Monetization Playbook #33—Solve A Very Specific Problem

Solving specific, not generic problems

When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'finding the origin of the universe' or 'seeking to cure cancer.' Usually, they will claim to be tackling a very specific problem - a small piece of the jigsaw that builds up the big picture.

— Martin Rees

Focus is hard. Beyond the lure of shiny object syndrome–an addiction of mine, for sure–lays our deep distrust of being seen as "too narrow."

In sciences, DNA wired focus is the norm.

Yet, in business, the same traits are rare.

It is rare to meet a surgeon who openly states that their speciality is general surgery. Paediatric or Plastic or even, Orthopedic –but rarely, just General.

Paradoxically, you'd rarely meet a businessperson enamoured when labelled as a – CRM or email entrepreneur. That level of specificity reserved only for those further down the food chain!

So what is about a niche that frightens the business world yet excites the world of sciences? 

By giving me a name, a label, you negate all the other things I could possibly be." — Søren Kierkegaard [wikipedia a-la-Wayne's world]

To be sure, most of us don't spend our days wondering about the whys and wherefores of existentialism.

However, whether we like it or not, the internet has disrupted us all. 

Many non-physical knowledge-based jobs now operate under a power-law, not political law.

The best design expert, full-stack developers, and dietitians win the global demand race–irrespective of their location or jurisdiction. 

Thus niching is no longer an option–it will become the global language of value communication and compensation.