#345: How to Be a Generalist AND Specialist at the Same Time

High-Income Business Writing Podcast

I’ve heard this argument hundreds of times: “I don’t have a specific target market, Ed. I’m a generalist who works with all kinds of businesses. So I’m having a really hard time narrowing things down, and I’m not convinced I should.” When I ask them about their motivation for continuing to do things this way, I typically get a response along the lines of, “I want variety in my work. I don’t want to be writing for just one industry.” And that right there is the crux of the problem. Most people who view themselves as generalists use the “work and client variety” justification. I don’t blame them. I want variety too! But that’s a logical fallacy. There’s a way to have your cake and eat it, too. But you have to look at this challenge differently. In this week’s (short) podcast episode, I explain how to do that. And how to arrive at a well-defined target market that works for you AND keeps things open and flexible for unexpected opportunities.