aligned with your current position. If you're still in the classroom. The other thing you might want to do is just even research niches, like, if you teach first grade, like, look like spend time just looking at what's out there from a buyer's perspective of like, first grade products, you know, in first grade content, like, your niche isn't necessarily first grade, you know, like, you can really find a sweet spot within that. So you can start looking for gaps. Like, for example, you could combine social emotional learning with first grade. So you might not say, Oh, I'm just social emotional learning for K 12. No, you could actually specialize in the primary social emotional learning, you know, like, Yeah, like that. So after you're like, still, in that seeking experimenting phase, the next phase would be like the awakening. Like, you're starting to have some realizations, or like, we could call it the realization phase, where you're seeing glimpses of what you're good at. The pieces of the puzzle are there, but not the whole puzzle. But you're right, like, you're right there, you're on the brink of it. So like, maybe you've started to like, dab, you're dabbling, and you're like, oh, like, out of the 10 products I have, this one seems to be like, kinda like doing better than the rest, or I really, like, he had a lot of fun creating, like, I don't know, escape rooms or something, you know, like, you're kind of like experimenting, you're dabbling, but like, you start, you're starting to see glimpses at that stage of your listening, are you at that stage. And if you are, then start your action item of that stage is test and experiment, and just continue to test and experiment start, like, just, I'm thinking about the person who you said, like to start creating things in the search results will find you. I mean, at that point, you could start creating things that are like, you know, like, Oh, I think our mind is something you know, but then, as you progress, you know, it's not like one day you wake up and you're like, I am officially niched, you know, like, it's a, it's a journey. It's a journey. So like, Sure, the next phase is like, the refinement, like, you're not 100%, clear. But you are, you have an idea of like, okay, I'm pretty sure this could be my niche. And at that stage, you know, you're really starting to see success with some products. And what's key at that stage is listening to customer feedback, and really like seeing like, okay, am I like, Are people loving with what I'm putting out? Or do I need to flop? Yeah, and do or there needs to be some tweaks possibly to see, like, you know, and this is truly the tweaking refinement stage of your niche. So, like, let's use the social emotional learning, and primary example like, that is still very broad, in the sense of like, where are the gaps in that? You know, like, are you just like, doing a ton of things? Or are you really helping with like, I don't know, classroom environment, like the calming corners and things, you know, like, that kind of thing? Like, are you really that are there? Or are you like putting a behavior spin on it, like reducing behavior using social emotional learning, I don't know, I am not this, like SEO expert. So this is probably a, you know, not the greatest example. But the key is to just like really start like figuring it out. And then sometimes, you know, product types is another thing that you're focused on at this stage of like, okay, I just realized I'm great at like, more digital, like, I know what I'm creating content products and content about but my people I'm looking at, like, independent, you know, like student practice things, verse, small group verse, you know, like, or assessment, like, you can really build out so much just refining there. And then of course, the last stage would be like, niche mastery. At that stage. You're like, I know what I'm about, like, I know what my niche is, and I'm building my business around it. And it's very clear. At that stage, I would say you would know, if you're at that stage, if you're really good. Like, you're in your group, you're there's no like, Gee, I wonder what, like, you could literally map out products for the rest of the year within your niche and you'd be fine and know that it was going to be like successful, so to speak, you know, like confident in that sense. It's not just this lack of direction. So that's how I break down the the stages or phases of the like niche spec, finding your niche spectrum, we'll call it.

Kirsten: 19:47

Yes, I love all of that. And I think it's definitely relatable, especially I know in my own TPT store, like I I've gone through those steps. And now I'm I feel like I'm kind of out that cusp of niche master versus you know, because I'm still updating stuff on my website, but like, I have funneled down from ELA Oh, actually, it was like K through five to ELA social studies in upper elementary. And now I'm like niching, down to Texas social studies for upper elementary. And so, and at the same time, I'm like, Well, my other resources are still selling, my ELA resources are still selling. And so it is kind of like a struggle, like, Well, shouldn't I be promoting all of these other things that sell but this is, in the last six or so months, I've been really trying to focus on mainly social studies, because I know, that's what my like, that's what my audience wants, and they like, from my store. And so it is kind of like a struggle, like I need to get those other resources in. But I kind of liked the simplicity of, I shouldn't say simplicity, but just like, you don't have to think of all these different things. Like, the more you niche down, I feel like the more creative and the more, I don't know, focus you you can get with just that one sweet spot that you're in in your niche. And at the same time, you're fulfilling a need that people are loving and wanting.

