Which is Better? The Whole Big Market or the Strategic Niche?
True story: After this particular startup team pitched a couple dozen investors, many of the investors told them their strategy was too narrow and too focused. One comment: “there’s a huge potential market, and you’re boxed into a niche.”
Later, when I talked to the startup founder about it, she was disappointed. “The last time we pitched they all said we were trying to do too much,” she said. “They told us we shouldn’t talk about the big market, but identifiable, defensible niche instead.”
I see this a lot. It’s a bit of a “grass is greener” problem. Potential investors, trying to help, and with all the best intentions, make suggestions. And quite often it’s like focus groups, in which the conclusion is determined by the most vocal member. So different groups have conflicting recommendations. I’ve seen this on other issues, but the whole-market-vs-niche is the most common.
My preference is a so-called beachhead strategy, in which the startup focuses on a strategic niche first, but is already thinking about how to move from strength in the niche to other contiguous markets, growing the market as they go. I think validation is easier to get in a niche. And sales. And cash.
Done right, that’s the best of both worlds.
(Image: Jen Tik, Flickr cc)
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