Getting Specific About Your Ideal Client

When I first started out, I made the same mistake a lot of business owners make: I tried to be everything for everyone. And if you’ve been following me for a while, you probably witnessed this first hand.

I called myself a “business coach for small business owners.” People would nod politely… and then nothing would happen. Nobody knew who to introduce me to. Nobody remembered me the next time they were in a conversation where I could have helped.

So I tried narrowing a little. Maybe geography would help. “Small businesses in the Bay Area.” Still nothing.

Then I got even more specific: “AI-driven SaaS companies.” It sounded niche and clever. I leaned into what I’d be researching at the time. Could I have helped one of those companies if I had found them? Absolutely. Did I ever stumble across one? Absolutely not. I had no clear path to meet them, no idea where they gathered, and no way for anyone in my network to connect me.

Finally, I landed where I should have been all along: relationship-based businesses. Financial planners, attorneys, accountants, realtors, mortgage brokers. The kinds of professionals who were already in my networking groups, already connected to everyone else in the community, already visible. I understood their challenges because I live them myself. That was the turning point. I stopped chasing hypotheticals and started focusing on people I could actually find, connect with, and serve … people whose problems I understood and could easily talk about.

That’s the heart of intentional strategy: focus on who you serve best.

What an Ideal Client Profile Really Means

Most people, when asked who they serve, start with demographics: age, gender, income, maybe location. “I work with women under 35.” “I serve small business owners.” The problem is, those categories are too big. Nobody knows what to do with them.

If I told you my niche was “women,” how would I market without relying on stereotypes? If I narrowed it to “women under 35,” is that any better? Millions of people still fit, with completely different needs.

Now imagine I said: “I help women under 35 in the Bay Area who are buying their first home … especially women in tech who are tired of renting.”

Feel the difference? Suddenly you can picture them. You know what message would resonate, you can come up with ideas for where they might hang out. You know exactly who your referral partners are: accountants, financial planners, mortgage brokers, lenders, relocation agents, maybe even young women in tech groups and organizations.

That’s the difference between a demographic and an ideal client profile. One is vague. The other paints a vivid picture.

How to Test Whether You’re Clear Enough

At every step in narrowing down your audience, it helps to pause and ask yourself a few questions:

• Are there associations or organizations dedicated to this group?
• Are they easy to identify and find in the real world?
• Who else serves them and could those people be partners for me?
• Would my message to them feel generic, or would it feel eerily specific and personal?
• Do I enjoy working with this group?
• Do they have the means and the motivation to pay?

If the answers aren’t there yet, neither are you.

Why This Matters

Getting this specific isn’t about excluding opportunity. It’s about creating focus everything becomes easier.

When you know exactly who you serve, your messaging sharpens. Referrals become easier for those around you. Partnerships line up naturally. And bad-fit clients filter themselves out before they ever take up your time.

If your description of who you serve could apply to millions of people, it’s not strategy it’s an obstacle masquerading as an opportunity. Run your niche through the questions above. If you get stuck, that’s a sign your focus isn’t tight enough yet.

When you finally become selective, you don’t just define your clients you solidify the core of your marketing and your overarching strategies.

The next time you have an opportunity that doesn’t align with your niche, your ICP, be bold. Say No and explain specifically who it is you serve. Then email me and let me know how it felt.