Chynell: 21:18

I mean, absolutely. And I think as you go through those, as you progress through that spectrum, action creates clarity, you know, like, that's a famous thing or reason. So like, Now, you may find yourself in that spot where you're like, Oh, crap that run random social studies, like poorly. But I now know, I want to do math, you know, or like, yeah, so here's, I want to speak to that. This is what I tell like my clients think of it like in terms of like, where to focus because most people listening like do not have like teams, they are like, you're not like this major company. You're not like a publishing company where you can truly serve like multiple niches at once. You don't have the bandwidth or capacity, right? So like, that's why I say you're not married to your niche, but like, Let's go fill that one, like section of target, you know, like, let's not go to the paper towel aisle and there's like one roll, like, no, let's build out like, Let's fill those aisles. And then once you're like, Okay, I feel like my aisle is full here. Where am I moving next to? Do I want to stay within? Meaning, you know, like, that is? That's how I think about it. And then it's so then it's like, okay, I'm committed to filling out those aisles, so to speak in my store. Yeah. Okay, but what about those things that are making me some nice chunks of change? The way I look at it is like a fast food restaurant, like, I don't know, McDonald's. So McDonald's has two ways you can eat there, right? You can go through the drive thru. Or you can go in dine in and stay a while, there might even be a plain place for your kids to play. And it can be a total experience. Whereas somebody who's just coming through the drive thru, they are not getting the full McDonald's experience. So what I mean by that is, and I do have clients who, because they were in experimental phase, they have products that are not aligned to like their biggest moneymakers, so to speak, but still worthy of, it's still bringing in a nice chunk of change. So what I say is, like, treat that like your drive thru. So it's okay to run a paid ad to that product. Like you don't have to, like keep those people. They're just coming through the drive thru, you know, like, so a Facebook ad is constantly sending, like a high converting Facebook ad that you're seeing, like the money come in from, like, who cares? You're not gonna keep them anyways, they can in one door out the other kind of thing. Whereas like, Okay, what am I blogging about? What am I what is my, like, emails going to be about? Like, what are my like, when I'm showing up in front of my audience? What am I talking about? What am I trying to lead them to? Your niche products? That's the dining experience where they fully experience your brand.

Kirsten: 24:08

Mm hmm. I love that analogy. Yes. That's so that's such a good point. Because it is kind of, it's really hard navigating that and like, all of those different aspects, but I know that eventually clarity will happen, whether it might be like in six months or a whole year or two years. Okay, so I wanted to ask you, if, let's say, somebody's listening, they have a niche or they have an idea of what their niches they may be like. They've been purposely creating resources and kind of burrowing down in what they are thinking is their sweet spot like they're seeing some results. What are some steps to get to that next level or just kind of steps to see even better results in They may already be seeing. So basically, how do you shift from like, alright, I kind of have a niche to like this is happening like I am taking this is what I'm being known for.

