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An Eastern Philosophy Look At Niche

By: Rick London

When I was in college (the first time around), I was always told to find a niche and keep it simple. Little did I know at the time, I was learning a sound business principle. After all, there is nothing simple about Ebay, Yahoo, or Google.

Could there be?

They told us in college, yet again, this time around "do what you know and do best". Do what you love and the money will come. Yada yada. I researched how other businesses started. Peg at Ebay knew a lot about Pez dispensers so that was their focus the first year or so.

We renegade entrepreneurs, at least this one, found that he does not fit into the corporate 9-5 world. They are not too keen on "some misfit" constantly reinventing the wheel, but reinvent the wheel I must, even if I get knocked down, which is often. I can honstely say I have about one success to every 10 failures. The odds were much worse in 1997 when I started

Zen is at work here. There is a yin and a yang pulling us in either direction. The secret is to get centered, focused, and open to learn.

Take advantage of the opportunities on the net by spending a few extra hours a week researching. Most e-books I've found are replicas of others and offer nothing new or cutting-edge. All the information in them are free at websites and usually better-written with less typos. And I tend to run from Internet gurus anyway. I suggest you do the same.

Why sell what everyone else is selling, even if they are the "hottest products on the market". Unless you are a trust-fund baby, you won't win. I'd rather sell kitchen cutting boards that sell well than Calvin Kleins best fragrances. Why? Why not. Why beat my head against the wall competing with people who have been doing it for years, have a name, have more resources, etc. Provide a service or product that is needed, carve a niche, get wealthy, and have fun.

I looked around for items I liked and couldn't find any that that were suitable for me. So I approached an Ebay powerseller who happened to be a manufacturer of art licensed goods and we made a deal for Londons Times Cartoons Gifts and collectibles. Then I made a second deal with a print on demand manufacturer of mostly casual wear in Denver. I was my own boss and not having to rely on a manufacturer or back orders. I was a happy camper.

Copyrighting your own designs simply deepens your brand and public awareness. If you don't want to sell someone else's sell your own!

My successes were mostly hit and miss and by accident. i did not follow the rulebooks but ignorantly just kept plugging along. This is okay, I could have "arrived" much sooner, but I didn't research or study much early on. I was too busy creating. I should have been creating balance and doing both. Live and learn.

I researched and decided to test a shop and call it Just Funny Aprons. I put my cartoon designs on it, spent a bit on adveritising, and presto, people were ordering funny aprons. The niche business principle still holds true. They were begging for unique funny aprons and still are.

This is not a get rich fast venture. It is more of a get comfortable slow venture. But it is a very good way to build a foundation for a tremendous business and you can do it if you stay focused, use a little common sense and discipline, and goodwill towards your customer base.

Find your niche whether it is cell phones (a certain kind), chocolate, pet treats, organic dried fruits, your own private coffee label (yes I have one of those too), or whatever you think will sell; perhaps do an informal survey or focus group and you would be surprised what people want.

Then promote, promote, promote with blogs, article marketing, ppc engines, pinging, and every other method of which you can think. Suddenly you will wake up successful. The odds are on your side. The harder you work, the more research you do, the more action you take, the luckier you get. In fact, the big dogs did the same thing to become big dogs, and they have nothing on you, if you just allow yourself to take the action. Keep an open mind and be prepared for failure and success. You will have your share of both.

It is not how many times you fall down that count, but how many times you get back up. And if you use your "Zen", you will get back up. It's all a matter of physics, getting pulled back into balance.

Article Source: Main Articles

Cartoonist Rick London, founder of Londons Times is legendary on the Internet. He started in 1997 with nothing, in a metal warehouse, and now has one of the biggest cartoon gift and t-shirt mega-stores on the net. He recently launched Londons Times Superstore funny t-shirts, and more

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