Three benefits from focusing on just one ideal client persona

Whenever I coach new entrepreneurs on the topic of focusing on just one ideal client persona there’s resistance. There’s the fear of missing out on interesting projects and clients, the desire to have variety, perhaps the fear of getting bored. There’s the belief that you can help different personas, so why shouldn’t you? And then, there’s the fear of saying NO, of disappointing clients, and losing out on revenue.

So why limit yourself?

You don’t have to. You can take any client that comes your way, that’s what a lot of freelancers do. It’s how we started Master21. However, after some time focusing on too many different personas with different goals, became unsatisfactory and complex.
It was not the simplest, most joyful or sustainable way, or the Joypreneur way.

Here are a few benefits that you get from focusing on just one ideal client persona:

Benefit #1 : Focus allows you specialise, to become an expert, and thus more valuable

When you decide to focus on just one ideal client persona, you start seeing that your clients have similar questions, challenges and aspirations. You start seeing patterns, learn how to serve them best and get ideas for other services. As an example, let’s say you started with 1:1 coaching, then once you understand your persona deeply, you can build a group program or online course that sells more easily.

Benefit #2: Focus allows you to build community and scale

When you serve many clients of the same persona type, there’s high chances that they want to hang out together. So you can create value by connecting them. People want to spend time, learn from and support people on similar journey, with similar values and goals. By creating a community you can reach more people and increase your impact.

Benefit #3: Focus will simplify your marketing efforts

When you focus on just one ideal persona, with a specific challenge and goal you can talk very specifically to that persona when you create content such as blog posts or videos. When potential clients read or hear about your offer, they want to know whether it could help them too, in making progress and reaching their goals. When they see that you helped people, just like them, they believe it’s for them. Consequently selling becomes not about convincing people but about having a conversation whether it’s the right time and format for them.

Plus by focusing your energy, you can

be like that fire hose, not the water sprinkler,

and have more impact.

It’s your decision how you want to build your business.
I know saying NO to some opportunities might seem hard. But remember that you say yes to a lot of simplicity and joy.

Or as the Stoic saying goes:

“Hard choices easy life. Easy choices hard life.”