Chynell: 25:09

Yes, yes. And you know what, like, you do back going back to the vision thing that we did talk about, you kind of have to know where you want to be. Because in my eyes, if you want to be known as like, the go to person for that niche, then you you kind of have to make that decision. So that as you're in that as you're burrowing down, like you said, you kind of have to know like, where you're headed, right? So like, if you're, if you're, if you're presented with an opportunity to go speak at a like teacher conference, then like, you want to be prepared to know like, oh, yeah, I know my topics, because this is my niche, and I want, you know, that kind of thing. Well, anyways, um, this is what I would say like, if you're obviously action creates clarity, if you're in that refinement stage, and you're not 1,000% clear, go to where the data is, like, go back into your history, success leaves clues, that's my motto. Look at the data. It's so funny, because sometimes are like, what we think would be the best direction, it can be so overwhelmingly obvious how to like really, like sink your teeth into something, when you look at your data, like, go back, see what like, what are the products that did the best, like money wise, month by month, like really dig into your data and, and then of course, as you create new things continue to be like data driven in terms of like making your decisions. And then if you are feeling like, Okay, actually, I'm pretty much out of that refinement stage, I feel like I've mastered my niche, like, Where do I even go from there? I would say, um, this would be if you're at that stage, like that final stage of like, I'm, I'm living and operating within my niche. And I'm just here to listen to this podcast, because I love this podcast. I don't know. But if you're there, then it really is like coming down to like expanding on what's working. So a lot of the times once you know your niche, you're still in this like, it's funny, because I keep giving, like restaurant type examples. But at this stage, you really want to take it up a notch, take it to the next level. So one of the biggest questions you can ask yourself right now is, am I serving full solutions like dinners? Like am I serving a full meal? Or do I just have snacks? Like, do I just have these one off $3 $5 products, and one of the things that you can do to really assess your store once you Nish is look at how many products are in your under five category of your store. You know, like if you go on the left side of your store, as if you're a customer, you can see this data, click under five, and under five products in like divided like, Okay, I have 25 products that are under $5 out of 100. Well, 25% of your store is like the snacks, you know. And then as you start to build out some more complete solutions for your people. That's when like the real big money comes in that I'm telling you all from somebody who sees clients who go like multiple six figures, it's always when they make that switch to creating complete solutions for their niche. Yeah, so this is a huge mindset shift. If you did not go into starting a TPT store with the mindset of you're going to take it to a six figure business which I would say it's probably 99% of the people because if you're getting into TPT, you didn't like you chances are you didn't go to school, like go to college in business or Yeah, like you went because you were a teacher. So like you started your store because you were creating stuff for your classroom. So once you're in that niche mastery phase, that's when you can say, okay, like, I created, maybe you're maybe you're thinking like, Well, I used to create some sort of classroom games because my kids needed classroom games. But you maybe you had a curriculum. I'm going to use science as an example because the last position I was in when I was in the classroom was fifth grade science. And we have a curriculum. So I have to like kind of like navigate that. I want the person who's listening who feels like they've found their niche to think about it like this before you might have created things let's say a math game. I'm going to just say a math game. And let's say your district bought you math manipulatives so like the counting bears or whatever rulers, all of that, like all those things and you created resources to supplement what you already had in your classroom and instead, the shift has to become, I'm I'm going to imagine that my person who's buying doesn't have any of that. Yeah, what do I need to make, and then your student population is huge too. So you have a niche. And then you can serve like this, like, the second layer of your niche is like the student population. So like, gifted, like all those things can be considered. So if you're used to working with like, the gifted population, you probably don't have like interventions related to that or something, you know, or vice versa, like the differentiation of it all. So like, that's something to consider, like, you need to be meeting the needs of every you know, like everyone within your niche so that you can not just like, oh, well, if you have this particular curriculum, then you should buy these, like posters that go with it. No, right. Right. Imagine they don't have anything and start creating meals versus snacks.

Kirsten: 30:56

I love that. Yes. So those big, meaty resources units like thinking in that realm, rather, rather than those one off, or even if it is part of a bundle,

Chynell: 31:07

at least you created those small products with the mindset of bundling. Yes. Or building out like you're thinking, I'm gonna build out a product line, like, yeah, maybe this resource that I'm creating tonight is $5. But I see big picture. This will be bundled into a much greater meal.

Kirsten: 31:25

Yes. That's another good point. Good point. Love that. Love that perspective. And analogy, of course, I'm always for snacks. But of course, snacks at the end of the day, it's going to be a meal. That's gonna get me satisfied, if that makes any sense.

Chynell: 31:41

So yep, let's let's satisfy your bank accounts, people.

