I’m a big proponent of “don’t figure it out, find it out.” I probably got that from years of watching Seth Godin and Gary Vee videos, so if I didn’t properly give credit there, that’s why.
People have told me I was smart for “finding my niche” by helping busy independent music publicists with their admin, reporting, website update, and social media work, but really I just had a good friend who got laid off and started their own company and needed someone right away. A few years later I got another client doing the same thing. Three of those in total, doing various tasks and duties M-F.
I didn’t “figure out” that direction or market, and I’m not actively expanding that, as in; I’ve turned down clients in the past year for that work, because I found out there’s better pay and less hours involved in the email marketing world.
That’s something else I sort of “stepped into,” but it was also from a friendship forged in the late 90s, so I’m won’t feel guilty about that. And I’ve been doing various sorts of email marketing since 2011 or so, too… from email newsletter for Artists & Fleas and my own Skull Toaster project, where I sent over 1,000 emails (they were numbered).
Lots of tips and hacks online about “gain a skill, get a customer, earn six figures a month,” and I guess some people can manage that, but to me that sounds like a fantasy. I mean, the route I went isn’t the correct answer, either, but still.
All that to say – don’t figure it out, find it out.” Keep doing lots of things, all the time, and make sure you’re having fun doing them at least, or finding some fulfillment out of them. Email newsletters for me are fun because you get to see tangible results, like open rates and REVENUE, so your results may vary.
Still – take a lot of shots, and see what lands, I guess.