Smaller Audience, Bigger Income: Why Trying to Serve Everyone Is Keeping You Broke
And what to do instead
Here's a question that might mess with how you think about your coaching business:
Why does a high-end sushi bar charge over $100 for a meal that costs very little in ingredients… while grocery store sushi sits there for $9 and still struggles to sell?
Same fish. Same rice. Completely different positioning.
And this right here explains why so many coaches, therapists, and heart-led entrepreneurs stay invisible, exhausted, and underpaid—even though they know they should niche down.
I'm Jennie Hays, the Beyond Mindset Mentor. I help entrepreneurs who have learned what to do but can't seem to do it. And today I want to show you why trying to be everything to everyone is quietly killing your income, your energy, and your confidence.
Let's talk sushi.
The Grocery Store vs. The Sushi Bar
Here in Texas, we've got HEB. If you're not from here, just know this: it's massive. You can buy groceries, furniture, clothes, and a grill in one trip.
They also sell sushi. About nine bucks for a box. My husband says it's pretty good. It does the job.
But then there are the sushi bars.
You sit at the counter. The chef places one perfect piece in front of you. And that one piece can easily cost nine dollars on its own.
Same price. Wildly different experience.
Both models work. But they work for very different businesses serving very different customers.
The Grocery Store Model (and Why It's Draining You)
Most coaches are running a grocery store business without realizing it.
Here's what that looks like:
You help with mindset… and business… and relationships… and health… and manifestation…
You list every certification you've ever earned, just in case.
Your website says something like "I help anyone ready to transform their life."
Your sessions are priced at $75 because you want to be accessible—or you're afraid people won't pay more
And underneath all of that?
You're scared to turn anyone away because what if they're the only person who reaches out this month?
What Happens Next Is Predictable:
You're exhausted because every client needs something different.
You can't create systems because nothing repeats.
You spend all your time customizing instead of building.
You attract price shoppers instead of committed clients.
You're overworked, underpaid, and constantly questioning if you're doing the right thing.
Your marketing feels muddy because people can't clearly see themselves in it
You're busy. But you're broke and tired.
Sound familiar?
The Sushi Bar Model (Why Specialists Thrive)
Sushi bars don't try to serve everyone.
They serve people who want this specific thing, done exceptionally well.
Sure, they've got a kids' menu. They probably have something for your friend who doesn't eat fish. But they don't focus on that. They don't advertise it. It's an afterthought.
They know who they're for. They know what they're best at. And they build everything around that.
Because of That Clarity:
They charge premium prices.
They refine their craft instead of spreading thin.
They become known as the place for that experience.
They work with fewer customers and make more money
This is exactly how sustainable coaching businesses are built.
What This Looks Like in Your Coaching Business
Instead of "I help anyone who wants change," imagine saying:
I help burned-out healthcare workers transition out of bedside nursing without losing their income
I help couples on the brink of divorce rebuild trust after infidelity
I help women with pre-diabetes and insulin resistance who are exhausted from doing everything "right."
I help high-performing leaders who secretly feel like frauds step into their authority
When you get this specific, something powerful happens:
Your message clicks instantly with the right people. You stop competing on price and start competing on results. Clients come in already trusting your expertise. You can build frameworks because you're solving the same core problem repeatedly
And yes, you can charge more.
Not because you're greedy. But because you're no longer a commodity.
The Beautiful Irony
Here's what most people don't realize:
When you niche down, you don't get fewer clients.
You get more of the right clients because you're not getting lost in the noise anymore.
You become the obvious choice for your specific person.
Real Shifts I've Seen (With Proof)
Let me tell you about some actual clients who pushed through the fear.
The California Therapist
I worked with a therapist in California who was marketing generally to "trauma." She was invisible and overwhelmed. She knew she needed to niche but was terrified she'd lose clients.
When she finally got honest, she said: "I really love helping high-achieving women with anxiety and perfectionism who are first- or second-generation immigrants."
We ran the numbers.
We looked at how many first- and second-generation immigrants were in California with the means to pay cash for therapy.
There were over 1.5 million potential clients in her state alone.
That niche wasn't small. It was focused.
And once she narrowed geographically to a couple of cities around her, she stopped shouting into the void and started being seen.
The Child Therapist "Paramedic"
I worked with a child therapist who was drowning.
Parents wanted long-term "babysitting therapy"—they just wanted that hour once a week, whether or not their child was actually progressing. She felt drained, generic, and afraid to own her real expertise.
But here's what she's actually amazing at: crisis stabilization.
She works with the kids nobody else wants—the ones who are hard, who make noise, who create problems because they're hurting.
