Beyond Industry: Dan Sherrard-Smith Argues Pain Points Define a Founder’s True Niche

In a recent LinkedIn post, Dan Sherrard-Smith challenges the conventional wisdom that founders should niche down by industry, arguing instead that the most effective niche is defined by the specific pain points their clients experience. Sherrard-Smith, a consultant who works with founders, observed that many multi-skilled entrepreneurs struggle when trying to confine their services to a single industry, often finding that their expertise spans multiple sectors.

He shared an anecdote about a client who excelled in various areas, including PR, agile coaching, communications strategy, and leadership work, across diverse fields like pharma, tech, and charities. This client was attempting to niche by industry but finding limited success. Sherrard-Smith’s pivotal question to her was: “What’s the pain they all walk in with?” This question, he suggests, uncovers the true, unifying element among her clientele.

“Her answer: ‘Gnarly comms issues nobody on the inside can untangle.’ That’s the niche. It’s not an industry.”

Reframing the Niche: From Industry to Problem Solving

Sherrard-Smith contends that founders often overcomplicate their niche by focusing on industry verticals. This approach can alienate potential clients who may not fit neatly into a predefined sector but share a common, pressing problem. By shifting the focus to the ‘pain’ a founder alleviates, they can create a more resonant and effective message that speaks directly to the core needs of their ideal clients, regardless of industry.

As Dan Sherrard-Smith notes, this reframing allows a consultant to connect with a broader range of clients who face similar challenges. “Now her profile speaks to CEOs across four sectors who all experience the pain she helps to solve,” he explained, illustrating the impact of this strategic pivot.

Identifying the Deeper Client Pain

To aid founders in uncovering this deeper niche, Sherrard-Smith provides a set of five probing questions designed to elicit the essential client pain points. These questions encourage a more introspective look at client interactions and the underlying issues they are trying to solve.

Key Questions for Niche Discovery

According to Dan Sherrard-Smith, founders should consider the following prompts:

• “What did your last 3 clients say, in their own words, when they first reached out? Their language is the niche.”
• “What sentence do they vent in the first 10 minutes of a sales call? The unfiltered pain shows up before they remember to sound composed.”
• “What were they trying (and failing) to do themselves before they called you? The gap they couldn’t bridge is the gap you fill.”
• “What’s the thing they’re quietly embarrassed to still be struggling with? Shame sits right next to pain. Find the shame, find the niche.”
• “If they did nothing for six more months, what actually breaks? Cost-of-inaction reveals whether the pain is real or just annoying.”

Sherrard-Smith emphasizes that these questions help identify the ‘gnarly comms issues’ or other significant problems that clients are desperate to resolve. He advises founders not to force their work into a single industry if their skills and client base naturally span multiple sectors.

“Your niche isn’t your industry. It’s the pain you help to fix.”

By focusing on the problem rather than the industry, Sherrard-Smith argues, founders can build a more authentic and effective brand message. This approach ensures their expertise is recognized by those who most need it, leading to more meaningful client relationships and business growth.

He concludes his post by encouraging founders to save the advice and apply it to their own businesses, asking them to reflect: “What’s the pain your best clients all walked in with?” This call to action underscores his central thesis: understanding and articulating client pain is paramount to defining a successful niche for multi-skilled entrepreneurs.