Sorry for the weird title, r/blogging! ;-)
But I want to share something that I'm dealing with and might be interesting for all of you out there. Also, I think this could provide a nice discussion in this sub.
If you are wondering what I mean, please check out this post here on reddit by the mod of r/EntrepreneurRideAlong.
Basically, what the post comes down to (and what explains the silly title of this post) is the comparison between an invalidated idea with no competition to a validated idea with tons of competition:
So at one end of the spectrum we have:
Bikini Shops in Antarctica!
Zero competition! So I came up with this silly example to set one end of the continuum, but when you think about it, these are the types of businesses I see a lot of folks pursuing. There’s NO competition and you’re happy...shoot, you can set up and not have another bikini shop for 1000’s of miles. Win!
Well here’s the rub:
NO competition = NO customers.
These two go together.
It’s counterintuitive because school and generally accepted ideas have jacked us up. But it’s reality. Shoot, I’m at the point now that whenever I hear someone say “No competition” my brain auto-corrects it to mean “No customers”.
For “no competition” to mean there is some huge opportunity there, two things would have to have happened:
1) No other human being on the face of the earth has thought of this thing and you’re a business mastermind, or 2) It’s a terrible idea
One of these seems far more likely to be the case than not.
Whenever there is some huge opportunity, competition is already there and kicking ass. And that (against every natural feeling in your body) is a GOOD thing.
If there is a ton of money to be made, chances are, there is a ton of competition chasing it.
Let’s look at the other end of the spectrum:
Gas Stations!
Hella Competition! Here we are on the other end of the continuum. Shoot, you’ll sometimes find a big intersection with a gas station literally on >every corner. You can look outside and see your competition looking back at you across the street. I’ve tried a ton of >business “ideas” (more on why we don’t build idea businesses in a sec), and these are the types of businesses we have >found to be successful. The industries all look the same:
A TON of competition = A TON of customers
These two go together. And this is where I want to be.
I've been blogging now for 14 months and have always feared that I might actually be building a bikini shop on the south pole. I have practically no real competition in my sub niche, which I have always thought was GREAT.
Turns out that it is very challenging for me to grow traffic... You might have read about it in my ongoing case studies.
That's why I'm now trying to expand my niche and target other keywords/sources of traffic/strategies, but it definitely has taken a LOT of discipline and time to keep going and get where I am today.
Why am I saying all this?
I have seen blogs that are incredibly niche. Sometimes, that's just simply not a good idea. Hell, maybe I'm a hypocrite by saying this, but my advice would be to not build bikini shops on the south pole. Build actual gas stations (or something else that has already proven to be profitable/succesfull).
Sure, I've learned a ton so far from blogging and it's been a fun ride, but if I ever start a second website, I will NEVER pick a similar niche without competition real traffic AGAIN. Competition is a sign of a validated niche!
</rant>
Submitted June 28, 2018 at 08:41PM by TrackingHappiness https://www.reddit.com/r/Blogging/comments/8ur0wb/dont_build_bikini_shops_in_antarctica_seriously/?utm_source=ifttt
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