Niche is defined as "a place or position perfectly suited for the person or thing in it." What does this mean for your business? Well, imagine instead of purchasing all of your groceries at the supermarket, you got your fruits and vegetables at a farmer's market, your bread at a bakery, and your meats at a deli or butcher shop. Each of these products are going to be much higher quality, sold by a much more knowledgeable staff, and probably the same price or cheaper than your all encompassing supermarket. This is the idea of a niche.

If your business does not have focus, your product will suffer. Even if you have fine tuned several different products or services, if you are doing landscaping and also dog grooming, your customers will lose faith in both of the services you provide. Its a simple concept that is well known. Customers do not trust a company to provide widely varying products or services. Places like Walmart can get away with it because it has been the norm for a long time but the times are changing. People are expecting better products and services from more focused businesses as time moves on and more businesses exist.

This may seem like a bad thing but if you are on the right side of the equation, it is a great thing. As more and more people come to expect this level of focused service, more business is coming to the individuals who choose to provide it. This is where you come in. Use these tips to choose a niche for your business_

1. Think about what products or services are not being focused on by the larger companies.

Companies like Dick's sporting goods may sell golf balls online and in store but do they specialize in selling golf balls of every kind? No, they don't. Chances are, with a little bit of effort, you can outrank Dick's sporting goods on the search engines for terms like 'golf balls' or 'used golf balls'. My point is that while you can't really compete with a giant company, you don't need to. You can focus on something smaller that they have overlooked and gain customers while providing a great service.

2. Think about your passion.

If you are a carpenter who has a passion for music, consider building musical instruments or stages for musical performances. You don't have to start over from square one to do something that you love. Do what makes you happy and remember that you can still be successful while having a very narrow focus.

3. Think about your target market.

Using the golf ball example from earlier, you wouldn't be able to go very far with this business in a local area where golf is not popular. Of course, you understand that you need the market for it but I want to tell you that you need to decide what your market is before choosing a product or service. Of course, the internet can help you reach the whole world rather than just your local area, but it is important to keep in mind that internet businesses can be more difficult to start from ground up.

As you're considering starting up a small business, make sure you are actively seeking a niche for your business. Consider these 3 things when choosing a niche. Try to find a niche that is not currently monopolized by larger companies, try to include your hobbies and passions into your niche, and make sure to consider your potential customers and target market. Make a free website at http_//webstarts.com/ and get your small business online today!