Kirsten: 31:45

There you go. Yeah. Okay, so I have fun bonus questions for you. They're very just random. The first question I have is, if you could swap one of your skills, your talents for a superheroes power? Which power would it be? And how would you use it in your everyday life?

Chynell: 32:03

Okay, you're gonna have to break this down. Because you know, I got Mom Brain right now, and I'm worse for you. If I have to swap a skill that I currently have. So if you are luckier,

Kirsten: 32:14

let's simplify it. What superhero power would you want to have? And how would you use it?

Chynell: 32:19

Well, I've always thought about having the power of in like an invisibility cloak. Yeah, I figured I could travel anywhere that way. I go get on the plane. Nobody will. Nobody.

Kirsten: 32:33

Nobody would know. So the that's probably what I would do to you. Or even maybe flying because I'm late. Like I'm always late. I have terrible time management skills. And so like, just zooming in to where I need to go. So I'm on there on time, because I always have at the last minute.

Chynell: 32:49

Yeah. And then backup, I'll share my my invisibility cloak with you. And we'll just hop on a private jet and get there. There you go. Yeah, but for some reason your power breaks down or something.

Kirsten: 33:02

Sounds good. Anyways, okay. Second question. Summer or winter. I love summer. I love summer, but I have a two fold answer. Personally, personally, I love experiencing summer. But since this is a business podcast, I love winter. They say in the fitness world, summer bodies are made in the winter. And if you're somebody who has your biggest sales during like back to school, I love working with clients in the winter compared to them coming to me in this in the summer, like, how do I grow my business and they're looking at me like I'm looking at them. Like, our biggest opportunity to grow your business is like by leveraging your highest month like and we only have 30 days to do it versus like being very strategic. So personally summer from a business coach perspective, call me in the winter, not believe anyway.

So basically right now,

Chynell: 34:02

if you're listening right now, your lips listening when this episode goes live like you should probably hit me up.

Kirsten: 34:09

Yeah. So I love that twist on that. Love that. Okay, here's another question. Last question. settled the debate. pineapple on pizza, delicious, sweet and savory combo or a culinary abomination?

Chynell: 34:23

Um, uh, whatever floats your boat kind of get, like, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna diss it because I haven't honestly tried it, thereby, but it's just the concept of it just like if you can't my theory is you can't knock it till you try it. You know, like, I have like that same thing in business like you can't. I'm gonna give you an example. Because this is a good takeaway for people. Some people are like, Oh, I cannot email my list more than twice per week. You don't know if your people will hate you until the data tells it right? Like if you have this gigantic unsubscribe rate ate the data speaks Okay, fine. Don't email me. I don't do it again. But like you don't know if you don't try. Right so like, I haven't tried pineapple on pizza, so could be good. It could be it could be good. Who knows if you like pineapple on pizza, go for it.

Kirsten: 35:16

There you go. Okay, so I have loved this conversation with you. And I'm sure listeners are like itching to find out how can I learn more from Chanel? She sounds amazing. So where can we connect and learn more from you?

Chynell: 35:35

Honestly, the best place that I dropped my Nuggets of whatever wisdom I have is on the routine, your dream podcast. You just search routine your dream. I'm also on Instagram routine, your dream podcast. And if you're interested in working with me, like you've kinda like you know your niche. You're at that final stage of like, I need to take this to the next level like i i have some potential, then you can DM me on Instagram. You can DM the word scale, because that's what I love to do. I love to scale your business to six figures and beyond. So DM the word scale, or just DM me? I am there hanging out at 2am While I'm pumping while I'm pumping milk, I will answer you so yeah.

Kirsten: 36:28

Good. Well, thank you for being here on the podcast.

Chynell: 36:31

I am so happy that you had me on you'll have to come on to the routine your dream podcast sometime soon.

Kirsten: 36:37

Yes, for sure. I would love that. All right.

Chynell: 36:41

Well, thank you for having me.

Kirsten: 36:47

Thanks for listening to the creative teacher podcast. If you enjoyed listening to today's episode, feel free to subscribe and leave a review. I'd love to hear your feedback. You can also follow me on Instagram at the southern teach dot designs. Have an amazing day.