Mind Your Business Gap: The Missing Offer in Your Industry
Let's get straight into it today: do you know the gap your business fills?
Because if you really wanna unlock growth and scale to your true potential, you gotta figure that piece of the puzzle out.
This is not a differentiator.
This is not a niche.
This is the space that is underrepresented and under served.
It's time to fix it. ⬇️ I'm not messing around today, let's find that gap ASAP.
A TRUE INDUSTRY GAP REQUIRES:
Core Problem - The biggest issue your audience is facing
New Solution - The unique solution you offer that addresses their problem
A Real Truth - The reality of the industry or situation that is often ignored
This is where people get stuck. It's easy to fall into the trap of "this is what everyone else is selling in my industry, so I'll sell it too." But why on earth would you try to sell something literally thousands of others are. Talk about shoving yourself between a rock and a hard place on purpose.
So let me challenge you with this: what does your it audience ACTUALLY NEED that they can't find anywhere else.
FIND THE GAP YOU'RE BUILT TO FILL
Here's a quick-start guide to finding the space you can fill better than anyone else. Keeping it simple but effective today, after all it is the weekend! (Don't be scared by the length – there are lots of examples in here!)
FIRST FIND: What are the two polar opposite sides of your industry?
I'm talking extremes here. Some examples:
SALES: Aggressive script-based cold sales closer VS trust-builder relationship sales
COPYWRITING: Trend-Hacking Keyword Stuffer VS Brand Voice Expert
COFFEE SHOPS: Fast, cheap, fuel VS Specially sourced, pull up a seat and stay a while
ATHLETIC CLUBS: Lower cost, community-based, freebies VS Elite, expensive, clique
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Fiverr template-flipper VS Adobe advanced expert
It's important to note, that there are almost certainly other extremes in every industry besides the two you'll ID here, but what occurs to you first is likely the right space to explore as long as it's specific.
These two opposites are your X axis (the horizontal line if math isn't your vibe).
THEN FIND: What are the opposite audiences they serve?
We're making a quadrant chart with 4 squares split up by our x axis (above) and now need to find our y axis. This is the audience focus. What are the two opposite audiences that both extremes from our first line often serve. This should be in the realm of people you'd also consider part of your core audience. Again, examples:
SALES: SaaS founder VS Solopreneur
COPYWRITING: Course creators VS coaches
COFFEE SHOPS: Commuters VS remote workers
ATHLETIC CLUBS: Fitness Newbie VS Returning to Gym
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Founders VS Established Orgs
Reminder, there will be more than these audiences, but we're identifying YOUR gap, not just any gap. Drop this y line (vertical) in the center of your page.
THE RESEARCH: Who are the main players in this micro-universe?
Take 30 minutes and find all the businesses that play in this space, and map them on your quadrant chart. Some will be way up and to the left, some closer to the middle. Map at least 9-12 out for the best insight (hint: this is a good use of AI research usually!)
THE ANALYSIS: Where's the gap?
Ta-da! You now have a chart that shows you what quadrant is most underserved. That's a gap. If only one company is in your bottom right quadrant, and they lean really close to one side or the other, you have a gap that isn't being adequately served.
These are simple steps, but don't feel bad if the the axis lines take some time to get right. Your first pass may reveal 4 completely equal quadrants; it just means you have to get even more specific on your next pass through. You got this! Feel free to email me (hello (at) thefixcollective.com) with your quadrant if you're feeling stuck, I'd be happy to offer some suggestions.