Once she embraced that she's actually "the paramedic for troubled kids"—someone who stabilizes quickly and moves them on—everything changed.
She could finally market short-term, high-impact work that aligned with her energy instead of long-term draining cases where she felt like a babysitter.
The Gen Z Coach
I had a coach serving Gen Z who couldn't say what made him different. He was afraid to be too specific because Gen Z felt like a small pool.
Once we dug into what made him shine, he shifted to:
"I work with high-functioning Gen Zers who have failed traditional talk therapy and need deep work."
He does a lot of mindset work, and his specific language immediately differentiated him and attracted exactly the clients looking for what he does.
The Pattern You Need to Notice
Every single one of these people knew they should niche down.
They understood the strategy. They'd watched the videos. They'd taken the courses.
But they couldn't pull the trigger.
Not because they didn't know how.
Because of a deeper block:
Fear of missing out
Fear of being "too narrow."
Fear of owning their specific expertise
If you're still marketing to "anyone with anxiety" or "anyone who wants change," this fear might be the exact thing keeping your calendar empty.
Your Homework: Get Specific
On paper. Right now.
Answer These Four Questions:
1. WHO do you help? Not "anyone who wants transformation." Not "anyone who will pay." Specifically—who?
2. WHAT is their core problem? For me, it's entrepreneurs who are stuck. They think they know what to do, but they can't do it.
3. WHAT outcome do you actually deliver? I help them do the thing. I help them be natural doing the thing without that weight that keeps them stuck.
4. WHY are you uniquely positioned to help them?
For me? I've been working in this field for almost four years. But I also have 20 years as a paramedic, and I helped my husband build his six-figure business.
When it came to mine? I failed bigly. (As a certain political figure would say these days.)
It was tough.
And when I figured out how to quickly break down the blocks that were keeping me stuck, it was like a whole new world opened.
So what makes you uniquely positioned?
Then Notice What Comes Up
Excitement? Fear? Vulnerability? Second-guessing?
That reaction is information. Don't ignore it.
The Missing Piece Nobody's Teaching
If you know you need to niche—and charge more—but feel resistance every time you try, I want to invite you to my free two-part training:
From Stuck to Clients: The Missing Piece
Part 1: Strategy
Clear, practical, no fluff. How to niche down, charge more, position yourself, and market effectively.
Because you need good strategy.
Part 2: The Blocks (This Is What Makes It Different)
But here's the reality:
No matter how much strategy I give you, about 80% of you won't implement it.
Not because you're lazy. Not because you're stubborn. Not because you're stuck in "mindset crap."
It's because you have actual blocks keeping you stuck—fear of missing out, fear of being too narrow, fear of owning your expertise.
That's what prevents you from implementing what you already know you should do.
In Part 2, we work through those blocks in a way you just don't see in 95% of programs.
Actually, I think I'm the only one teaching this piece this way.
(I'm sure there will be more because more people are doing the work I do. But right now? This is unique.)
[Register for the free 2-part webinar here → jennihays.com/events]
I run this training every month on the 2nd and 3rd Tuesday.
The Bottom Line
You can keep running a grocery store: busy, overwhelmed, underpaid, serving everyone, and attracting price shoppers.
Or you can become the sushi bar: clear, specific, premium, sustainable, working with committed clients who see you as THE expert.
The strategy matters. But it's not what's stopping you.
The blocks are.
And once you see that—and clear them—everything changes.
Your Turn
What niche are you afraid to claim—and why?
Ready to stop being the grocery store and become the sushi bar? [Join my free 2-part webinar: From Stuck to Clients →]
FAQs
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Niching down helps coaches attract more of the right clients, not fewer. Specialists can charge premium rates, work with fewer clients, and become known as THE expert for a specific problem instead of competing on price as a generalist.
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The sushi bar model means focusing on serving one specific type of client exceptionally well, rather than trying to serve everyone. Like a sushi bar that charges premium prices for expertise, coaches who niche can charge more and attract committed clients.
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No. When a California therapist niched from "trauma" to "high-achieving immigrant women with anxiety," she found 1.5 million potential clients in her state alone. Specificity makes you visible to the right people instead of invisible to everyone.
About Jennie Hays: I'm the Beyond Mindset Mentor. I work with experienced coaches who’ve learned strategies to get clients — but still feel stuck when it’s time to be visible, price confidently, or follow through.—I help them actually DO the thing naturally, without that weight that keeps them stuck. With 20 years as a paramedic, helping my husband build his six-figure business (while failing bigly at my own first), and almost four years coaching entrepreneurs, I teach both the strategy AND the blocks work that 95% of programs ignore.
